As you can see, the Carnival of Family Life isn’t here. In spite of our best efforts, we couldn’t get the email containing the carnival posts to come through. Finally, Colloquium & I went through the back door, so to speak, and managed to get the posts loaded into Homeschool Through Highschool’s blog, but by the time we were able to do that, I didn’t have the time to do the finishing touches to get the carnival posted. Funny how life works sometimes…

So, Colloquium, graciously offered to post the Carnival of Family Life on her site and it is up and running. Be sure to stop over and check out the great variety of posts. Here’s the link.

Thanks, Colloquium, for all your effort and congrats on another great carnival!

Homeschoolers and family life – two peas in a pod, a match made in heaven. Just like soup and sandwich, they go together. (Am I dating myself again?)

Family life is one of the core reasons most parents choose to homeschool – they just got together! That is why I am pleased to tell you that Homeschool through Highschool will be hosting the next Carnival of Family Life! (My humble apologies for being so late in making the announcement!) The theme for this carnival is Family Favorites.

The Carnival of Family Life has been around for quite awhile and offers some terrific submissions. I am honored to be hosting it. Anything related to family life is welcome at the Family Life Carnival. Categories include:

• Family Spirituality/Belief/Worship
• Humor
• Parenting Tips & Advice
• Finance, Health and Wellness
• Pets
• Education
• Fiction
• Travel
• Crafts & Activities
• Cooking & Recipes
• Relationships & Self-Improvement

The deadline for submissions is Sunday, March 22, 2009, PST. For more information about the Family Life Carnival or to submit an article, click here.  If you want more information regarding submission guidelines or to check out some of the past Family Life Carnivals (there are some great links!), visit the carnival owner’s blog, Colloquium.

So while your having your soup and sandwich, you and your family can decide what family favorite you want to contribute!

See you there

OK, this one is a treat for the whole family. Your kids will have so much fun that they won’t even realize it’s educational! What am I talking about? It’s a thing called “Letterboxing.” It’s been popular in Europe for hundreds of years, but has only caught on in the US in recent years. Our family has done it several times and we’ve had a blast!

So what is letterboxing? Simply put, it’s a treasure hunt. Letterboxes are placed, by different individuals (and, yes, once you get the hang of it, you & your family can hide a letterbox too!) all over the place. Some are located inside buildings, most are hidden outside. You have a list of clues, that when properly followed & with sharp eyes, will lead you to the letterbox.

Supplies you need to bring:

• A rubber stamp – you can use a purchased stamp or make your own. The more unique and reflective of you, the better. The whole family can use one stamp, but usually the kids each like to have their own.
  • Stamps aren’t hard to make and making them together can be lots of fun. Here’s a few sites with directions for making stamps How to Make a Rubber Stamp, Eraser Carving, Letterboxing Kids, and Make a Rubber Stamp with Foam
• Ink pad
• Small sketch book
• A pen
• A compass
• The set of clues
• A packed lunch or snack

The process:

• Follow the set of clues, using your compass when necessary, to find the letterbox. (The letterbox is simply a plastic leftover-type container with a lid, to keep the contents dry.)
• Once you find it, open it and inside the box you’ll find a rubber stamp, a notepad and usually an ink pad (sometimes the ink pad is missing or dried up which is why it’s a good idea to bring your own.)
• Using the stamp found in the letterbox, stamp it into your sketchbook. Make a note of where you found it and any other notes as well.
• Using your stamp, stamp the letterbox notebook and make a note of where you’re from and anything else you want to add.
• Take some time to look at other entries and where other people came from – you might be surprised!
• Remember to put everything back, just as you found it.

This really is so much fun and such a great educational experience for the whole family! With one fell swoop, you can cover art, geography, critical thinking, using a compass, all while you’re having a great time together as a family.

If you’re headed somewhere on vacation, be sure to check for letterboxes in the area of your destination and bring your supplies! It’s addicting

To get the whole scoop, visit Letterboxing.org. To access the information you will need to sign up, but registration is free. Have fun & let us know about your family fun educational experiences!

Sue