If you’re in need of books (and what homeschooler ever has enough books???), please consider making your purchase through our affiliate partner, Borders.  Every purchase you make helps to keep LessonPathway free for everyone!

I’ve always said the best way to get kids interested in writing is to give them a topic that they love. This week, I get to write about a place that I love: Borders!

I love both the brick and mortar store (mostly because it’s an excuse to get a latte.) But I also really enjoy shopping at Borders.com. They have a great selection of books, textbooks, calendars, music, and movies. (And more!)

I always sign up for savings and discount clubs (and inevitably lose my card), so of course, long ago, I signed up to become a Borders Rewards Member. (It’s ok if you lose your card, you just have to remember your email address, and most days, that’s not a problem for me.)

Borders Rewards Members get extra savings – it’s easy to sign up. You can choose either the free membership where you get free shipping on online orders of $25 or more, 30% Hardcover Bestsellers list prices, coupons, and more! Or upgrade to Borders Rewards Plus for just $20 and get all the benefits of the free program plus, 40% off Hardcover Bestseller list prices, 20% off Selected Hardcovers, and 10% off most everything else — plus FREE shipping on your online orders!

Right now, Borders has some extra incentives and promotions happening. I’d say they’re definitely worth checking out!

• Get 33% Off Any 1 Item at Borders.com with Code BRN6905C! Valid 2/22/11 – 2/24/11.
• Buy Bambi Diamond Edition Blu-ray and Receive $6 off of Toy Story 3 DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack with Code BAMBITOYS3. Valid 3/1/11 – 3/31/11.
• Romance Book Sale! Buy 4 Romance Books and Get 5th for Free with Code: ROMB4G5AF. Valid: 1/25/11 – 2/28/11.

Crystal P. lives in Illinois with her many children, pets, and her husband.  She is a former (and probably future) middle school language arts teacher.  She is currently working from home as an independent copywriter,editor, and Lesson Pathways team member. You can follow her blog at http://houseofsloth.blogspot.com/.

If you’ve been on the fence about using a curriculum – it’s time to take the leap and check out Calvert and how they can help you with your homeschool needs.

This unprecedented 30% off sale ends in just 3 days.  Use Coupon Code LESSONPATH – it’s good on your full curriculum and enrichment courses too!

Enrichment courses are perfect if you just want a little something “extra” for your child that your current curriculum isn’t providing.  Course offerings include music, art, foreign languages and so much more!

Did you do something special for President’s Day?  Those that entered our giveaway this past Friday had some awesome ideas!

They incorporated food, song, games, crafts and more!  Go check out the comments and get inspiration!

The WINNER!!!!

Congratulations to Shannon!  Her comment won her a fun Presidential Flash Card set!

How did we pick the winner?

We numbered all of the comments (except the Twitter ping backs), entered the numbers into Random.org and voila!

It picked the winner for us!

Congratulations, again, to Shannon!  Please drop us a line at blog@LessonPathways.com to claim your prize!

With President’s Day just around the corner, we wanted to highlight our collection of Pathways featuring President’s of the United States of America.

Each of these units contains reading material, hands-on activities, worksheets, games and more!  Complete one, complete them all or mix and match resources to create your own unit for Presidents!

Presidents & Leaders

• In this pathway, your child will learn the basics of the American system of democracy as well as presidents and leaders. He or she will also learn basic information about types of leaders in other countries. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

George Washington

• In this unit, your child will learn about George Washington. Hands-on activities include creating a booklet of civility rules, making a toilet paper craft, designing a hat, and re-enacting a legend. A worksheet and coloring pages are provided to reinforce the concepts. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

John Adams

• Learn about our second President, John Adams, and his many contributions to our country. The unit has opportunities for hands-on activities, great pictures that will bring the lessons to life, and a great video. This unit is intended to last for one week, depending on how often you teach history.

Thomas Jefferson

• Learn about our third President, Thomas Jefferson, and his many contributions to our country. The unit has opportunities for hands-on activities, great pictures that will bring the lessons to life, a great video, and recommendations for books that will even engage your younger ones (2-4 years old). In addition, your child will learn about Jefferson as a politician, inventor, and architect. This unit is intended to last for one week, depending on how often you teach history.

James Madison

• In this unit you learn that James Madison was the fourth president of the United States of America and is considered one of the Founding Fathers of our nation.  You will learn about many events that took place while Madison served our country.  Get ready to design and create a poster highlighting Madison, write a short profile about him, create a time line and more.  Videos, online games and references will help you master your understanding about James Madison. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

James Monroe

• In this unit, you will learn about the 5th President of the United States, James Monroe. You will learn about his early life, his marriage and family life, his military life, and his presidency. These concepts will be taught using online lessons and activities, printouts, videos, and hands-on activities. You will make a timeline, a map of the Louisiana Purchase, and write a report on James Monroe. You will also get to experience foods from his era. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

John Quincy Adams

• In this unit, you will learn about the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams. You will learn about his personal life, his life as a lawyer, and  his presidency. You will use lessons, hands-on activities, printouts, and online activities to help you learn. This lesson is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

Andrew Jackson

• Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States. His presidency was tumultuous, spanning two terms and encompassing events such as the fracture of a major political party, challenges to Congress over presidential veto power and the country’s banking system, and the infamous Trail of Tears. In this unit, you will learn about Andrew Jackson’s early years and presidency, create your own inaugural punch as a tasty treat, make a puppet of Andrew Jackson and interview him about his life and choices. In addition, you will design a choropleth map detailing the birthplaces of the presidents, and watch a short biographical video. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

Abraham Lincoln

• Explore the life of Abraham Lincoln in this unit. Your child will recreate Lincoln’s hat, build a log cabin, and make various Lincoln crafts. Online activties and coloring pages are included to reinforce the concepts. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

Theodore Roosevelt

• In this unit, your child will learn about Theodore Roosevelt. Activities include making a teddy bear, a finger puppet, an airplane, and creating a bird sanctuary. Online and printable learning tools include a quiz, word search, and worksheet. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

John F. Kennedy

• In this unit, you will set off on an adventure to learn about the life and times of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of our country. You will learn about his early life, his time as President, and his many great achievements. Get ready to write a biography about him, look at photos of him, create a poster of what made him a great leader, and pretend you are the President in several fun hands-on activities. Worksheets, quizzes, and a video–as well as several reference sources–all reinforce the objectives. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

Lyndon B. Johnson

• Learn about President Lyndon B. Johnson’s personal and public life. Children will use and practice research skills as they prepare for a radio interview and deliver a speech. Children will discuss major accomplishments and challenges of this presidency. They will also enjoy a fun game the President played as a child and bake and enjoy his favorite snack, banana bread. This interactive, thought-provoking unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.

We told you there was a lot!

***Giveaway***

Keeping with our theme of Presidents, we’ve got this fun teaching aide to giveaway!

“Think you know it all?  Test your knowledge about U.S. Presidents with 600 question-and-answer flashcards.  Basic, intermediate, and advanced cards for history buffs of all ages!”

Presidential Brainiac, by Kaplan Test Prep, contains 600 color-coded flashcards.  Each card has a question relating to elections and presidents, with the answer and a fun fact on the back.  List Price: $16.95

To Enter:

Tell us how you make learning about presidents fun!  Just drop us a line in the comments section with your best idea and you’ll be entered!  You’ll receive one entry for every comment.

The winner will be selected at random and announced on Tuesday.

Good Luck!

Hooda Math
Hooda Math offers free math games, tutorials and worksheets. If that isn’t enough, middle and high school students can do math movie projects and submit them for publication. Check it out!

100 Best YouTube Videos for Teachers
SmartTeaching.org, a leading online resource for teachers has provided this list of the 100 Best YouTube Videos for Teachers. Videos are divided into subjects for easy reference.

Free Progressive Phonics Program
This website offers an easy all-in-one reading program that’s easy, fun and totally free. In just a few minutes a day, anyone can teach a child to read and write.

Free Spelling lists
All About Spelling offers free spelling lists and tips to help your student become a great speller.

Did you know we have a serious selection of affiliate partners?  When you shop through our links, every purchase you make help keep LessonPathways free!

Each week, we will highlight one of these great retailers in our new feature, “Partner Spotlight.”  This week’s spotlight was written by Crystal P.

Spring is coming! It really is, I promise! It’s almost time to put away those heavy old winter clothes to make way for some new, fun Spring outfits!

Tea Collection has just launched a fabulous new spring clothing line for women and children! This vibrant and colorful collection is Catalonia-inspired and has a distinctively urban, modern feeling. I especially love the coastal vibe of the new Barcelona Beach collection for boys and girls. These pieces, inspired by bright art nouveau tiles, breezy plaids and awesome graphics, are not only beautiful but also they’re wearable.

Here are some of my very favorites:

The La Rambla Dress for women is stunning, fashionable and perfectly poised to transition from casual to smart.

The Jardin Ruffle Twirling Dress for girls is absolutely gorgeous and sells for only $29!

The Surfer Stripe Hoodie for boys has a laid back, Barcelona beach feel while remaining super stylish. Best of all, it’s only $27!

Plus you can get 10% off of your first order just by signing up for their email list!

Amazon is having a fantastic deal on magazines this week!  Why not subscribe to a magazine for your kids?  They love to receive mail and its a great way to keep them learning (so sneaky!).

Right now, Amazon has many magazines that qualify for a special rate of 2 for $15 and other magazines that qualify for a rate of 2 for $20.  PLUS, if you spend $20 in the magazine store, you’ll receive a $10 credit that you can use on anything you’d like at Amazon!

All good things must come to an end.  But for you and your children, it’s a beginning.

The Writing Strategies Series on Lesson Pathways blog may be over, but now is the time that you can put your resources together and foster a lifelong love of writing in your student.

Feel free to bookmark our posts to refer to later if you need them.

We hope that you enjoyed this series on teaching writing.  Do you have any thoughts you want share with us?  We’re looking for volunteer bloggers!  Drop us a line at contactus@lessonpathways.com to learn more!

I’m a planner by nature. I start sketching out my year during the summer, then usually plan out the first semester down to assignment sheets and daily schedules. Well, sometimes that all works great , and other times things come up that throw all my careful planning into confusion. How do I deal with that? After I freak out and run from the house screaming, I catch my breath and remember the best laid plans are just that — plans. Sometimes we get in our mind that our plans are set in stone instead of a fluid guide that can change or be adapted as the unexpected happens.

What can you do when things are not going as perfectly as you’d hoped?

Be flexible! Sometimes you need to get off the plan for your own sanity. You’re sick, been caring for sick children, trying to juggle this and that, or just plain burned out. There is nothing wrong with taking some time away from the everyday schedule for a little laid back learning. Some fun and games: nature walks, journaling, educational videos, board games, online activities or art lessons. All these things can alleviate the stress, break up the monotony and still be very enriching and worthwhile.

Hang in there and keep trying! As a perfectionist, sometimes if you think you are going to fail, you just give up. If I can’t do all the great things I had planned, then I’ll just quit trying altogether. One thing I learned as a musician playing with a group is that, even if you mess up one part of the song, YOU KEEP GOING FORWARD!

Look around for new inspiration–We’ve been in the winter rut lately so when a friend invited us over to teach us to make origami window stars, we jumped at the chance. There were origami books that we had tried in the past, but couldn’t get any further than the instructions. They ended up gathering dust on the bookshelf. Her lesson gave us the confidence to come home, pull those out and try again. My kids and I spent hours over the next couple of days making all kinds of wonderful creations. Subscribing to idea-based newsletters and scanning blogs are another means of gaining inspiration when you just need that little something to get you going back in the right direction

Remember change is sometimes necessary and not always bad–Saxon Math really works well for our family, but this year my son has been struggling with his basic math facts. It had become a hindrance to him as he worked the problems. So we took a break from the prescribed lessons for a month-long Math Boot Camp designed to increase speed and accuracy. I’ve seen his confidence in his own abilities grow through this experience. We needed to take a break from our plans to work on a problem area. Detours are not usually welcome but they can help you avoid some rough roads ahead and still get you where you need to go.

Plans–Set in Stone? Not Usually!
Plans–Fluid Guide? Thank Goodness!

Christy V. lives in the Smoky Mountains with her husband and children. She is a former Music Teacher but absolutely loves homeschooling her kids. She loves reading, singing, hiking and blogging. You can follow her blog at www.eclecticmomma.blogspot.com.

In honor of Black History Month, we’re extremely proud to feature this Pathway about Harriet Tubman.

You can find out about more famous African Americans by using the search box on LessonPathways.com.

In this unit, you will learn about Harriet Tubman, one of the heroines of the Civil War Era. Through reading lessons, participating in interactive sites, and using printouts, you will learn about this remarkable woman and the Underground Railroad. You will conduct a pretend interview with Harriet Tubman, make a timeline, create a hero card, and look up vocabulary words. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.