The homeschool doldrums can set in during January and February. Rather than give in to the doldrums, resolve to beat them. Set up your homeschool for success during these dark and frosty months by planning ahead. We here at Silverdale Press want to help you plan for success. Below are ideas for daily, weekly, and monthly activities that can help you have a successful winter homeschool. Get out your calendar and pencil and get planning! 

January

Daily: Resolve to get outdoors once a day. Edith Schaeffer once wrote, "Try getting out somewhere into the fields or woods, even country lanes...Walk under trees after snow, or while it is still snowing, and listen to the quiet." Outdoor activity is more restorative than sitting at home on the couch. 

Weekly: January is a great time to get started with Hot Chocolate and Current Events. In the cold winter months, this weekly discussion can spur kids to share what's on their minds, including their worries and concerns. Talking is important when the doldrums set in. 

Monthly: Plan ahead for a field trip. January and February are great months to use some of those homeschool field trip days. Schedule a trip to a museum or historic site. Do some Web surfing to see what's available in your area. The key here is planning ahead and involving your kids in the planning. Everyone will look forward to the break in routine. 

Holidays: Resolve to celebrate MLK Day by doing a unit study. The big holiday in January is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Silverdale Press has just released our Martin Luther King, Jr. Unit Study, for the whole family to enjoy together. Plan to do the unit study the week of January 8-12, and then plan ahead to participate in the MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 15th. Doing a service project is a great way to beat the doldrums by focusing on others. 

February

Daily: Resolve to participate in Audubon's Great Backyard Bird Count. Such a fun way to infuse yourself with nature during the cold months. 

Weekly: Are there any enrichment subjects you've been neglecting? Maybe art and music fall into those "neglected subjects" category? Add an artist or composer study onto your weekly Hot Chocolate and Current Events. Check out Enrichment Studies for their art pages and Ambleside Online for their artist and composer rotation schedule. 

Monthly: Plan ahead to participate in a public program. Check out a local sketch club, book club, moon walk, or family art program. Does your local library, arboretum, or children's museum have any special events? Now is the time to go to their Websites, register, and get them on your calendar. 

Holidays: Valentine's Day and Washington's Birthday are great February holidays to commemorate in your homeschool. We here at Silverdale Press are putting the finishing touches on our new Valentine's Day and George Washington Unit Studies. We will release them by February 1, 2018. Valentine's Day is February 14, so block off the four school days prior to complete our unit study, saving our very special fifth lesson to complete on Valentine's Day. In 2018, Washington's Birthday is observed Monday, February 19 (also known as Presidents' Day in some states). Block off the week of 19th-23rd to complete the George Washington Unit Study. 

Our unit studies are also a great way to work in those enrichment subjects. Though they are anchored in history and government, they also cover art, music, crafts, baking skills, and more. Happy planning! 

Silverdale Press is pleased to announce the release of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Unit Study! You can do this unit study any time of the year, but it might be especially meaningful around the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. 

What You’ll Learn and Do

• Learn about Martin Luther King’s life and legacy
• Unit study features five lessons, each written as a story to read aloud with your family
• Each lesson has key terms, map points, timeline points, and video links
• Learn about major historical civil rights events, including the Montgomery bus boycott, Birmingham campaign, and Selma to Montgomery march
• Learn about how King worked with Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson to change civil rights laws
• Complete unique and engaging activities
• Read, watch, and analyze primary sources—from Supreme Court decisions to presidential speeches
• View and discuss artwork and sing freedom songs
• Participate in service project
• Subject areas covered: history, government, law, ethics, art, and music

 
Other Features

• Internet linked
• Includes map and timeline printable
• Comes as electronic PDF you can print
• Includes lesson plans and an answer key
• Everything is included. Families only need to have Internet access and provide craft supplies they probably already have around the house.
• 77 pages in length
• Written by a presidential scholar
• Parents will learn a lot too!

 
How to Use

• Designed for the whole family to use together
• The activities are modified for different grade-levels
• Flexible to use. Families can do one lesson per day leading up to the MLK holiday or complete at any time of the year!

We hope you will join us for this meaningful unit study. 

Do you have a budding writer on your gift list? We here at Silverdale Press are gearing up for the upcoming release for our new Persuasive Writing curriculum. So, we know a thing or two about the habits of great writers. Consider one of these gifts to help your friend or loved one cultivate the these habits. 

1. Moleskine Paper Tablet: There's nothing quite like capturing your thoughts by hand. The paper is luxurious and the price is affordable. Moleskine products also come with apps to easily transfer handwritten notes from page to screen. 
2. Roget's Thesaurus: Every writer should have a copy of Roget's Thesaurus on his or her desk. When the right word just doesn't come easily, a thesaurus can be indispensable. 
3. Writer Memoirs: Writers read. It certainly doesn't hurt for writers to read books about the writing life, for both insight and inspiration. Try Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott or The Writing Life by Annie Dillard. 
4. Style Guides: Books such as The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White and On Writing Well by William Zinsser give sound advice for writing in a variety of genres. 
5. Coffee Shop Gift Card: What writer doesn't love to crank out words at a coffee shops? Ok, some writers don't like the buzz and bustle of cappuccino machines and customers. But many do. 

We hope these suggestions help you find just the right gift. 

 Hot Chocolate and Current Events is our weekly effort to help homeschool families connect over the important issues of the day. Discussing currents events at home helps kids develop critical thinking skills. This week, we're talking about art in the news. 

​Read this article about the mystery man behind a recent record painting purchase. There's also a short video. Mix up a batch of hot chocolate, then discuss the questions that follow. 

Map Points:
Saudi Arabia
New York, NY, USA
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Discussion Questions

• Are you surprised that Prince Bader was the buyer of this painting? 
• Why do you think Prince Bader wanted the painting?
• Is $450.3 million too much money to pay for a painting? 
• How much would you have paid for the painting, if money was no object? 
• How would you feel if you were a person living in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and learned about this purchase?
• Why do you think a Muslim would want a painting of Jesus Christ? 
• Why might this painting be good for Saudi Arabia?
• Why might this painting be bad for Saudi Arabia? 
• Do you think Prince Bader was acting in the interests of his country when he bought the painting? 
• Does this paining belong in a private collection or in a museum and why?
• Why do you think the painting is reportedly going to a branch of the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi?
• Do you think the painting is an authentic da Vinci? 

Last year, our family made the decision to give books for Christmas. We have loads of extended family to buy for, and a book-centered Christmas has simplified our season so much. Plus, there are few things more lovely and enriching than the gift of a well-chosen book! 

In case you are still looking for that perfect gift, we wanted to share with you five books for everyone on your list. Most of these we have given or are giving as gifts. You and your family and friends will love them!

1. Word by Word: A Daily Spiritual Practice by Marilyn McEntyre. This is a great book of short daily meditations on certain words, such as “accept,” “listen,” “receive,” and “enjoy.” We just love the author’s unique voice. 
2. The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories by William J. Bennett. This thick book provides great moral lessons for adults and teens alike. We gave this one to our teen nephew last year. Bennett, Ronald Reagan’s secretary of education, takes an engaging dive into virtues such as courage, perseverance, and loyalty. There’s also an edition for young children. 
3. How to Think by Alan Jacobs. This a timely book, published this year. We all know that clear thinking comes before clear writing and clear speaking. So give your friends and family a guide to civilized discourse. 
4. The Christmas Story by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Classic art plus the Christmas story! This little gem combines them both. This is a lovely little book to sit on your coffee table or read with your family. 
5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. This is a good one for children as well as adults. It has a sweet setting, as well as important character lessons for parents and children alike. 

As Christians turn their hearts toward Bethlehem this advent season, U.S. President Donald Trump is looking 6 miles down the road toward Jerusalem. Hot Chocolate and Current Events is our weekly effort to help homeschool families connect over the important issues of the day. Talking about these issues helps families give their kids a solid foundation and firm belief system. 

This week, President Trump decided to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This was a momentous decision. Why was this embassy move so important, and was it the right thing to do?

This topic is a complex one, though it is one worth studying. 

1) Read this article from the CBC News (Canada). It provides a good background on the issues involved. 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/what-s-at-stake-if-trump-moves-u-s-embassy-to-jerusalem-1.4433151

2) Kick back with a  cup of cocoa and watch Donald Trump’s brief address on the embassy move. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rw-0wH63_4

Map Points
Tel Aviv, Israel
Jerusalem

Discussion Questions

• Why should nations have the right to determine their own capitals? 
• Why do you think some world leaders opposed this embassy move? Are their concerns valid?
• Why do you think previous presidents and prime ministers failed to deliver on their promise to move their embassies to Jerusalem? 
• Do you think the embassy move will help bring about a lasting peace in the Middle East?
• Is President Trump’s embassy move courageous? 
• Do you think that the embassy move is “a great deal” for both Israelis and Palestinians. 
• Do you agree with President Trump that this was “the right thing to do”? 
• "Peace is never beyond the grasp of those willing to reach it.” Do you agree with President Trump’s quote? 
• Do you think other nations should follow the lead of the U.S. in moving their embassies? 
• What do you think was President Trump’s best reason for moving the embassy?
• Do you think Vice President Pence's upcoming trip to the region will be helpful? How?
• What do you think Trump means when he says, “Our children should inherit our love, not our conflicts”? Do you think they will?