Educating Leaders - No Conveyor Belt Education Here!

April 4, 2009 - Are You Ready for Easter?

Easter is right around the corner. Are you ready?

I’ve got a couple of ideas I’m posting to my blog BUT there is so much more you can do to build anticipation for Easter than I can write on my blog.

`Yesterday I read a book by Nina Cam called “Easter Family Traditions To Honor Christ.” Nina has included so many fantastic ideas to help you elevate your celebration of Christ’s resurrection. I was encouraged how many of Nina’s ideas coincided with our own family values, as well as sooo many cool new ideas we can implement in the coming years.

You can read more about Easter Family Traditions right here:

http://tinyurl.com/eastertraditions

After you grab a copy for yourself, send your email receipt to my assistant (heatheratbeckbiz-AT-gmail-DOT-com) and I’ll give you an EXTRA BONUS!

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Family Fun: Easter Activity Collection - Over 200 Easter recipes, crafts & activities (value $17)
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http://tinyurl.com/eastertraditions

Enjoy the beginning of spring & get ready for Easter!

Blessings,
Kerry Beck

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March 31, 2009 - Easter Cards in a snap!

I apologize for sending this late. I’m running behind because we just got back from a long weekend in San Antonio where Steve hosted a workshop on buying & selling domains. The entire family was there and we had a blast. Hunter & Gentry already bought some domains to sell. They hope to have a domain selling business this summer for a part-time job.

That’s not the real reason I wrote, so let me share what’s going on….

Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 1) I’m hosting a free webinar about Easter Cards. If Easter is the most important holiday of our Christian year, why don’t we send cards to our loved ones? That’s what we do at Christmas, why not Easter too!

http://www.CoupleNextDoorCards.com/soc-april

I’ll show you a really cool Easter card template you can use to send cards to your family & friends. You’ll also see how you can print, stamp & mail your cards in less than 15 minutes for a $1 per card. That even includes the 42 cent stamp.

Here’s what I’ll be revealing…

* How to mail a physical greeting card and do it all online…without leaving your desk!
* How to save time & avoid many hours at Hallmark Cards
* How to make an extra $$$$ each month with greeting cards
* How loved ones feel when they receive your “unexpected card”
* How you can mail a greeting card, FREE of charge!
* How to instantly send a card to a group of 5, 100, 500 or 5000!

Bottom Line …On this 30-minute Webinar, you’ll discover more about how to create your very own Easter Cards, as well as thank you cards, birthday cards or even how to send brownies as a gift. Plus you’ll discover how to develop a business if you need a little extra each month.

It’s happening this Wednesday, April 1 at 4:00PM (Eastern Time) especially for my valued clients and subscribers.

Here’s the full scoop: http://www.CoupleNextDoorCards.com/soc-april

Not only will you be able to hear me talking about the fast and painless way to send your own Easter Cards, but you’ll also get to SEE and WATCH it happening in real time on your computer screen, complete with real examples! Don’t miss out!

Register for the webinar right here…right
now http://www.CoupleNextDoorCards.com/soc-april

Enjoy the beginning of spring & get ready for Easter!

Blessings,
Kerry Beck

P.S. - Some have asked if there will be a replay. Technology being what it is, we can not promise a replay…so my advice is to be on the call live!
http://www.CoupleNextDoorCards.com/soc-april

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February 6, 2009 - Art Lesson At Home

One of my very favorite topics to paint, draw or sculpt in art is the deer. Deer give us time to pause and look at the wonder of God. Many times in the Bible we see the deer used for different lessons. Psalm 42:1 is a good example. We also see the deer used in heraldry and literature as a “stag,” as seen in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. The thing I like about doing a deer is that my favorite season is the winter and putting a deer in the snow is one of the best things you can do to learn techniques in using white and lightening and shading colors on a landscape. When we think of the deer, we think of relatives as the moose. the elk, American bison, reindeer and pronghorn antelope. The smallest kind (spieces) of deer is the pudu, the largest is the elk. A baby deer is called a fawn. When you are ready to do your picture, you want to first draw your deer on the horizon line. Type in “deer in the snow” in the images portion of google and you will get some ideas of how you want your deer to be placed in the landscape. Make sure that your deer is the center of interest in the picture.

Look at this picture above of the moose in the foreground and the mountains in the background. Do you see where the light is coming from in the picture? It is coming from the upper right hand corner. The bottom of the belly of the moose is darker. Look at the legs. The legs are shaded darker on the left and lighter on the right. What I truly love is the the view of the mountains. Notice how the mountains show depth by the use of shading. Do you see where the light falls? Also notice the green in the foreground is realistic looking and fades as it goes into the background colors. When you draw or paint a picture, first look where the light is coming from. Go to this website to practice shading and to notice where light is coming from: http://www.artyfactory.com/portraits/drawing_techniques/pencil_shading.htm

When you draw a deer, always look for basic shapes. Below you see how to start with basic geometric shapes and then use shading to make it look real. For an excellent lesson to practice on go to: http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/181/1/1/how-to-draw-a-white-tailed-deer.htm

Another excellent website is: http://www.dog-portraits-inpencil.com/howtodrawadeer.html
Nearly everything you draw can be viewed in basic shapes and then using shading, shadow and texture, you can make it look real. Here is an excellent website that shows you how to see basic shapes when you draw:http://www.how-to-draw-and-paint.com/learntodraw.html

Practice below drawing a deer:

In the picture above, you see a Japanese snow picture. Notice the lovely soft wa the mountains are shaded. Look at the color of the sky at the top of the picture. Here is a picture of some ladies in the snow from Japan. They are wearing kimonos.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kuniyoshi_Utagawa,_Women _30.jpg

I painted the picture above because I wanted to show what it looks like at that special moment when you see a big deer and be looks right in your eyes. I hoped to capture the calm and quiet of the moment. Here is a picture by the great master artist Bierdstadt: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bierstadt_Albert_A_Rocky_Mountain_Sheep_Ovis_Montana.jpg. Although this is a mountain goat, you can still the similarities to the photograph of the moose. The light falls on the top and the belly is darker. What do you notice about the color of the sky?

White is the absence of color in science and a very important addition to color in art as you lighten all the color wheel colors with it. “White … is not a mere absence of colour; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black…. God paints in many colours; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white.”Gilbert Keith Chesterton [British author, 1874–1936] “A Piece of Chalk,” Tremendous Trifles (1909)”

That being said, winter is a time to do art like no other. When we stay indoors, we can refresh our sense of wonder of the beautiful outdoors. Go to these websites for some wonderful painting ideas:

http://icons-pe.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/t/tj1959/353.jpg
http://www.glaciernationalpark.name/wildlife/cjones/buck_in_snow.jpg
http://www.dutchmastersjoinery.com/images/Notecards/Deer_In_The_Snow.jpg
http://www.fnal.gov/pub/today/images08/FermilabDeerinwinter100b0950.jpg

As you go to the website and look at “Hunters in the Snow,” you will see a picture by a great master artist of the Netherland Renaissance, Pietre Bruegel the Elder. He painted many peasant scenes. The picture above shows depth by showing the peasants in the foreground much larger than those in the background.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_d._%C3%84._092.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_d._%C3%84._106.jpg

In the picture above, are the colors darker in the foreground of the picture or the background of the picture? Do you see a slight yellow warmth in color along the horizon line. Look at http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/4539437.jpg and see if you see how the colors in the foreground are darker. What do you notice about the color of the sky?

Go to this master work of art by Bierdstadt and look how the colors are darker in the foreground and lighter in the background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bierstadt_Albert_Canadian_Rockies_Asulkan_Glacier.jpg

Notice the size of the animals in this picture by Bierdstadt: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cathedral_Rock.jpg How would you compare the picture above and this picture?

This article is by Sharon Jeffus of Visual Manna. You can go to visualmanna.com for information on her books and internet workshops. Students learn techniques and how to do art step by step live on the internet. You can email her at visualmanna@gmail.com for information.

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December 9, 2008 - Have you sent your Christmas Cards yet?

It’s me again! Hey, I need to ask you about sending out Christmas cards. Have you sent your Christmas cards yet? I’m almost finished and it didn’t take me very long at all. In fact, it will take me longer to write my Christmas letter than to print, address and mail my cards. And I get to do it all from the comfort of my own home…sitting on my couch!

I don’t know if you remember, but a couple of weeks ago I invited you to a workshop to show you how I’m sending my Christmas cards so quickly. That workshop ended up being more about a business opportunity than how to send your cards. I’m sorry about that!

So, I decided to do my own workshop for you and actually show you online how to send your own cards, quickly & easily. I’m sorry for the late notice, but it’s tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday, December 10th) at 3pm Eastern.
http://www.CoupleNextDoorCards.com/ChristmasCards

Here’s what I’ll be showing you in our 30 minute workshop.

* How to send a card and do it all online...without leaving your desk!

* How to make a personalized photo card with captions & voice bubbles

* How to send a card to a group of 5, 100, 500 or 5000!

* How you can send a card online, FREE of charge!

* How you can send a Christmas letter with your family’s photo to your entire Christmas list, at the push of a button

When I finish showing you all of those cool tricks, I’ll give you a place online where you can try it out yourself and send a card for FREE.

Here’s the site to register for the online workshop.
http://www.CoupleNextDoorCards.com/ChristmasCards

After I finish all of that, I’ll stick around on the webinar and discuss with anyone who is interested how I’m using this for business relationships. I want to wait until after I’ve shown you how to use this system for personal reasons (family, friends and neighbors) before I show you the business side of it. If you aren’t interested in the business side of the card system, you can leave the workshop. NO Pressure!

Blessings,
Kerry Beck

ps. I can’t wait to show you what I found because it is so cool. I hope you think it’s cool, too!

pps. I hope to record the workshop, but I can’t promise with all the technical problems we’ve had this last week. I strongly hope you can be on the live workshop - Wed, Dec 10.

http://www.CoupleNextDoorCards.com/ChristmasCards

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December 4, 2008 - Only a FEW spaces remaining

—————–
Final Notice
—————–

It’s your last opportunity!

As of this morning, only a few spaces remain for tonight’s FREE
“5 Secrets to Rekindling the Spirit of Christmas” online workshop
where I’ll be sharing how to overcome the commercialism in America’s
Christmas

In case my last messages to you didn’t make it, I’m sending this
final reminder about tonight’s one-time-only webinar.

You can get the full story here:
http://tinyurl.com/blogadvent

Remember, I’ll be revealing…

- 4 tips of reaching outside your family during the Christmas season.

- 3 steps to putting Christ and “His Story” back into your Christmas celebration!

- the dangers of America’s Christmas celebration

- Christmas around the world activities & ideas

- Super-Easy Christmas craft idea, even for the craft-challenged mom!

- and as many other ideas as I can squeeze into 60 minutes.

http://tinyurl.com/blogadvent

In fact, tonight’s 70-minute webinar will have a massive impact
on your celebration of Christmas (& Advent) with your family!

We will have special content that ONLY the LIVE ATTENDEES will
see. Special content that will NOT be on the replay. Make sure
you are there LIVE!

Visit this page to register now:
http://tinyurl.com/blogadvent

See you tonight,

Kerry Beck

P.S. We’ve had a lot of people wondering about a replay of the
webinar. We may be releasing one but the first people who get it
are those who are registered at the link above.

Also we will have special content that ONLY the LIVE ATTENDEES
will see. Special content that will NOT be on the replay. Make
sure you are there LIVE!

Here’s the special registration link again:
http://tinyurl.com/blogadventt

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December 2, 2008 - Christmas Activities That Everyone Can Enjoy

Christmas is a holiday that is celebrated and enjoyed by people of all ages. When planning a great itinerary of Christmas activities it is important that you consider all age groups that will be involved.

Kids love Christmas time and there are plenty of activities you can plan and engage them with. For younger children, many of them look forward to writing a letter to Santa Claus. Due to advances in technology you can now have Santa actually provide a response to your child’s letter.

One way to have Santa craft a response to your child’s letter is to visit certain web sites where this feature is available. These web sites allow you to choose a letter template. After selecting the template, you answer a few questions about your child and a customized letter is prepared for you.

Another popular activity for kids is coloring. There are many themed coloring books that are catered around Christmas activities, holiday activities and other themed events. These coloring books and resources can be purchased or printed out for free on certain web sites online.

If you have a group of older kids that you are looking to entertain with Christmas activities one option is Christmas word games. Not only are these games fun but they are educational as well. You can engage them in crossword puzzles as well as word search games that all have Christmas related themes.

Adults too love to have a good time when it comes down to Christmas and the holiday season. If you are entertaining adults, make sure you have plenty of food to eat. Besides Christmas dinner food, holiday desserts are always a big hit. You can prepare using Christmas cookie recipes as well as other holiday recipes.

During the holiday season, many Christmas parties will take place as well. Corporations and companies love to throw annual Christmas parties for their employees. In addition, you may want to have a party for your friends and family as well to celebrate and bring in the holiday season.

Food of course is a priority when it comes down to throwing a good Christmas party. However, some people overemphasis its importance to the neglect of other elements that are just as important. If you want to have a good Christmas party, make sure you also have a variety of games and great Christmas music to complement the food.

One of the highlights of the Christmas season for adults, as well as many older kids, like teenager age is Christmas shopping. Many retailers report as much as 30% of their annual revenues are earned during the Christmas shopping season. Besides the shopping experience there are many activities at the malls and shopping centers to keep holiday shoppers entertained.

For the entire family, some holiday activities that you can experience together include attending Christmas shows and looking at Christmas decorations. In particular, if you live in a big city like New York City, there are some great shows like the Radio City Christmas show you can attend. Christmas decorations in all parts of the world can be very elaborate and entertaining as well. You have plenty of options for Christmas activities to choose from for you and your family to enjoy.

Kerry Beck wants to give you her free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare you for Christmas. You'll learn more about Christmas around the world with some of the daily activities. You can receive her free Advent Countdown here: http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com

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(c) Kerry Beck, 2008
You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio below. Links in resource box must be clickable to reprint this article. If you can't click the link, please ask permission to reprint.

about Kerry Beck
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare you for Christmas. You'll learn more about Christmas around the world with some of the daily activities. You can receive her free Advent Countdown here: http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com

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November 30, 2008 - Family Holiday Traditions

http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com

Holiday Traditions for you family are seen in this short video cool holiday traditions some of our families have at Christmas. These Christmas activities are great to integrate with advent or an advent calendar.

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November 30, 2008 - Celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas is actually one of the most incorrectly identified holiday traditions and time periods on the calendar today. Most people assume that the 12 days of Christmas, like the advent calendar comes before and leads up to Christmas day. However, it actually begins on or after Christmas.

The 12 days of Christmas is also known as the period of Christmastide. During Christmastide, the way people celebrate the holiday season varies slightly. For instance, there are different beliefs as to when the holiday should be celebrated. These beliefs are typically influenced by the culture that you live in as well as the religious denomination that you practice.

Some denominations celebrate the twelve days of Christmas starting on December 25th and continue until January 5th. Others believe it starts on Christmas evening, which means that it continues until January 6th.

What is the significance of the Christmas history behind the 12 days? This time period represents the time that Jesus was born up until the time that the 3 Kings arrived to see Jesus. The 3 kings were a group of eastern kings that heard about the birth of Christ and wanted to honor him by bringing him gifts. They traveled to go see him, legend has it by following a star that lead them to the birthplace of Christ. When they arrived, they gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

When it comes down to the giving of gifts there are several different philosophies behind when gifts should be given during this time period. Some people believe that gifts should be given on Christmas day. Others believe that you should give gifts only on the 12th day of Christmas. Still others believe that you should give gifts on each of the 12 days of Christmas.

This holiday period has a number of different ways that you can celebrate it. Many people celebrate it by lighting candles for the 12 days. For example, on each day of the 12 days, they light a candle to represent the progression of the Christmastide season.

Another tradition that you can use to celebrate is Christmas dinner. Like gift giving, Christmas dinner is handled differently as well. It can be done on Christmas day. It can be done on the 12th day of Christmas. It can even be done every day of the 12 days.

Finally, there is the 12 days of Christmas song that is immensely popular all throughout the world. This song highlights different gifts received by the singer of the song from someone referred to as "my true love." There are two major schools of thought as to the meaning of this song. Some simply say it is just a regular Christmas song with no hidden meaning. Others however hold to a belief that the song actually has hidden Christian connotations. For instance, the "true love" actually refers to Jesus Christ and each of the 12 gifts refers to different tenants of the Christian faith.

The twelve days of Christmas is a joyous time period regardless of how you choose to celebrate it. There are many ways it is celebrated. However you choose to celebrate it is completely up to you.

Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will discover more about holiday traditions with some of the daily activities. You can get her FREE Advent Calendar Countdown at http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com

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(c) Kerry Beck, 2008
You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio above. Links in resource box must be clickable to reprint this article. If you can’t click the link, please ask permission to reprint.

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November 26, 2008 - Christmas Around The World & The Different Holiday Traditions

Christmas is an international holiday that is celebrated around the world in a variety of different ways and fashions. Depending on where you are at in the world at the time, you will see a number of different Christmas activities, stories and symbols.

In the United States, the melting pot of cultures results in a variety of different fashions, Christmas symbols and holiday traditions that are celebrated in the USA. For example, the European based tradition of the Christmas stories of Santa Claus is heavily celebrated.

The United States Post Office actually takes all of the letters that are mailed each year by children to Santa Claus and delivers them to Santa Claus, Indiana where a group of volunteers that call themselves "Santa's Elves" actually writes the kids back.

The citizens of Australia get to celebrate Christmas in the summertime. Instead of visions of snowy days and cold wintery nights, their Christmas days are filled with fun in the sun, picnics in the park and even swimming and playing on the beach.

Australians also have a huge population of traditional Roman-Catholic and Protestant worshipers. Many people attend Mass at midnight on Christmas day. When mass is completed, everyone goes home, gets some sleep and wakes up in the morning to open Christmas presents.

On the other hand, in Japan Christmas is not a religious holiday at all. Remember, the large majority of the Japanese population are not Christians. Despite this, the Christmas holiday is still celebrated, more for its commercial aspects than its religious aspects.

Although people still have to work on Christmas day, the Japanese still find time to celebrate the holiday anyway. One of the most unique experiences of the Japanese approach to Christmas is their Christmas dinner activities. Most places of the world have a large, home-cooked dinner in the home. In Japan, it is common for people to order a special Christmas Chicken dinner from Kentucky Friend Chicken, or KFC.

China also celebrates Christmas more for its commercial aspects as opposed to its religious aspects. In China, the Chinese word for Santa literally means "Christmas Old Man" in English. The Chinese do a lot of shopping and other Christmas activities as well.

Christmas is more of a prelude to the Chinese New Year, which is the major holiday in China. However, you can most certainly see celebrations in China for Christmas. Many of the commercial aspects like decorations, bright lights and greeting cards are celebrated and participated in by the Chinese people.

Christmas in France is similar to some of the other countries that we talked about but it has its differences as well. For instance, the Christmas tree is not very popular in France. Very few families spend time decorating and putting up Christmas trees.

One holiday tradition that is very popular in France is the placing of Christmas scenes outside of the home. These scenes offer an illustration of Christmas stories. In particular, the French populate their scenes with little "santons" or "saints". Besides the typical Christmas characters that you see in outdoor scenes, it is not uncommon to see figures of local French leaders and personalities as well.

As you can see, holiday traditions and Christmas around the world is as diverse as many of the Christmas activities and traditions of the various nations of the world. Despite the differences, one theme that remains consistent is the value of family and the joy of the holiday season.

Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will discover more about Christmas history with some of the daily activities.

----------------------------------------------------------------
© Kerry Beck, 2008
You may reprint the above article as long as you don’t make any changes and you include the following bio with the article.

Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will discover more about Christmas history with some of the daily activities. You can get her FREE Advent Calendar Countdown at http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com

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November 25, 2008 - Holiday Traditions-Our Turkey Cookies

http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com offers Free Advent Calendar & holiday traditions for your family to enjoy. Turkey cookies from Oreos is one of our holiday traditions the past 15 years.

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November 25, 2008 - Christmas...Without the Stress

You might say that I have lost my mind if I said that I have a stress free Christmas. Well, my sanity is still intact and we have had several Christmases that were stress-free in the past. I would like to tell you about the things I've learned to help reduce the stress during the Yuletide season.

AFTER WAKING IN THE MORNING, READ GODS WORD

Reading Gods Word seems to be the first obvious task every mom should do, but we sometimes forget that. I need to hear from Him & talk to Him everyday so I am invigorated to be the mom that He wants me to be. During mealtime, we do our family devotions and jumpstart our kids' day on the proper footing as well. Each of my children know that they are to read the Bible after waking up. There are times ,of course, that one of them needs a little more reminding than usual.

DON'T DO EVERY ACTIVITY THAT POPS UP

This seems quite evident, but it took me a decade to apply this. Actually, my marvelous husband helped me learn how to minimize the activity in our lives during the Christmas season.

Back then, I wanted the children to experience everything available during Christmas. Instead, stress and nervousness crept up and finally would explode around Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. (Im positive that none of you have gone through this before.

WHICH ACTIVITIES DO I SELECT

What works for us is to select 1 or 2 Christmas activities to go to outside our home. Other than those 2 activities, most time is spent in our home. This way I'm not harboring stress by bothering my husband to attend one more Christmas activity each week. He is still providing for our family and loving it. Therefore, he is much happier going to a few activities and enjoying being with family and friends at home.

We enjoy having other people in our home, so we take advantage on this. Our kids help in the cleaning and cooking, so our workload is minimized and I feel stressed when our visitors come.

HAVE FUN AT HOME

Back then, I would had more activities for us than we have time for. In our recent Thanksgiving weekend, I picked which activities will wait until next year.

REMEMBER: YOU CANT DO EVERY THING, EVERY YEAR.

I try to select activities that inspire my children to do something for others, instead of only thinking of themselves during the holiday season. One of the things we used to do is charity work by raising money for a missionary family. The kids would take orders for pumpkin bread loaves and chocolate chip cookies. After making and delivering them to their customers, they would pay me back for the ingredients and supplies used. The remaining money was their profit, which was used to buy useful gifts for a missionary family.

This season we will have other kids over to bake cookies so their moms can do some Christmas shopping, uninterrupted. A Christmas card stamping party for younger kids would be a great idea for an activity. I'm still thinking it over how that will work.

I have some other ideas that are included in Advent, Christmas & Epiphany Celebration Ideas.

INCORPORATE CHRISTMAS IN YOUR SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

If you homeschool, drop some of your formal schoolwork and have fun during this season. There are myriad of ways of incorporating math, writing & reading concepts as we do baking, shopping and preparing for Christmas day.

At home, we still read aloud each morning and then proceed to work on a Christmas activity. It may be handwork type crafts or other quiet easy to do activity.

DO YOU FEEL A TREMENDOUS NERVOUS STRAIN DURING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS?
Stop and take a moment right now and prioritize all the activities you and your family want to do. Pick only 1 or 2 activities that the entire family can enjoy and pass on the rest.

Being at home with your family is enjoyable. Invite another family over to roast marshmallows and mingle with them. At the center of this Christmas activity, keep your hearts tuned to Jesus Christ. Without His love for us, we would not be celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will learn more about holiday traditions with some of the daily activities. Get your advent countdown here: http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com

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November 24, 2008 - Advent Activities To Celebrate the Holiday Season

Advent is a series of days that lead up to the Christmas holiday. The Advent calendar consists of the 24 days prior to Christmas. The term "advent" comes from the Latin word "adventus" which means "coming." This holiday period signifies the coming of Christ.

The most common form of preparation for Advent is the advent calendar. Created a wide variety of different ways, this device is used to track the progress of the days that make up the advent season.

Advent candles are the most popular way that is used to track the days in the calendar. Since Advent has 24 days, the calendar has 24 candles. The family celebrating the holiday gathers together and lights one of the candles each day of the advent season.

Advent calendars come in all shapes and sizes. They also come in a wide variety of formats and designs. One common design of an Advent calendar is in the form of a Christmas tree. This design has 24 candles attached to branches that make up the tree and are lit each day.

Another advent calendar design is a candy holder calendar. The candy holder calendar includes 24 pockets that are filled with candy. As each day arrives in the holiday season, someone, usually a child, takes the candy out of the holder and eats it.

An advent wreath is another device that is used to prepare for and track the Advent holiday season. An advent wreath has 4 candles, unlike the calendar, which uses 24 candles. This is because the advent wreath tracks and celebrates the weeks of advent as oppose to the days.

In preparing and celebrating the advent holiday days and weeks, celebrants engage in a wide variety of activities. From a religious standpoint, this is a time period where there is much prayer and even fasting in some cases. Priests and Pastors tailor their teachings and sermons to focus on the coming of Christ and what the Christmas holiday is all about. Some worshipers may even decide to sacrifice certain activities such as watching television, listening to certain types of music, etc.

At home, there are a number of Advent activities that can be conducted together as a family. For example, some families have their kids gather together and actually create their own advent calendar or wreath to celebrate the holiday season. Other families have their kids color in special advent themed coloring books that commemorate the holiday season.

Advent is a special time for millions of families all across the world. The decision for how you and your family prepare for it is a personal one. If you need ideas and suggestions, what we have provided here will help give you some ideas as well as help prompt you to come up with your own ideas as to how to celebrate this significant holiday season.

Kerry Beck gives free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare you for Christmas. you will learn alot about Christmas history with some of her activities.

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Seasonal
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November 20, 2008 - Win My Advent & Christmas Package

Prepare your hearts for Christmas with my Advent & Christmas Celebration package. I'm giving one package away on my other blog. Here's how you can enter to win.

All you have to do is post a comment on my blog telling me your favorite family tradition at Christmas time.
http://www.CurriculumConnection.net/blog

At 6pm today-central time (Thursday, November 20) I will randomly draw one of the entries and give away one of my packages.

Don't wait any longer. . . go post a comment on CurriculumConnection blog.
http://www.CurriculumConnection.net/blog

Blessings,
Kerry Beck

ps. Check my blog for the winner! Sign up for our 30 Days of Thanksgiving and you'll receive an email with the winner's name.

pps. Remember to get your copy of Christmas & Advent Celebrations by Friday, Nov 21 You can take advantage of the SPECIAL price of $27 for 3 days only. After Thursday, the price increases to $37.
Advent Calendar

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Seasonal
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November 18, 2008 - Spreading The Word, A Worthy Family Christmas Eve Church Service

As men and women in Christ, we understand the meaning of Christmas in our hearts, but how many of us show this to the community during the holiday season? Through our little actions, we can show to the world that Christmas isn't only the season for commercialism and money-making but for love and sharing.

Spread the message. Want to give something special to a neighbor or fellow employee? The gift of the Word would make the best present. Tell them the Christmas story. It's not "'Twas the Night before Christmas". Ready made pamphlets recounting the birth of the Jesus can be bought online and delivered to your door. To have that personalized touch, how about creating a leaflet of your own. A small token, like a candle, can be added also the to present. Fill someone's heart with the blessings of God's message.

Share His love. When someone invites a person to their house, it signifies that their wish to share God's blessings. When we accept Christ into our lives, his home becomes our home. Invite a friend or co-worker to church for an Advent service or a family Christmas Eve church service. They'll thank you for including them.

Show it. For poor people, life gets a little bit harsher around the holiday season. More bad thing happen. People in great need, like the poor and destitute, become more so due to the harsh conditions this time of year brings. God tells us to reach out and help these people.

Volunteers are a big help during the holidays. Extra set of hands are greatly needed by soup kitchens and food banks to prepare and serve nice hot meals, as well as help with food deliveries. Local community agencies can provide information on families near you that could use some extra care during Christmas. With support from a church body, everyone can join in and help give gifts and other needed materials. Providing gifts for orphaned children can also be a church project or one taken on by individual families within the congregation. If you see a need that has yet to be met, begin your own program to provide it or just do it as a family.

The goal is to let your light shine in the life of another human being. During his days here on earth, Jesus met each person at their level of need. If you help someone, they are more likely to listen to what you may tell them, especially when it concerns Christ.

Serving Christ is a way to communicate His life and love to others. If we put Christ first in our lives, our actions would be known by others. As people living the Christian way of life, we have a rare chance to bring to the world, a true understanding of Christmas.

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© Kerry Beck, 2008
You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio below.
———————————–

Kerry Beck wants to give you a free advent calendars for your Christmas & Advent Celebration this year. a package also includes free ornament craft ideas you can use today.

category:

Seasonal
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October 26, 2008 - Last Day to get FREE Hardback book

I’m watching some football games today. So far, both Texas teams are winning (Dallas & Houston)…yea! I just remembered I wanted to send you a last minute reminder.

In case you forgot, tonight is the last night you can get a free copy of A Thomas Jefferson Education. Here’s the link to read all about it.
A Thomas Jefferson Education

category:

Thomas Jefferson Education
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October 26, 2008 - Confused About Our Offer

Hi, there.
I’m a bit confused about your offer. What is it that you have to order that
includes “A Thomas Jefferson Edu?” Thanks.
God Bless,
————————

Sorry about your confusion. I wrote 3 books about leadership education that are complimentary to Thomas Jefferson Education. They are called Raising Leader, Not Followers package. It includes my 3 ebooks, 2 audio workshop downloads, 2 transcripts of those workshops and some extra ebooks (book lists, schedules, helps for the harried homeschooler, etc)

You can read all about it here: Leadership Education Homeschool Curriculum
Scroll down to where you see pictures of books and you can read exactly what is included. Also, the last yellow box sums up what you get.

Hope this helps. If not, leave a comment below and I’ll answer it shortly.

Kerry

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Thomas Jefferson Education
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October 24, 2008 - Homemade Christmas Ornaments Using Photos

Handmade and homemade Christmas ornaments are some of my favorite ornaments to trim the Christmas tree. Each year that we hang our ornaments with my children's pictures, it brings back fond memories and I remember the times when my children were much younger.

Let me share a few simple Christmas photo ornaments you can make. Even your preschool child could make the first one, so it is a great holiday craft idea for preschoolers.

Christmas Tree

Using a three inch tree template, cut 1/8 inch green spongeboard. Let your preschool child help you decorate the green tree ornament. Punch brightly colored dots from spongeboard. Your young child can blue these dots on to the tree as ornaments.

Next, cut 1/2 inch hole towards the bottom of the green tree. Tape your photo to the back so the picture shows through the hole. Add a red curling ribbon loop to the top of the tree.

These holiday Christmas ornaments using photos are so cheap and simple, you can make one for each family member. To personalize, let each child sign his name and year on the back with a black sharpie.

Felt Bells

One of my favorite Christmas ornaments using photos is the one I received from my son's first year in Mother's Day Out. His teacher cut blue felt in the shape of a three inch tall bell. A smaller white bell was cut with a hole in the middle for the photo.

You can attach the photo to the white felt so the picture shows through the hole. Glue the white bell on top of the blue one so there is a blue border all around.

Use a glitter glue pen to outline the edges of the white felt. Puch a hole in the bell top and thread blue ribbon to make a hanging loop.

You're almost finished. Cut blue poster the same size and shape as the blue bell. Glue it to the back to stiffen the holiday Christmas ornament. Attach a small jingle bell to the bottom of the ornament. My son's teacher wrote his name and the year on the back.

Voila, you now have the coolest and easiest holiday Christmas ornament using photos to trim your tree this year. Plus you have a handmade and homemade ornament to remember your child for years.

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© Kris King, 2008
You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio below.
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Kris King wants to give you a free advent calendars for your Christmas & Advent Celebration this year. a package also includes free ornament craft ideas you can use today.

category:

Inspire Your Kids
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October 24, 2008 - Is Raising Leaders Only for Younger Students?

Before I sign up for anything let me ask you what age you are gearing this towards? The way it is worded seems to be for younger families just beginning their homeschool journey. That is definitely not us. I have 2 boys left at home - one 11th grader and one- 8th grader......thank you.
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Thanks for asking about our books. My first book, Raising Leaders, Not Followers is an overview of using a leadership education approach to homeschooling. The last part of it is geared towards younger kids (12 & younger). My second book, Teach Your Children "How to Think" with Mentoring is geared toward older kids. It shows parents how to mentor their children by using the Socratic method of dialogue and classic books as a basis for education. It also encourages parents to teach their children how to think critically for themselves with a Biblical worldview in mind.

I hope this helps. If not, leave a comment below and I'll answer it shortly.
Kerry Beck

Leadership Education Homeschool Curriculum

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Raising Leaders, Not Followers
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October 23, 2008 - Santa Craft Ideas for Kids

Kids love Christmas crafts. Santa craft ideas for kids are an easy and fun way to spend time with your kids during the holidays. Choose from one of our Christmas craft-decorating, free ideas.

SANTA PICTURE:

If you're looking for holiday craft ideas for preschoolers, this is a great place to start. So, let's begin with Santa pictures. There are a variety of Santa coloring books available during the holidays. Choose a picture from the book. Cut out the picture of Santa, and place the picture in the center of a sheet of white construction paper. Use a glue stick to secure the picture.

Color the picture with crayons. Once the picture is finished, place cotton balls to cover Santa's beard, and one at the end of his hat. You can even glue black buttons for Santa's eyes, and a red button for his nose. Decorate the blank area of the white construction paper by drawing candy canes or trees.

When the picture is completed, your kids can sign their names directly under the picture. Take a piece of cardboard and glue the picture to it. Place the picture in a frame, and place the frame in a special place in your home for all to see and admire.

SANTA CHRISTMAS CARDS:

Making Santa Christmas cards is another craft idea your kids will enjoy. Take a piece of white construction paper and measure the paper to a size of 5x7 inches. Cut the construction paper to that size. Fold the construction paper in half, either horizontally or vertically. Encourage your children to draw their own version of Santa on the front cover. Use crayons or colored markers.

After the picture is finished, your kids can write Christmas messages on the inside of the card. Homemade Christmas cards are wonderful to display in your home or send to relatives and friends. You can even add this to your Christmas craft-a-day calendar; it's a great craft to do with your kids or students.

MAKE A SANTA PLATE ORNAMENT FOR THE CHRISTMAS TREE:

You'll need crayons and markers; cotton balls, a dinner-sized paper plate, and color sparkles. Draw Santa, without his red cap, on the plate using the crayons or markers. Add the cotton balls for his beard. You can even glue the cotton balls into a V shape so that Santa's beard hangs off the plate. The cotton balls can also be used for Santa's hair, too.

Use a blue marker to color in Santa's eyes, and a black marker to draw Santa's glasses. Use red food color on a cotton ball to make Santa's nose. You can color the rim of the plate with red or green and add color sparkles to it. Finally, place the Santa plate on the tree by inserting an ornament hook at the top of the plate.

As you can see, there are so many different ways to involve your kids in creating, making, and decorating Santa Christmas ornaments, pictures, and cards.

-----------------------------------
© Kris King, 2008
You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio below.
-----------------------------------

Kris King wants to give you a free advent calendars for your Christmas & Advent Celebration this year. a package also includes free ornament craft ideas you can use today.

category:

Inspire Your Kids
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October 22, 2008 - Holiday Gift Ideas For The Woman In Your Life

Looking for the perfect gift for a special woman in your life? In the process of gift buying for women, keep in mind the woman's taste and style. Not sure of the woman's taste, or style preferences? Don't panic. There are some popular gift items displayed in stores at this time of year including a variety of layered necklaces every woman will love, plaid tote bags and accessories for the more conservative lady, and chic hand knit sweaters that can compliment jeans, or even a pair of leggings.

You can find most of those items at moderate prices and not worry about over- spending. Traditionally, apparel makes a great gift for women and the best places to shop are outlets and department stores. Let your fingers do the walking and call ahead to learn about deals and special coupons, so you don't miss out.

In terms of purchasing pampering products such as lotions and perfumes, remember that some women may be allergic to some fragrances and dyes. Instead of buying a product that may irritate her skin, consider taking a look at the many natural cosmetics lines on the market. When in doubt, purchase a gift card from the merchant, so the lady on your gift list can make the selection herself. The $25 denomination is generally the most popular.

If you are willing to splurge, electronics and computer accessories are always a big hit. How about an iPod, a digital camera, cell phone or a new lap top?

Don't forget about the eye-catching jewelry sparkling in store windows- from crystal tennis bracelets to cultured pearls, or layers of pearl and beaded necklaces that will entice the most discriminating woman.

For an extra boost, just give her some cash. She'll love you for it! Is the lady in your life (maybe your sister) a high-octane diva? Cash makes the ideal gift for women who have definite ideas on what they want for Christmas. Be creative! Maybe you can't afford to tuck a pair of airline tickets to Las Vegas in her Christmas stocking, but what woman wouldn't fall in love with a pair of Victoria Secret pajamas in flannel- $49.50?

Still not sure? How about the ultimate gift? Breakfast at Tiffany's(if you know what I mean)?

Kris King wants to give you a free advent calendars for your Christmas & Advent Celebration this year. a package also includes free ornament craft ideas you can use today.

category:

Inspire Your Kids
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About Me

A place to interact about teaching our kids without following the conveyor belt model of the government schools. Think outside the box and provide a leadership education for your children. Other musings are included on a regular basis :-)