Reflections and Predictions

With Christmas and the New Year quickly approaching, I'm getting excited about what 2013 will bring for Blossom.

The eBook, Learning that's Fun, is in it's final stages of a second version with new chapeters, more ideas and tips to make learning an exciting part of everyday, pictures and more stories.

Not only that, but it will be available in hard copy! Watch the site in the early months of 2013 for the big announcement!

In the meantime, check out the first version eBook.

We will also be releasing our very first products for sale. I can't tell you what they are just yet (they are still in production), but they will be cute, fun, environmentally considerate and help with everyday learning.

Maybe this next couple of week's is an opportune time for you and your family to sit down and reflect on the year's achievements and talk about some things you would all love to achieve next year. You could use the time to have a clean out and a garage sale to save some extra $ for Christmas spending with the kids or donate to the local charities who will be so appreciative of your generosity at this time of year.

Whatever you do over the next few weeks, remember through all the stress, the rush, the pressure and panic, that it's just another day of the year, just like all the others before it. BUT, it's a great opportunity to be close to your family and spend time just "being together" and appreciating eachother for the wonderful people you all are. And don't forget to look for the little moments when you can make learning a fun part of whatever it is you are doing, baking a cake, purchasing a gift, writing a greeting card or wrapping a present under the tree.

For more ideas like this and more visit our Pinterest boards or like us on Facebook.

Learning that's Fun at Christmas

On our Pinterest page we have been collecting loads of learning activities for Christmas time, so we thought we would share some of them with you. There is so much fun to be had, but we often get caught up in the end of the school year, the food, the parties and the gifts, and overlook the things we can learn during the holiday period.

It doesn't have to be boring, it doesn't have to be like a classroom, it doesn't even have to called educational...if you are all having fun they won't even know that they are learning!

• Christmas Cards - get crafty and make your own cards, practice their neatest hand writing on the cover and then write personal messages to friends and family.
• Christmas Books - spend time together reading Christmas stories, they are fun and relevant and great for filling in waiting time until Santa comes.
• Christmas Carols - grab a carol book with the words and music and practice playing the songs on the keyboard and singing the proper words. You'll be surprised how kids make up the funniest things in their mind when they don't quite know the words. (Little Old Jesus? don't you mean Little Lord Jesus?)
• Merry Christmas in other languages - make posters or decorations or cards and learn to write Merry Christmas in as many different languages as you can. Google will be your friend here. Merry Christmas, Sretan Bozic, Buon Natale, Feliz Navidad...
• Advent Calendar Ideas - make your own advent calendars with clues to find a treat around the house (math problems, questions, word scrambles etc), wrap up books and unwrap one each night to read leading up to the big day.
• Christmas Scrabble - have a round of scrabble with Christmas related words only.
• Baked Gifts with Hand Written Recipes - make your own baked goods as gifts for friends and family and include a hand written recipe by the kids.
• Write a letter to Grandma - practice their best handwriting and spelling and write a letter to grandma or aunt or long distance friend who they haven't seen for a while and fill them in on the year's juicy details.

For lots more ideas like these visit us on Pinterest or Facebook!