Did you know that just days after Jamestown was built it was attacked by 200 armed indians?  This attack happened 400 years ago this Saturday and resulted in the death of one man, and the wounding of another eleven.

In conjunction with the Home Educators Association of Virginia, Knowledge Quest is pleased to provide a quad pack of Jamestown resources for your family to enjoy during this momentous quadricentennial year.  Included in this Quad Pack is a Biography of Pocahontas, an audio about John Smith, a map of Jamestown and the surrounding areas with lesson plans and finally, a timeline of events.  To claim your access to these resources, go to www.knowledgequestmaps.com/signup.htm.

Wishing you the best,

Terri

I have had an interesting week to say the least.  In reality, it has been very unusual and full of ups and downs.  More like a roller-coaster than a walk in the park, if you know what I mean.  Let me share some of the details...

On Tuesday, I read a quote by C.S. Lewis that said something like this (paraphrase) - As Christians, our mistake is not that we ask God for too much, but rather for too little.  We are content to act as a child making mudpies in the alley when what God wants to do is give us a holiday at the seashore.  Wow!  Perhaps I am guilty of this very thing.  My prayers are often so general, not specific, and I worry about asking for too much.  I mean, truly, isn't His salvation enough for me?  How could I ask for anything more.  Then, I realized that God is truly like a parent.  As parents, we want to give our children the best things, but we also want them to ask for our help also (in a polite and respectful way, of course).

So, I decided to pray more specifically for what my heart truly longed for.  I told the Lord my fears and hopes and laid them at His feet, and then I went to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to find that my daughter had caught a severe case of the flu.  Nursing her all day, I began to worry about dehydration.  Then another child contracted the virus - this time, the baby.  I worried again about keeping her hydrated and about how to manage the situation at home with two very sick children.  Then, I received the phone call.  My active and healthy 66 year old mother was going in for a quadruple by-pass surgery.  I cried out to the Lord, "Please Lord, bring her through this surgery.  I am not ready to lose my mother."

As it turned out, during the surgery, the doctors found that there were not four clogged arteries, but six.  They did six by-passes that afternoon in a 10 hour long surgery.  I have not even heard of having six clogged arteries.  My mother was just a heart-attack waiting to happen.

During all of this I must mention that our house in on the market and we had to keep packing up the kids and the sick supplies (basin, paper towels, etc) and leaving the house for buyers to come through with their realtors.  Oh my, this was getting exhausting.

Now, it is Sunday.  Before church, my toddler came across my freshly poured coffee cup and decided to take a sip.  She must have slightly burned her mouth because she proceeded to drop the coffee cup and spill its contents all down the front of her body and onto the white carpet.  My oldest daughter pulled off her pajamas to check for burns and my husband dove into the job of cleaning up the stained carpet.  Thankfully, she did not appear to be burned.  Thank the Lord, it was not McDonald's coffee served at boiling hot temperatures!

This morning in church we sang a song about trading in our sickness, sorrows and pain for the joy of the Lord.  Sounds like a good exchange to me!  After a long week, the sun is out today.  My daughters are well, the toddler isn't burned, the other children did not catch the flu, my mother is in recovery, the house is still in beautiful condition, and we are safe and well in the arms of our Lord.

As I look back on this week, I realize that I prayed more fervently, more often and more specifically than I have in a long time.  I also experienced more trials than I have in a long time also.  Is this a coincidence or am I in the middle of a lesson from God.  He has answered all of my prayers this week except for the two that I prayed on Tuesday night.  How will he answer those?  I do not know but I wait in expectation for what my good Lord will do.

What do you have in store for us this next week, Lord?

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CommunicationFUNdamentals/286776/Speak+

JoJo is homeschool blogger of the week and she wrote a great article on sharing curricula.  Take a moment to read it.

All the best,

Terri

Our illustrator is working on the drawings for our new book coming out later in the spring called What Really Happened in Colonial Times.  Isn't this fantastic?

By the way, her name is Narcissa Whitman and she traveled in a covered wagon out to Oregon Territory.  What an amazing woman!  Can you see the strength in her face?  She had to be strong and courageous to make such a trip, in my opinion.

This is the exciting part of publishing a book!  Actually, it is all exciting... getting the book out of the author's head and onto paper, editing, illustrating, designing the cover, formatting, shipping the final product off to the printer, proofing the proofs, returning them and then the waiting...

We are working with a new author on this particular set of books.  His name is Joel King and he is a homeschool dad who has a passion for history and geography.  You can see that when you flip through the pages of this new book.  You are going to love it!  It is already getting rave reviews.  Check out the cover and then read these reviews and you will see what I mean.

You can even download a free sample here - www.knowledgequestmaps.com/prod5.htm.  Enjoy!

Here are some of the great reviews:

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/Geography_products.php

What exactly is it about geography that makes it a subject that many home educators have become loathe to teach?  Is it because we ourselves feel so inadequate in our own knowledge of the subject?  Is it because we cannot find a curriculum that lays out a systematic and incremental course of study, and is fun to boot?  Or is it because we have finally realized that the world is really not so small after all, as the song of the same name implied and the accessibility of the world by way of the Internet has led us to believe?  Is it not true that the more you learn about a country or a region of the world, the more you realize the vast amount of terrain there is still yet to know?

Sadly, when it comes to geography, Americans just are not measuring up.  In a National Geographic survey, it was found that 49% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 could not locate the state of New York on a United States map.  88% of these respondents could not find Afghanistan on a map of Asia.  And, perhaps most shocking, is that 11% of these Americans could not locate their own country on a world map!

American students, in general, have a very limited understanding of world and even U.S. geography in comparison with their counterparts from around the world. European students, for example, have a much better handle not only of their own surrounding geography but of the entire world as well. It is the same with students from Asia and many other parts of the globe.

Perhaps you are thinking that I am only referring to public school students.  But in reality, homeschooled students often suffer from this same lack of knowledge in geography as well. The two subjects most neglected in the homeschooling arena are writing and geography. I am not entirely certain why this is so, but I can speculate… Skill areas, such as math, grammar and spelling are easier to measure than the artful skill of writing and so it gets pushed aside. Similarly, history and science require such large portions of time that geography is often left in the cold.

The little-known truth about geography is that it is not a difficult subject to teach!  The teacher does not have to master the topic before challenging his/her students to increase their knowledge and skill in this neglected area.  There are many wonderful resources out there that will help you teach your students world geography and most of them are inexpensive or even free.

Are you ready dive in and discuss some fun and effortless ways to teach geography?  Well, hold on for just a moment more… first let’s take a minute to discuss why learning geography is even a necessary component to one’s education.  I mean, honestly, why would anyone need to know where Timbuktu is located?  (By the way, in case you do not know, it is a city situated smack dab in the center of Mali, a country in western Africa, just south of the Sahara Desert.)

First, we need a working definition of geography.  According to Noah Webster, geography is the study of the earth, or the terrestrial globe, particularly of the divisions of its surface, whether natural or artificial, and of the position of countries, kingdoms, states and cities.  In essence, geography is the spatial aspect of earth study and is integrally related to its sister subjects of history, ecology and the economy.

Consider this perspective…  All wars that have been fought throughout history have been over geography, which, of course, ultimately boils down to greed.  The source of tension between lords and tenants, neighboring kingdoms, settlers and natives comes down to this one particular thing – who owns the land currently and who has enough power to take it and keep it!

Physically speaking, the landscape of our earth has changed little over the course of time (with the exception of the Great Flood and its aftermath), but the historical events that have transpired over even just a portion of this ground has had and continues to have tremendous impact on that locale as well as the world as a whole.

We must take an interest in and even study geography because it is an aspect of studying mankind and his development and movement over the face of the globe.  We should not only concern ourselves over the name or even the course of a given river, but we would do even better to make an attempt at understanding the societies that have grown up and then departed from that river, the trade that was conducted up and down that river, the connections that that river makes to other waterways and its overall significance to the local and worldwide economy.  Many people do not realize that geography is more than just naming countries, cities and landforms.  It is the study of the land as it relates to people, their history and their resources.

If we truly want to understand another culture, to reach out in missions, to bring aid to hurting people and share the love of Christ beyond our local borders, we must study geography.  Cultures are defined by traditions, shared values, available resources and geographical limitations and whereabouts.  If we truly want to believe once again that this is a small world after all, we must take an active interest in our world’s geography and the people groups who are scattered around the globe.

Stock up on games! 

So let’s get started.  How can we study geography with our students in such a way that it does not become dry and boring?  Meaningless repetition and memorization can lead to drudgery for anyone.  What's more, how can we teach it without being knowledgeable ourselves?  Well, there is a reason why geography bees (and spelling bees for that matter) have cropped up all around this country and even around the world.  Why not take a subject that has the tendency to become tedious and make it a game!  Geography is the ideal subject for game playing and competition.  (You may prefer to downplay competition in your school or home, but there are many games that do not require competition.)

Here are some great games that you might consider playing with your children:

Map puzzles (traditional and computerized)

Geography hangman (traditional or online)

Borderline card games

MapTangle (like Twister®)

HopOff (like hopscotch)

Carmen Sandiego computer games

Online computer games

It certainly does not hurt to stock up on some physical games to put on your shelf to pull down when the kids get bored, but there are also many free and interesting geography games available on the Internet.  For a compilation of fun and challenging online games, download our brand new ebook entitled Globalmania: Master World Geography in Just 7 Months.  It is located here - www.knowledgequestmaps.com/globalmania.htm - and it is free of charge.  Included within the ebook are several labeled and unlabeled maps of the continents and globe to aid your students’ learning.

Integrate it seamlessly!

Geography is a natural extension of history, literature and science.  It just makes sense to learn it along with these other subjects.  Yes, teaching geography can be painless and your children may even develop an “obsession” with finding locations on the map!  Here are some ways to incorporate geography into your daily studies.

Fasten a large world map to the wall – the bigger the better.  This map can be either labeled or unlabeled.  If you choose an unlabeled map, have a globe on hand for looking up locations.  On this wall map, have your students mark locations when they run across them in their studies, whether it be the name of a country they just read about in their literature reading, the name of a city where an inventor was born, or the location of a famous battle.  Marking locations on a map can be done a few different ways.  Straight pins can be outfitted with a labeled “flag” which identifies the place.  Simply fold a rectangular piece of paper around the pin, glue it to itself and label the specific place name with a fine point marker on the “flag”.  These place-marker pins can be stuck into a map that has been adhered to a foam backing (spray adhesive works best for adhering paper maps to foam board).  Or, if the map is not laminated, and if this activity meets with your approval, the children can mark the location with a dot using a marker and then write the place name directly on the map itself.  This usually works better with a blank unlabeled wall map.

Another activity that incorporates geography into their other studies is for your children to label and color notebook sized maps which correspond with the topics they are studying in history or learning about in their assigned reading.  Again, this activity is best used in conjunction with a globe so they can see where the area is located in relation to the rest of the world and to gain the distance perspective that only a globe can give because it is not distorted as a flat map is.

Keep it colorful and appealing!

Geography should be fascinating.  Maybe it is not to you, but spend a little time with someone who loves geography and history and that enthusiasm will begin to rub off.  The materials that we keep around our home should be eye-catching if we want our children to take notice of them and flip through them.  Place some big, bright children’s atlases on the coffee table.  Fill your bookshelves with books that are interesting and colorful and are asking to be noticed.

At Knowledge Quest, Inc., we are publishing a brand new book that teaches your children U.S. geography.  It is called the Star-Spangled State Book and it is loaded with colorful pictures, interesting facts and challenging quizzes that will draw your children into its pages and keep them there.  You can download a free sample from the book here.  These are the kind of books that you want around your home.  Your children will be in danger of learning their geography without having to be prodded by you.  Keep your eyes open for these types of resources when shopping with your favorite educational suppliers and browsing your local library. 

It is not so much difficult as it is just a new mindset to keep, that geography really isn’t so scary or hard, but can be learned through many fun and enjoyable avenues.  Give your children delightful resources and a challenge they cannot resist and watch them take off!

Warm Regards,

Terri Johnson
Knowledge Quest, Inc.
www.knowledgequestmaps.com - try our maps free!
www.bramleybooks.com - we are looking for authors for our new book
www.homeschoolblogger.com/knowledgequest - see what we're up to.
www.kqbusiness.com - our business helping your business to succeed!

Terri Johnson and her husband Todd operate Knowledge Quest, Inc., a company which specializes in the publishing of maps, timelines and historical biographies.  Their mission for the company is to help make the subjects of history and geography enjoyable for both teacher and students.  They have created and published over 20 history and geography resources.  Terri’s Blackline Maps of World History have been widely recommended in the homeschool community and beyond.  Knowledge Quest, Inc. won the “Excellence in Education” award granted by The Old Schoolhouse magazine for best geography company two years in a row.  Terri resides in San Antonio, TX with her husband Todd and their five children whom she teaches at home.

Cookies baking, pecan pie in the oven, Christmas music softly playing... the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas.  They conjure up so many memories, so many expectations, so many hopes and plans for the future...

This is our first Christmas in our new house.  After 11 Christmases in our last place, this feels strange.  But we have grandparents here and that makes everything right!  And I listen to a CD with the voices of old friends singing and I feel right at home.  And yet I miss our old home and our old friends and cooler weather.  But the Lord has us here for now and we are where we need to be.

My sister now lives in our city and we will spend the holidays together - all of them.  It is good to be so close especially to one who is so dear to me.  She is my sweetest and best friend!

There is still so much to do - presents to wrap, dips to make, floors to mop and tablecloths to iron, but for now, I am enjoying the sound of the cooling rain on our porch, the delectable smells from the oven and the melodic voices of folks from our old neck of the woods in Oregon.

Have yourselves a merry little Christmas!  We will indeed!

Terri

Last week, we ran our first ever survey and we found out some very interesting things about our company, our customers and how we are perceived out there in the homeschooling world.  Here are some more of our findings:

1. Most of our customers found us from these places:

• The Old Schoolhouse magazine
• homeschool conferences
• The Well-Trained Mind
• Tapestry of Grace
• Online searches

2. Many of our customers would like us to create map and timeline products that would correspond specifically with

• Mystery of History
• Sonlight Curriculum
• Veritas Press
• Ambleside
• Truthquest

What do you think?  How helpful would these products be for you?  I would love for you to post and tell me your thoughts and wishes!  Let's hear your vote!

Absolutely!

We just conducted our first survey and found out some very interesting things about how our company is perceived and what are customers are looking for.

Here are a few things that we found out this week:

1. 93% of our customers who took our survey are located within the United States, 3% are from Canada and the remaining 4% are scattered around the globe.

2. A whopping 10% of our customers surveyed have experienced trouble with our downloads or the downloading process.

3. Coincidentally, 14% are on a dial-up connection, while 86% have cable or DSL.

4. We are pleased to learn that less than 1% of our customers surveyed are dissatisfied with our products, while the overwhelming majority (over 99.3%) are happy satisfied customers.  Yay!

We also learned what types of products our customers are looking for and not finding in the marketplace in the subject areas of history and geography.  While some of these may be difficult to produce, others would be relatively straight-forward and may be added to our product line in the next year or so after some further research is conducted.

Are surveys helpful for a company?  Absolutely!  Thank you to all of you who participated.  Bless you!

We did draw and notify our winners and I have only heard back from two out of the four of them.  We will announce the winners of our drawing as soon as they have all confirmed.

I am so excited about how our 3rd Annual Stocking Stuffer Sale is shaping up!  Not only do we have a brand new line of products to introduce to you, but get this!  They are games that teach your children geography while they are having fun.  I love that!  It doesn't get much better.  And of course, they fit into your children's stockings for delightful discovery on Christmas morning.

I am not going to reveal the names of the games just yet, but let me just tell you that Lisa from Louisiana said this... "These are counted among our all-time favorite games!  We play these for fun and the kids learn something to boot.  I recommend them highly.  You've got to get your hands on these!"

Well, we did get our hands on these and they are terrific and we can't wait to share them with you.  But we are patiently waiting until after the Thanksgiving holiday because we don't want you to have to think about having to get online when you are enjoying the company of your friends and family.  So keep a close eye on your mailbox next week when we send you our fantastic offer to your email box.

You see, we didn't stop there by simply introducing new products to you.  We have also added all kinds of extra bonus gifts to this sale that you are sure to love.  Christmas books, recordings, and holiday entertaining tips.  We will be loading your arms full of treasures to take back to your family to bless them with.  We can't wait to tell you all about it.

Also...

For those of you waiting for our latest book of biographies, What Really Happened in Ancient Times, I am happy to report that your books are on their way to you as I write this.  We apologize for the roller coaster ride and thank you for your tremendous patience as our printer experienced problem after problem with the printing of this book.  Among them was the walking out of our sales rep in the middle of our job, the losing of the instruction sheet thereby having to virtually start over, the breaking of the binding machine as our books were just about to be bound, and the mis-shipment of some cases of books.  It was unfortunate that so many ill-times events occurred, but we are blessed that we have the best and most understanding customers in the world!  Thanks for not thumping us even though the books arrived a full month behind schedule.

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

It is hard to believe that we have arrived at this time of year again so
quickly.  Last year, we re-created the first harvest festival by following
some of the recipes and activities that are included in the Thanksgiving
Primer.  We even dressed up as pilgrims to attend our Thanksgiving feast. 
Everyone, that is, except my mother-in-law.  She came as the solitary
native american.  What incredible memories we made!  What a wonderful
day we spent together as family and friends.

Today, I would like to inspire you to make this Thanksgiving celebration
(coming up next week!) a memorable and reflective occasion.   This
newsletter is jam-packed with recipes, creative ideas and inspirational
stories to help you plan your special day with your loved ones.
 

The Word on Thanksgiving

JoJo Tabares, from Art of Eloquence has graciously given us this
meaningful little ebook that I have attached for you here.  There are
some great scripture passages included which would be perfect for
memorization.  It is a very quick read!

My Favorite Stuffing Recipe

I have made this stuffing recipe for 15 years in a row.  Why?  Because
no one will let me out of it, my family loves it so much!  They look
forward to it every year.  That and my spring green salad, but I will
share that will you in a future newsletter because you can have that
anytime!

Sausage Apple Stuffing

24oz loaf egg bread                  ½ pint sour cream

6 T butter                          ¼ C Madeira wine

1lb bulk pork sausage               2 eggs

2 C chopped onion                   Salt and Pepper

½ C chopped celery

2 medium apples (peeled/chopped)

3 cloves of crushed garlic

¾ C chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 200 degrees; cut crusts off bread to make croutons
(or just buy croutons!).  In a large skillet, melt 2 T of butter, add
the sausage and cook until all pink is gone.  Place in bowls with bread
croutons.  Melt remaining 4 T of butter in skillet and sauté onions,
celery, apples and garlic, stirring 8 minutes.  Remove to bowl with bread
cubes.  Add pecans.  In a small bowl, combine eggs, sour cream and Madeira
wine.  Pour over stuffing and toss lightly.  Season to taste (how you do
this with raw eggs, I do not know - just take a good guess knowing you can
always salt more at the table.)  Stuff the bird or place in a large shallow
casserole dish.  Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  Bake
uncovered for an additional 30 minutes.  Delicious!  You will be stuck
with making this recipe for life!

Thanksgiving Feast on a Dime

by Jill Cooper

It's really hard to find ways to save on your Thanksgiving dinner because,
let's face it -- It doesn't get a whole lot cheaper than a turkey dinner!
Still, I have found some ways that you can save and today I'll pass them
on to you! ;-)

For starters, the larger turkeys are usually cheaper, so buy the largest
one you can. I hear some of you groaning now about what to do with all
those leftovers because you really don't need a 22 lb. turkey for 6 people.
Not to worry -- just don't bake the whole thing.

I discovered one year by accident that my butcher (at a regular national
chain grocery store) would cut it in half for me. Even if it is frozen he
can still do it. This discovery really changed my life. (That sounds
dramatic, but I was really having a problem becoming "one" with my
turkeys.)

I suddenly had the revelation that I didn't have to deal with mounds of
leftover turkey that haunted my post Thanksgiving menu for years. I had
just enough for a good old turkey sandwich and some soup. I mean
Thanksgiving really isn't Thanksgiving without a few leftovers, is it?

It was so much easier to handle and prepare an 11 lb. turkey rather than
to man handle a 22 lb. one. Getting it cleaned and into the pan was a
breeze and in and out of the oven was just plain simple.

Just wrap the other half and freeze it to use for Christmas. I've often
made ham for Christmas just because by Christmas we are so sick of turkey
that we don't want to think of preparing another one -- ever! By not
creating so many leftovers, your family might not mind having turkey
again. That's also potentially one less thing to buy for Christmas
dinner.

If you still don't want to have turkey for Christmas, save it for some
cold day in January. If you have a large enough crock pot, cook the
turkey it the crock pot. If not, cook it on very low in the oven so that
it slow cooks all day. Do you know how delightful it is to come home to
the yummy smell of slow cooked turkey?

Save by making your own pies and instead of buying the expensive pre-made
ones. If you are daunted by the thought of making pie crust, just buy a
ready made one. They are usually on sale for very little around
Thanksgiving.

It really isn't that hard to make the filling for most pies. Often they
are easier to make than a cake or cookies. If you like the traditional
pumpkin pie, most cans have the recipe on the back. I also know a real
good book you can find the recipe in called Dining on a Dime. HA!HA!

If your family and friends aren't fussy about having the traditional,
then you can make banana cream, chocolate, or butterscotch pie. Just take
a box of banana pudding, mix it up and pour it into a baked pie crust.
Cover with sliced bananas and whipped topping. For the chocolate pie use
chocolate pudding with chocolate chips in it and cover it with whipped
topping. For the butterscotch use butterscotch pudding, whipped topping
and sprinkle with butterscotch chips. My mouth is watering just thinking
about it!

You don't have to make so many pies that you could open a bakery. I have
found that most kids are just as happy with a platter of cookies. Don't
overdo it. You'll just wear yourself out! If you have time, make the
cookies in the shapes of pumpkins and turkeys.

Save on your relish dish. Buying ingredients for a relish dish can get
expensive, especially where we live. One year I paid more for my relish
dish items than my turkey. If you're having this problem, only use 3-4
veggies on it instead of 10 and cut out on the more expensive veggies.
For example broccoli and cauliflower are very high priced for us so I
would probably use carrots and celery. I fill the celery with cheese or
peanut butter or cut them into fancy shapes. On this occasion, the turkey
is the star and most people won't even notice that you cut back on the
relish dish.

Don't make so many side dishes-- Like I said the turkey, gravy and mashed
potatoes are above all else. By the time everyone stuffs themselves on
those, they only eat a token amount of the side dishes. Why? ---Because
of course everyone wants to save room for dessert!!!!!

Jill Cooper  raised two teenagers on $500 a month after becoming ill with
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.   She is a frequent contributor to web ezines
and has her own web site: www.LivingOnADime.com where she shares her
newest ideas for everything from decorating for holidays to cleaning the
kitchen floor. 

A History Lesson
The First Thanksgiving

America's Thanksgiving Day commemorates the Pilgrims' 1621 harvest feast,
part of the story of the settling of Plymouth Colony, an important period
in American history. The Pilgrims had originally planned to travel to
America during the summer of 1620, but they encountered several delays
in getting started. Finally they left England in September, sailed across
the ocean on the Mayflower, and arrived at Plymouth in December. The cold
and snow interfered with the workers as they tried to construct their
homes in the wilderness. Half of the Pilgrims died during the long
winter.

On March 16, 1621, an Indian brave walked into the Plymouth settlement.
The Pilgrims were surprised to hear him say "Welcome" in English! His name
was Samoset and he had learned some English words from ship captains who
sailed and fished along the east coast. Samoset soon returned with another
Indian named Tisquantum (Squanto), who spoke even better English and
became a good friend to the Pilgrims. Squanto showed them which plants
were poisonous and which had medicinal properties. He taught them how to
grow corn, how to use fish as fertilizer, and how to tap the maple trees
for sap. He also served as an interpreter between the Pilgrims and Chief
Massasoit of the Wampanoag tribe.

The Pilgrims had a bountiful first harvest and there was enough food to
place in storage for the coming winter. Despite their severe hardships in
the beginning, the Pilgrims had much to be thankful for because they had
successfully built a settlement, raised crops, achieved religious freedom,
and were at peace with the native people. Governor William Bradford
announced that they should have a harvest festival, and invite their
Indian neighbors to join them. Exactly when the celebration took place
is uncertain, but it is believed to have been in mid-October, and it
lasted for three days.

The festivities included playing games, running races, marching and
drumming. The Indians demonstrated their skills with the bow and arrow
while the Pilgrims demonstrated their musket skills. Four adult Pilgrim
women (the only women left after the terrible first winter) were probably
in charge of all the cooking, serving about fifty Pilgrims, Chief
Massasoit, and ninety Indian braves. The harvest feast would have included
the following foods: venison, wild fowl (ducks, geese, and turkeys), fish,
lobsters, mussels, scallops, clams, corn, beans, squash, pumpkin, crab
apples, wild grapes, berries, and nuts.

The second year's harvest was not as plentiful, and the Pilgrims ran
short of food after sharing some with newcomers. The third year, spring
and summer were hot and dry with the crops dying in the fields. Governor
Bradford ordered a day of fasting and prayer, and rain came soon
afterwards. To celebrate, November 29th of that year was proclaimed a
day of thanksgiving, which in this case was actually a formal religious
service.

Since the Pilgrims' original feast was not repeated, it can't be called
the beginning of a tradition, nor did the Pilgrims call it a Thanksgiving
Feast. Nevertheless, an annually celebrated thanksgiving held after the
harvest gradually became a custom in many states. In 1676, the town council
of Charlestown, Massachusetts proclaimed the first official Thanksgiving
Day. In 1789, President George Washington recommended to the American
people a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. However, it wasn't until
1863 that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day.

Fun Facts

The Pilgrims didn't wash their wooden bowls - they just wiped them out.
They used stale bread as plates, and then they would eat the plates! They
would pass one or two cups around for everyone to drink from. Children
usually stood at the table and shared a dish.

Did You Know...? The Pilgrims liked to recite psalms and sing hymns, such as:

"Lord of the earth and seas and skies,

Thou Source Supreme of all supplies,

accept our praise for mercies given,

for mercies shewn on Earth from Heaven."

 ~A Thanksgiving Hymn to Almighty God for His Blessing on the Harvest

Pilgrim Timeline

Plymouth Colony existed from 1620 until 1691 when it was incorporated
into the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During this time period, the Dutch
artists Rembrandt and Vermeer were painting masterpieces, the Three
Musketeers were guarding the king of France, Isaac Newton was making
scientific discoveries, the First Folio edition of Shakespeare's plays
was published in England, and pirates of all nationalities were using
the island of Tortuga as their base of operations in the Caribbean.

Teri Ann Berg Olsen is a home educator and author of the book "Learning
for Life: Educational Words of Wisdom." For more information, visit
www.knowledgehouse.info. 

Coloring Page

Here is a beautiful coloring page you can print drawn by Barbara Shukin -
http://www.homeschooljourney.com/massasoit2.pdf

This coloring book page is of Massasoit, the chief of the Wampanoag, and
his warriors entering Plymouth. It depicts the event of 1621 in which
Massasoit, shown respectfully escorted by Captain Myles Standish, signed
a treaty with the Pilgrims. This treaty lasted until Massasoit's death in
1656.

Margaret Pumphrey wrote a chapter on this peace treaty in her book
Stories of the Pilgrims. You can read that chapter at The Baldwin Project.
Click here for Stories of the Pilgrims.

Let's Remember to be Thankful!
By Katie Kubesh

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our
blessings."  ~Eric Hoffer

It is the first of December and your kids have spent the entire month of
November learning about the first Thanksgiving, they made a Thanksgiving
lapbook, your family started a Tree of Thanks, and you may have even
helped those less fortunate by serving a Thanksgiving meal at a shelter
or church.  November is a great month to teach your kids about gratitude. 

So what happens after you have packed away the Thanksgiving lapbook, the
Tree of Thanks, and the aprons you wore to serve the Thanksgiving meal? 
Do the lessons they learned about being thankful get packed away too? 
Tucked away in a little corner of their brain ready to be unpacked again
next November? 

November is a great time of year to teach your kids about gratitude, and
one of the greatest lessons of all is to teach them how to be grateful
the entire year- not just for the few weeks that the Tree of Thanks hangs
on the hall closet door!  December is the perfect month to be able to
continue the great lesson of gratitude!

Every year on Christmas Eve, my entire family meets at my parents' house. 
It is not unusual to have 25 or more people all tearing open presents at
the same moment, bows and ribbons flying through the air, and people
shouting "thank you" across a room of noisy kids and Christmas carols in
the background.  Now that I have three children participating in this
annual event, I can't help but wonder if they even have the chance to be
grateful in all this chaos.  How do I go about teaching them gratitude,
not just this Christmas, but all year long?  How can we make it a
priority in our busy lives to take time out each day to show our
gratitude?  Fortunately, I have found a few tips to help me teach my
children (and re-teach myself) to be thankful every day of the year.

v     If your family did not do a Tree of Thanks for Thanksgiving, why
not make one for Christmas?  Or switch the fall-themed tree you used in
November to a conifer tree and continue the custom of writing what you
are thankful for and displaying it for everyone to see.

"Saying thank you is more than good manners.  It is good spirituality."

 ~Alfred Painter

v     Gratitude starts with your own attitude as a parent.  Talk to your
kids about the things you are grateful for.  Start a conversation with
them by telling your kids something that you are grateful for and why. 
Encourage them to share the same with you.  Do this in the car, while
you are giving them a bath, before you tuck them in each night.  Make
gratitude a part of your spirit.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest
appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

~John F. Kennedy

v     As your children hand you their Christmas "wish lists" ask them why
the items on their lists are important to them.  Encourage them to start
thinking about ways they can show their gratitude for the gifts they will
receive.  For example, encourage your son or daughter to not only tell
Grandma "thank you" for the gift, but to do something special to thank
her- it could be shoveling her porch off, writing her a brief note, or
making her favorite batch of cookies.

Gratitude keeps you healthy!  Studies have even been conducted on the
effects of gratitude.  Since ancient history, philosophers and spiritual
leaders have celebrated and encouraged gratitude among the faithful. 
Major religions including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hindu
encourage gratitude.  Only until recently have scientists began to
question the relationship between gratitude and emotional and physical
well being.

One study divided several hundred people into three groups.  The first
group kept a diary of events that occurred during their day, the second
group listed their unpleasant experiences, and the third group kept a
daily list of things they were grateful for.  The results of this study
showed that exercises in daily gratitude increased a person's level of
alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy.  It also
showed that the group who wrote about their gratitude daily were less
likely to experience depression, were more likely to help others,
exercised more regularly, and were able to achieve personal goals. 
Scientists who conducted this study suggest that you can increase your
sense of well-being simply by counting your blessings!

In another study, researchers found that people who wrote a list of five
things they were grateful for each day each night before going to bed
actually got more sleep and felt more refreshed the next morning than
people who did not count their blessings before bed!

Borrow some ideas and traditions of gratitude from other cultures. 
Around the world, people practice different customs of gratitude. 

v     In Japan it is customary for someone who is moving into a new
home to give soba noodles to the nearest neighbors.  This symbolizes a
wish for long-lasting friendship.

v     In France, dinner guests take flowers to the host or hostess to
say thank you.  But not just any flowers- the bouquet must have an odd
number (but not 7 or 13) and it must not have any carnations or it will
bring bad luck!

v     In Albania, guests at Christmas Eve feasts leave one bite of food
on their plate to show gratitude that there was more than what was
needed.

v     It is a Buddhist custom to say an expression of gratitude both
before and after a meal.  Before the meal, Buddhists say the "Itadaki-masu"
to express gratitude to Buddha and those who have provided the meal. 
After the meal, Buddhists say the "Gochiso-sama" to express gratitude for
the effort that was taken to prepare the meal.

Katie Kubesh is co-owner and writer/researcher for In the Hands of a
Child.  Recognizing that hands-on projects are essential to the learning
experience, In the Hands of a Child has created Project Packs that go
beyond the hands-on aspect.   We have taken the preparation time out of
the parent/teacher job description with our Complete Ready to Assemble
Lapbook-Style Units that are available in printed book or ebook formats.   

Please visit our website at www.handsofachild.com.

Thanks for reading this! If you know someone who could
benefit from this newsletter, feel free to forward it to them!
 
Not a subscriber yet? Like what you've read? Sign
up to get future issues delivered straight to you:
Just send an email to knowledge-quest@aweber.com

As many of you know, we had a baby a year ago.  Last April, she began eating baby food in earnest.  It wasn't long before she was consuming 2-3 jars a day. 

My 12 year old daughter asked me one day, "Mom, what can we do with all of these baby food jars?  There are so many of them and it seems like we ought to be able to use them for something."

Well, we ruled out the nuts and bolts thing, although it is a very handy idea for the garage.  We considered using them to sort beads and such.  Then my daughter struck upon a very creative idea.  She thought that she could make some cute little candles with them that could be used a baby shower favors or gifts for new moms.

She began washing jars, removing labels, designing new labels, melting down wax, adding various scents and color.  Several months later, you can now see and even benefit from the fruits of her labor - www.kqbusiness.com/babyscents.htm.

Do you have any new moms in your life?  Planning a baby shower any time soon?  You have got to check these out! - www.kqbusiness.com/babyscents.htm.  And yes, I am very proud of her indeed!

Download here - http://www.wartoft.nu/software/seterra/

Until next time, have a great week and enjoy your moments.

Okay, I am having way too much fun!  The Old Schoolhouse Magazine asked me to locate the best free geography sites on the web and I think that I have done just that.  I have come up with 15 great sites for helping you teach your children geography while having fun at the same time.  And the best part is that they are all free.  Let me tell you about these great tools for learning.  By the way, the links are in no particular order of preference, so just click on what sounds interesting to you.

ONLINE GAMES AND QUIZZES

8.This quiz site - http://www.garyradley.com/games - has both "find" games and "quiz" games giving your students a well-rounded familiarity with the countries of the world.  My only trouble with these particular games was that it was sometimes difficult to click on the correct country because the hand spread over more than one country area.  But overall, this is a great site to round out your online geography games.

GREAT REPORT SITES  

Atlapedia and CountryReports are two great sites for general information.  If your child or student needs to find some facts on a given country or view/print some maps for a particular region of the world, Atlapedia is a great all purpose website for gathering information for research papers, etc. - The website is http://www.atlapedia.com/index.html.  Full color physical and political maps are available.  Also, CountryReports lets you drill down on a world map to the country you are interested in and gives you some great facts and information and maps of that area.  The website is http://www.countryreports.org/.

JUST MAPS - BUT REALLY COOL MAPS!  

Okay, everyone knows about Google Earth, right?  This is an incredible piece of software that is taken from actual photographs of the earth.  In fact you can zoom right down into your own backyard.  Mind-boggling!  The software needs to be downloaded onto your computer.  It is located here - http://earth.google.com/

FUN VIDEO SITES  

Yes, this is one of my favorites!  At this website - http://www.animatedatlas.com - you can watch a five or ten minute video about the growth of our nation.  Superb and educational!

TEACHER RESOURCES  

Wow!  I cannot believe it has been nearly 8 weeks since I last posted.  So, I have lots to report...

We have had company since September 8th.  Yes, that is over four weeks and nearly a month!  But we are blessed.  First our good friends from Oregon came and spent 10 days with us.  What a wonderful encouragement for us.  Then, on the very day they left, my sister and her family arrived.  They are moving here to San Antonio and stayed with us for two weeks while their house was getting finished.  They are moving into a new home about 7 or 8 miles from us.  What a treat to have family nearby.  We helped them move into their house yesterday.

Thus, my long departure from blogging.

We have some fun things coming up and if you want to stayed tuned in, just sign up for our newsletter club and get the skinny on free stuff, new books off the press, great homeschooling tips, helpful hints for history and geography, and all kinds of information that you can use starting today.

You can sign up on our home page - www.knowledgequestmaps.com.

Our next newsletter will feature some holiday organizational ideas, homeschooling with toddlers, last call for authors for our next book about colonial times, and much much more.  PLUS, we are giving away a new free biography to anyone who signs up by the end of this month!

Get the word out!  Trust me, your friends will love this one and so will you.

Sign up here - www.knowledgequestmaps.com

Have a great day and God bless,

Terri

It won't be long before our ancient biography book What Really Happened During Ancient Times will be ready for you to get your hands on.  In the meantime, here is a sneak peek into the book...

Eve

The Very First Days of the World

The long, thick, massive body of the slithering snake began to circle about her, taunting her, enticing her, deceiving her.  Its dry scaly coils brushed against her leg, sending shivers up her spine.  Once it completed its agonizingly slow circle around her, the huge head of the creature rose up ominously to confront her face to face.  The hypnotic ruby eyes of the snake matched the color of the gorgeous apple it held between its jaws.  “Eat,” the serpent hissed, “Eat and you will become as great as He – powerful, beautiful and everywhere at once!”

Struggling between desire and disgust, she tried to turn away from those eyes, but found that she was riveted in place.  Panic rose within her breast and she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came.  She pushed down the urge to flee, mustered her courage and looked the great serpent in the eye with a confidence she did not feel.  “Let me go,” she pleaded in a faint whisper.  “Never,” it hissed.  The apple it held in its mouth began to ooze and drip from its fangs, like blood spilling to the ground.

The trance broken, the woman turned and ran at an inhuman speed she did not know she possessed.  Her feet barely touched the earth as she fled from the temptation that haunted her.  Several breathless moments later, she turned to look over her shoulder to find that the serpent was immediately behind her.  She tried to run faster, but realized with a sense of dread that she would not be able to outrun this beast.

“No!” She screamed.  “No!  Not again!  Please, not again!”

She awoke from her nightmare in a dripping sweat.  With her heart still pounding and her hands visibly shaking, she turned over to the one who would comfort her.  She found that she was alone.  The pale light of daybreak was filtering into their bed chamber through the reed doorway and she realized that Adam had already risen for the day’s work.

In the half light, she scanned the room to see that the children were still asleep.  Seth stirred and rolled over, but remained in slumber.  The images from her nightmare rushed back to her mind as she considered her children and her hopes and dreams for them.  She breathed a prayer to her Maker.  Why, Creator, must I continue to be plagued by these dreams?  Is there still a lesson that I have not learned from the garden?  God, please, please, erase these disturbing thoughts from my mind and give me peace.  Or perhaps you may see fit to tell me the reason for their continual return.  Have I not been punished enough?  Is your forgiveness not yet complete?

Yes, you will have to wait until the book comes out to finish the story.  Cruel, huh?  Still I thought I would give you just a taste.  I think that you will enjoy reading the stories of real people who lived during a time very different from our own.  Or was it really so different?

We are having a great time putting together our new book, What Really Happened During Ancient Times.  Our artist, Darla Dixon, is putting the finishing touches on the final illustration.  And our editor, John Willsea, is working steadily on the editorial revisions.  Our book includes historical biographies on Eve, Noah, Gilgamesh, Imhotep, Daniel, Cyrus, Eratosthenes and Constantine.  The seven authors who wrote these eight stories did a phenomenal job of writing interesting tales that are historically accurate.  These are written at a 5-8th grade level and are so fun to read.  If you would like to get an update when the book is available, be sure to sign up for our newsletter.  You can do this on our website on the left hand side: www.knowledgequestmaps.com.

We hope to go to print by the end of this month or the beginning of next.  Stay tuned.

Terri

I am still overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead, but I don't feel quite so stressed anymore.  The question that keeps coming to my mind is this... How do you eat an elephant?  Do you know the answer?  it is... One bite at a time!

Ha!  I love it and this is what I need to keep in mind as I move forward.  I finished up two of my toughie maps today and I feel so much better.

Well, we've been busily working on our new biography book about the Ancient Times.  Our artist has been drawing away and I am so pleased with how everything is coming together.

Take a look at the preview drawing of Constantine:

Does he not look a little bit like Stallone?  Both Italian, I suppose!  Anyway, this part of putting the book together is so fun!  I'll post some of the other pictures later.

Have a great week!

Terri

Have you ever thought you were near the end of a journey, a long car ride, a strenuous hike, just to find out that you had miscalculated and you had a good clip to go still?

Oh, this has happened to me today.  I am working with Tapestry of Grace to complete their MapAids CDs which work specifically for their curriculum.  I am on Year 4 (out of 4) and just finished Unit 3 (our of 4) today.  I was so thrilled to be 3/4 of the way done with this year plan and 15/16 of the way finished with the whole job!!!  Which, by the way, has been a two year project.  So, to give myself an idea of what the last lap was going to look like, I cracked open the final unit and then slumped down into dispair.  This unit alone is as much as some of the other year plans altogether.  It is huge!  And my deadline is the end of the month!

But it is late and tomorrow is a new day.  Perhaps it will not look so bad tomorrow.  Not that any of this is bad.  It has been great!  I have loved partnering with Tapestry of Grace and I am thrilled with the end product.  But I am tired tonight and looking forward to the completion of this project.

I must press on towards the goal.  But not tomorrow, it is Sunday.  How about Monday?  By the way, I have an awesome group of beta testers who are doing a fantastic job.  Thanks ladies!

Good night and God bless,

Terri