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Family is what matters,
regardless of what else is happening around
us. Spending more time with family sharing meals and exchanging
stories makes one realise just how caught up one can become in
getting things done.
I've
also found that the overwhelming "music", flashing lights, brash
colours and tinsel-covered everything keeps me from shops from
about mid-November. That takes planning, of course! In a way it
gives me perverse pleasure to know others are queueing for
parking places, jostling for last minute gifts and spending far
too much. You might think I need to get a life.
In
our family we exchange small gifts (especially small among
adults) and I find great pleasure in finding just the right
thing for each person. That is harder for some than for others
though! Among friends we share edible gifts only, with a few
exceptions.
Having said that, I am still
going to suggest some options for presents. No hard sell, just
ideas that might provide longer lasting pleasure
than you would get from a lot of what is available.
Teens:
Anything by Jackie French! Two of our absolute favourites are
Macbeth and Son, and
They Came on Viking Ships. We've also
ordered in the brand new
A Waltz for Matilda and can't wait to read
it so we can give you a proper review.
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Website
of the Month
As you probably know if you read our
newsletter, we do not push hard for sales. We do have a favour
to ask though. We'd really appreciate your vote
in the
AussieHomeschool Curriculum & Supplier Awards
2010
survey run by the Aussie Homeschool forum,
which is coming to an end in the next day or so. Have a look on this webpage
http://aussiehomeschool.com/topic/3179-aussiehomeschool-curriculum-supplier-awards-10/
then
go to the Survey Monkey link to view the survey.
We are not expecting to win any
prizes as we're not that well-known, but the opportunity to get
our name out there is very valuable. You don't need to fill in
the whole survey, just the first question and then, if you think
we deserve it, tick Leatherwood Books and whichever other
suppliers you want to support. Much appreciated!
Digital Dialects is a
site that can make LOTE learning a breeze for busy homeschool
parents. For those children who do not want to go through the
pain of learning the same second or third language year in and
year out (ouch, that coming from an ex-LOTE teacher!), the
Digital Dialects website provides a variety of interesting
languages to dip into. I tried out the activities for a couple
of languages and found these to be well-planned and useful. If
your child, or you, might be interested in learning any of the
better known languages, something different like Esperanto or
even Cebuano, Chichewa, Oromo or Zazaki, have a look at Digital
Dialects.
We advise parents to supervise children using the internet.
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Please let us know if you have any suggestions for resources to
add to our site. We like hearing from you!
We wish you a wonderfully relaxing holiday season filled with
meaningful gatherings of family and friends. If you plan to
drive somewhere for the break, take care and drive safely.
Happy reading
Elsa
on behalf of the rest of the team
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