One Year Anniversary! Collage Friday
Friday, December 7, 2012 at 5:00AM 
It's been ONE YEAR since the very first Collage Friday link up!
I had no idea when it started the community it would become, the friends I would make, and the ideas we would all share each week.
Collage Friday has also held me accountable. I know I must recap our week each Thursday night to share with all of you. I love looking back on what we have accomplished, the struggles we have faced, and how my children have grown!
The very first blogs that linked up (and still link today) were:
- All Things Beautiful
- My 4 Sweetums
- Red Oak Road
- Learning All The Time
- Kathy's Cluttered Mind
- Little Homeschool on the Prairie
Yes, just six blogs linked that first week. Now, the average is around 30!
Take a minute to visit some of these bloggers. They are moms who pour their heart and soul into home education and I have learned so much from each of them.
I'd love for Collage Friday grow even more over the next year. Grab a button from my sidebar, link up and spread the word!
We are finally decorated for the holidays, and had a productive week of school. I'm not exactly sure where the week went, but it's Friday already!
Collages For December 3-7, 2012
1. Anna has been asking about learning to play the guitar (which would require us getting a guitar!). She's asked for one for Christmas and we went to the music store this week and looked at them. It seems like the next natural thing since she takes piano lessons and sings in a children's chorus.
2. Grant got this book - Angry Birds Playground (Around the World Habitat Adventure) by National Geographic. He read the entire book in one day! It's great! If you have an Angry Birds lover, you might want to put this on their Christmas list.
3. We have been working on my Nutcracker Unit Study. One of the things I printed for Anna was Trepak to learn on the piano.
4. Grant has been reading aloud to us from Christmas Carols for a Child's Heart. We listen to the carol and he reads about it for us. We are learning, and he is practicing his reading. (Did you see my post at The Homeschool Classroom about The Gift of Christmas Carols?)
5. Anna has started reading The Hiding Place. She's enthralled with this book... I had been saving it for her until I felt she was old enough to handle the subject matter.
1. More Nutcracker! While watching the ballet, Anna made this adorable pom-poms (thank you, Pinterest) for Christmas packages, and Grant built Nutcracker LEGO creations!
2. We listened to The Nutcracker constantly this week. As the kids were humming it in their rooms yesterday I hollared to them "Ha! It worked!".... they replied, "What?" I told them I had succeeded in stuffing the music into their heads and now they were humming it -- musical brainwashing of sorts!
3. Not really from our homeschool, but from Sunday School. My husband and I teach the 4th-6th grade class and our lesson this week was about Jeremiah and the potter. It was such a great lesson and we made mosaics.
4. At a Christmas party for my husband's office last weekend Anna made several new little friends. She's very good with small children and now adults look to her for assistance!
5. Each morning this week I would read a different book out of our Christmas book basket. I think The Grinch is the kids' favorite. We've also been reading Bartholomew's Passage each evening.
This weekend is going to be full of fun things! We have out of town company coming to stay with us. Anna's Spivey Hall concert is Friday night (tonight!), and the rest of the weekend is full of fun things, too. Next week we celebrate Grant's 8th birthday.
This is always a busy time for us, but full of so much fun.
How was your week?
I'd love for you to link with me. Please grab a Collage Friday button (in my sidebar), or text link back to this post. Sign the linky and then visit other bloggers on the list. Of course, make sure your post contains photo collages to document your homeschool week.
Reader Comments (20)
Happy anniversary! How exciting!
One year already!! Funny, when you started doing the photo collage, I didn't join in right away because I didn't know how to do a collage! I'm glad I'm always getting challenge to do new things. Good luck to Anna tonight! Have a great weekend.
Thanks for the shout out. And Happy Collage Anniversary.
Thank you for hosting and for the effort you put forth to provide fabulous units to share! Anna will love the guitar! My oldest daughter loves playing, and after almost two years, we can actually hum along a little (She started in first grade.) She will be able to do a lot knowing both instruments. Blessings on your weekend!
Congratulations!!
I love all of your Nutcracker ideas. We are going to see a live performance soon, so they are a great reminder to start gently introducing some of the music and details to my little ones.
And congratulations!
I look forward to Friday collage. Thanks for hosting it. It has helped me record our very busy days the last few months.
Blessings, Dawn
Happy Anniversary! :)
And thank you for the free Nutcracker Unit study--my kids love the Nutcracker (the story, the music and the ballet) so we'll be trying to fit that in! Your study has terrific ideas.
Congratulations on the Collage Friday anniversary, Mary! I don't know if I'll write about homeschooling in the future, but if I do, I'll certainly reserve my posts for your link-up!
Happy Collage Anniversary. What a lovely community you have built! And a blessedly busy week you've had. I know you will enjoy the concert tonight!
Wow, a whole year. It doesn't seem like it has been that long, does it? I feel honored to be in that original list. My History/Geography meme just passed it's one year mark, too. I love all your Christmas themed activities this week. Last night when we went to a Lights festival at Bristol Speedway, they were playing pieces from The Nutcracker and Quentin recognized them right away! It is true about filling them up with beautiful music. Thanks for hosting my favorite link-up.
Happy Anniversary! I've really enjoyed linking up every week. It gives me encouragement and accountability. Thanks for hosting us!
Looks like a great week! We are going to see the Nutcracker next week--hmmm...maybe we should do that Unit Study and start listening to it to prepare ourselves!
Thanks for the shout-out, Mary.
We were at a guitar factory today and then had my parents over for dinner and then Piper's choir sang for a tree lighting in New Brunswick and there were horse and carriage rides and all kinds of things...anyway, I wanted to include all that in my linky...but am too tired now...hopefully tomorrow before art class!
Here is a song I wrote for you, in honor of your one year anniversary:
(sung to the tune of "Happy Birthday")
Happy Anniversary to you!
Happy Anniversary to you!
Your wrap-ups are rockin'-
Keep inspiring us like you do! :0)
Congrats on one year of Collage Fridays! I'm glad you have it here; it keeps me accountable, too!
--Gena
Happy Collage Friday Anniversary! And, like Theresa said, thanks for the shout out :)
It looks like your Nutcracker unit is going very well. I am struck this week, for some reason, with how much your kids have been growing...Anna is becoming a true young lady and Grant is almost 8?!
I hope you all are enjoying your weekend :)
Happy Anniversary! This is such a fun weekly link-up and I am thankful to you for hosting each week.
It looks like you all are making wonderful memories!
Thanks for hosting this every week. It has really encouraged me to take more pictures during our daily life and not just on the big events. Even if I don't use the pictures in the blog, I have them to look back on and remember this time.
Looks like you guys had a fun week studying the Nutcracker, just like we did. But I didn't take any Nutcracker pictures, LOL.
Have a great weekend!
Happy Anniversary! A year later, this is still my favorite thing to do each week:) It holds me accountable too...at least I remember to document some of what we do.
Looks like a beautiful week, Mary. I love the Nutcracker!
Happy Collage Friday Anniversary, Mary! I am adding the Angry Birds Nat Geo book to my Amazon list. It is getting long!