Knowledge House Newsletter

Homeschool Information... Ideas... and Inspiration

~ August 2009 ~

Dear Readers,

Welcome to all of my new subscribers from Homeschool-Freebie-of-the-Day! I'm so glad you decided to join my mailing list. This month's issue is just a little bit late because I was sick last week but don't worry, it contains the FREE 20-page ebook of Patriotic Copywork that I promised you. I sure hope you will like my newsletter and decide to stay on!

August is Family Fun Month and Back-to-School Month... although as homeschoolers we're always having fun as a family and doing some sort of schooling aren't we! Just be sure to stock up on your supplies now while all of the stores have the stuff on sale!

Speaking of which, I am running my first ever SALE this month. (Read the article below and you will see why.) I’ve marked down every single one of my e-books to only $4.95 – that’s a savings of up to 60%! My e-books range in length from 18 - 72 pages. For the cost of a mass-market paperback you can get some great unit studies, study guides, and other items of interest that are NOT available anywhere else.

SHOP NOW

I've reduced my Learning for Life: Educational Words of Wisdom book by 25% just for this sale, so if you've been meaning to get it now would be a good time! Click here for details.

P.S. You will be happy to know that I've also arranged for you to receive a wonderful package of FREE GIFTS valued at over $25.00 - check it out!

Click Here for August
Holidays & Special Days

Freebie(s) of the Month*

Click here to download your Patriotic Copywork book:
http://www.knowledgehouse.info/PatrioticCopywork.pdf

Also for a limited time, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is offering an incredible FREE downloadable resource: "E-Homeschooling: Embracing the E-Book Revolution" - click the link to get this $14.95 value absolutely free!

(*Requires Adobe Reader: click here for free download.)

Featured Article

“Help, I'm melting!”

According to the local news, this July in Arizona was the hottest on record - which is weird because June was our coolest on record! The only problem is, I live in the desert and our air conditioner (heat pump) went out. It’s 20 years old and we've been told that it can't be fixed; the whole system needs to be replaced at an estimated cost of $5,000. Unfortunately, my husband has been out of work since last October so we have no budget for such a huge expense.

With outside temperatures reaching 105-115 degrees at this time of year and the highest overnight low of 92, the interior of our house regularly gets between 86-90 degrees. While it may not sound too bad in comparison, it sure is making everyone irritable and cranky. I feel like the Wicked Witch (“I’m melting...melting! Ooooh!”). It’s worst when the “monsoons” roll in bringing high humidity on top of high temperatures... but no rain!

Our refrigerator has to work twice as hard to keep the contents cool and it still has trouble doing that. Even with the dial turned to the coldest setting, the ice cream is soft-serve and the sticks of butter are already softened. The honey inside the jar in the cupboard is liquid. I'm storing a bag of chocolate chips in the freezer because they were melting into a big chocolate lump. My laser printer actually stops working in the afternoon because the room temperature exceeds its recommended operating environment!

If we manage to make it through the hot summer, we’ll still be in trouble come winter because the heat pump is also our only source of heat. Believe it or not, temperatures can get down to freezing here and in past years we’ve even gotten an inch of snow in the desert foothills where we live.

Why am I telling you all this you ask? Well, for one thing, prayers would be appreciated for patience and “keeping a cool head” despite being “hot under the collar.” This has been a stressful summer - not only due to no air conditioning and my husband being out of work for so long - but also because our kitchen stove caught on fire, our bathroom flooded, and ants have invaded our home (possibly nesting somewhere inside our walls).

So if you appreciate all of the freebies that I give away and enjoy the information that I provide, I'm hoping that you will consider purchasing one or more of my products this month to help me out. If everyone on my mailing list were to buy just one $4.95 e-book, I'd make enough to be able to get a new heat pump! Click here for my sale page.

Additional Ways to Help

Please use my affiliate links if you are making online purchases (for anything - not just homeschool materials!) For example, I participate in Amazon.com's affiliate marketing program. As an Amazon Associate, I provide links to Amazon's main site as well as individual items such as books, DVDs, and toys. Most Amazon titles are offered at significantly reduced prices (often at 10-30% off), which makes them a real bargain. Many of the items also qualify for free shipping (if you meet the minimum order requirement of $25).

You will find Amazon links as well as other affiliate links for purchasing curriculum, books, and other items throughout my website. I've also included some of my favorite affiliate banners in this newsletter. Any time you click on one of the images or text links on my site and then purchase an item direct from them, they will pay me a commission for the referral. The price is exactly the same whether you click through one of my links or visit the site independently. So if you’re planning on buying anything for your homeschool or your household, please consider doing it through me. I could really use your help and truly appreciate your support!

My Affiliates


American Vision

Quote of the Month

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Famous Homeschoolers

Olivia Bennett

Last month I wrote about Akiane Kramarik, a homeschooled art prodigy. Would you believe she's not the only one! This month you can read the story of Olivia Bennett: www.famoushomeschoolers.net/bio_olivia.html.

Did you know...? Two Pairs of Famous Homeschoolers Have August Birthdays!

William Clark and Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis & Clark Expedition were both born this month (August 1, 1770 and August 18, 1774, respectively). http://www.famoushomeschoolers.net/bio_lewisclark.html

Wilbur Wright was born on August 16, 1867, and his brother Orville was born on August 19, 1871. National Aviation Day is also celebrated on Orville Wright’s birthday. http://www.famoushomeschoolers.net/bio_wrightbros.html

P.S. Don't forget Thomas Edison in honor of National Inventors Month!

Verse of the Month

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” ~Isaiah 5:20

Reading Between the Lines

Civil Disobedience - Henry David Thoreau's classic essay on the relation of the individual to the state is as timely as ever. Read my review here: Civil Disobedience (Includes a link to an annotated version of “Civil Disobedience” that you can read online.) Did You Know…? American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was greatly influenced by Thoreau’s essay.

Pendragon: Sword of His Father - I was privileged to be able to meet a couple of the stars from Pendragon: Sword of His Father at the AFHE homeschool convention a few weeks ago: Andrew Burns, the king; Marilyn Burns, the princess; as well as Tracy Burns, real-life wife of Andrew and mother of Marilyn. Marilyn said that her brother Nick is actually a really nice guy despite his scary and intimidating appearance on the set! This is one of my newest favorite movies! It's an epic story of courage, vision, and sacrifice that will inspire viewers to stand tall and shoulder the tasks God has given them as they follow His vision for their lives. Read my review here: http://www.knowledgehouse.info/review_pendragon.html

Rent Faith-Friendly Movies Online at ChristianCinema.com

Learning Links

  • Summer Movies (Wind down the summer and celebrate Family Fun month with some popcorn, lemonade, and one or more of these movies. Some of them have summer themes and others just evoke the feeling of a summer adventure.)

  • Meteors (This is the week of the Perseid Meteor Shower.)

  • Meteorites (How to recognize a meteorite.)

  • Lemonade (August 20 is Lemonade Day.)

  • Cooking with Sunshine (Make your own solar cooker.)

  • Monarch Butterflies (The Monarch Butterfly's fall migration generally begins around August 21.)

  • National Parks (The National Park Service was established on August 25, 1916.)

  • I Have a Dream (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave this famous speech on August 28, 1963.)

  • Labor Day (Labor Day is coming up on September 7 this year.)

  • My Products

    Learning for Life Gardening for Wildlife How to Write a Homeschool Mission Statement  Abraham Lincoln: The Boy, the Man Citizens Rule Book
    Psalm 23 Ben Franklin's Proverbs Easy Money Gifts Gifts for all Occasions
    My Websites

    Knowledge House

    Homeschool Patriot

    Little Brick Schoolhouse

    Homeschooling Teen

    Homeschool Hall of Fame

    Famous Homeschoolers

    Arizona Edventures

    A Note From Teri...

    My boys and I are excited about the launch of our new Little Brick Schoolhouse forum! We want it to be a vibrant, active community of homeschool LEGO enthusiasts. But we need YOU to assist us in getting our forum off to a good start! So to kick things off, this month we’re having a CONTEST. We hope it will be the first of many! POST THE MOST in the Little Brick Schoolhouse Forum and win a $10.00 LEGO e-Gift Card! Start posting now to start winning! Contest ends August 31, 2009.

    P.S. This month is the Wizard of Oz movie's 70th Anniversary. The Wizard of Oz was originally released on August 25, 1939. When my oldest son was just a little guy and he saw the tornado scene for the first time, he was terrified and for days afterward kept talking about the scary "tomato." I hate to keep comparing myself to the Wicked Witch of the West, but when you hear her say that famous line at the end - "I'm melting... melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! Oooooh... I'm going!" - please think of me withering away ... and consider purchasing one of my products this month. You will save my day! :)

    Copyright © 2009 by Teri Ann Berg Olsen, www.knowledgehouse.info. To subscribe to this free e-newsletter, simply send a blank e-mail to and then
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