~ November 2017 ~

Dear Readers,

Happy November! Later this month we will be celebrating Thanksgiving! But first... this week is Veterans Day, a day of honor, appreciation, and respect for America's Veterans.

My father-in-law, Charles Olsen, served in the 1st Marine Division and fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. My husband, the third youngest of Charlie's seven children, grew up thinking the Marine Corps Hymn "from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli" was a lullaby! Sadly, my own children never got to meet Papa Charlie as he passed away just before my oldest son was born.

Charlie was known and respected by his fellow countrymen because of his devotion to God, family, and country. If only we had more patriots like this, maybe we could straighten out our nation. He proved that one citizen can make a difference –- as a printer from Boston he was personally responsible for printing and distributing over one million pocket-sized U.S. Constitutions across America.

Family-owned and operated Whitten Printers of Phoenix, AZ, continues to print and distribute his booklet, The Citizens Rule Book. It includes the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, plus quotes by our Founding Fathers and information for jurors. Three million copies now have been sold nationwide! Do you have one? They're only $1 each! Order yours at HomeschoolPatriot.com.

Featured Article

“It’s not what stands in front of you... it’s who stands beside you.” Only the Brave is the heroic true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a crew of wildland firefighters from Prescott, Arizona. Through hope, determination, sacrifice, and the drive to protect families, communities, and our country they became one of the most elite firefighting teams in the nation. They forged a unique brotherhood that came into focus with one fateful fire. On June 30, 2013, nineteen of the twenty members of the group perished while fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. The movie is dedicated to their memory.

As an Arizona resident, this tragedy took place close to home for me. So I wondered how Only the Brave would do in theaters in our state. We already know what happened and we experienced the heartbreak firsthand, so why would we want to re-live the trauma? I do know a few people who are purposely avoiding the movie because it would be too upsetting to have to go through all that again. I must admit, the trailer was hard to watch, but I went to the movie anyway, tissues in hand. I saw it as a way of paying my respects to those brave men, to give them the recognition they deserved and remember them as the heroes they were. This movie guarantees that they will not be forgotten.

As a side note, they could have made this film from a Christian viewpoint. The only guy who actually mentions his religion in Only the Brave is a Buddhist, but near the end you see a guy who took his Bible with him into the fire. According to this article, Clayton Whitted was a former youth pastor at the Heights Church in Prescott. During shifts on the fire line, the crew would openly discuss Jesus or ask Clayton to tell stories from the Bible. It was through him that "Donut," a wayward young man who joined the Hotshots to try and turn his life around, accepted Jesus as his savior, during a fire in New Mexico two weeks before Yarnell Hill.

Theres's so much more to tell! Read my complete review at HomeschoolingTeen.com.

Book of the Month

America's Thanksgiving commemorates the Pilgrims' harvest feast, part of the story of the settling of Plymouth Colony, an important period in American history. Since the Pilgrims' original feast was never repeated, it can't really be called the beginning of a tradition, nor did the Pilgrims call it a Thanksgiving Feast. Nevertheless, the 1621 feast has become a model for our own Thanksgiving celebration. Learn all about the first Thanksgiving, find out what else was happening at that time, read Thanksgiving poems, get authentic Pilgrim recipes, activity ideas, etc.

48 pages of Thanksgiving resources including:
-The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving
-The Mayflower Compact
-The First Ever National Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1777
-Continental Congress Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1782
-Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1789
-Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1863
-The First Thanksgiving (from "Stories of the Pilgrims")
-Pilgrim Timeline
-Pilgrim Trivia
-Thanksgiving Links
-Thanksgiving Poems & Prayers
-Thanksgiving Quotations
-Thanksgiving Scriptures
-Thanksgiving Picture Study
-Thanksgiving Worksheets
-Thanksgiving Activities
-and much more!!!

*Downloadable in PDF format, using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Famous Homeschoolers

“The March King” was born on November 6, 1854. Musically talented and homeschooled as a child, he grew up to be a world-famous American band conductor who composed over 100 popular marching songs. Read his biography here. You can also download the following story written by Sousa himself: John Philip Sousa: Experiences of a Bandmaster* (Five entertaining anecdotes, good for reading to kids.)

*Downloadable in PDF format, using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Reading Between the Lines

What motivated the Pilgrims to come to America? What formula for success did they discover? More importantly, how can we apply these same foundational truths today? Monumental is a 90-minute documentary that follows Kirk Cameron across Europe and the U.S. as he seeks to discover America’s true “national treasure” – the people, places, and principles that made America the freest, most prosperous and generous nation on earth. Click here to read the whole story.

Learning Links

Let's Talk Politics - A simple guide to political parties and elections. Election Day 2017 is Tuesday, November 7. While certainly not as exciting as last year's presidential election, this off-year election will feature gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races, and a variety of other local elections will also occur.

Veterans Day - The history and traditions of this holiday, along with some activity ideas. Veterans Day is November 11, but many cities are honoring their local servicemen and women with celebrations, parades, banquets, and more this week. People traditionally observe a moment of silence at 11:00 am on November 11th (Armistice Day) to remember the sacrifices of our armed forces in protecting our country.

The First Thanksgiving - The Pilgrims' 1621 harvest feast became a model for America's Thanksgiving celebration. This page includes Thanksgiving poems, recipes, and activities.

Giving Thanks - The Thanksgiving holiday is a good time to help your children reflect on what they are grateful for.

Family-friendly Thanksgiving Films - Some movies with Thanksgiving themes that the whole family can enjoy.

First in Flight: Wilbur & Orville Wright - To celebrate Aviation History Month, read about these two homeschooled brothers who built the first successful airplane.

Teddy Bears - November 14 is National American Teddy Bear Day.

World Hello Day - November 21, 2017 is the 45th annual World Hello Day. Learn how to say "hello" in 40 different languages!

Freebie of the Month

The Gettysburg Address - President Lincoln delivered his famous speech on November 19, 1863. Download this PDF and practice reciting it.

Thanksgiving Proclamation - This 1623 Thanksgiving Proclamation was attributed to Governor Bradford (although it was most likely created sometime in the 20th century). It's fun to recite and it looks great printed on parchment paper, or print it on plain white paper and have the kids decorate it!

Thanksgiving Word Search - How many words can you make from the letters in “Thanksgiving”?

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

Quote of the Month

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." ~W.T. Purkiser (1910–1992), a preacher, scholar, and author in the Church of the Nazarene

A Note From Teri...

A bushel of thanks to all my loyal readers. Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. Did you like this month's newsletter?