*Little Light of Mine* - February 2019 Photo Contest from Little Acorn Learning

This Month's  Facebook Photo Contest theme is...

*Little Light of Mine*

*February Photo Contest from Little Acorn Learning*

With Candlemas approaching in only 2 days, we thought it very fitting to host this month's contest with the theme ** Little Light of Mine ** Show us photos of your littles ones embracing light and love. 

Our winners will receive a free e-book of their choice from Little AcornLearning http://www.littleacornlearning.com/

How to enter to win:

-Send no more than 3 photos per family or school correlating to our theme(s) to info@littleacornlearning.com

-Include your name and written permission for Little Acorn Learning to use your photo in future publications or marketing always crediting your name.

-Once your photo is posted on our Facebook Page, ask family and friends to LIKE it by sharing the link.

-The photos with the most LIKES win a FREE ebook of their choice from Little Acorn Learning - we will end our contest on February 10th, 2019

**Photography by Alex Hopkins

Each month, members from across the world participate in our photo contest.  After receiving the theme for the month, they search through their best digital photos to find pictures that best match the topic provided.  Photos of  nature, holistic parenting, family, home care, crafting and children are all wonderful and welcome subjects.

Living and Learning with Little Acorn

We have just reached 8,000 Likes on Facebook and we are celebrating by offering one of our members $100 in FREE ebooks from Little Acorn Learning. www.littleacornlearning.com

Our business began humbly, created by a mother, teacher and writer who wanted to share her love of Waldorf Education and nature-based learning with others (that's ME).

We now offer over 55 seasonal ebooks, menus, ecourses and products on the Little Acorn Learning website and have become one of the most loved resources of teachers and parents looking to weave a healthy rhythm, crafts, song, cooking, nature and seasonal celebrations into their days with children. Our program is as much for the caregiver as it is for the children.

We want to celebrate the support of our Little Acorn Community and will be giving away $100 in FREE ebooks, menus and products. See below rules to enter to win:

To Enter Our Giveaway Photo Contest:

1. Take or find a photo up to 3 photos of you or your children enjoying living and learning in the spirit of the Little Acorn Learning philosophy. This could include baking, crafting, nature explorations, circle time or domestic activities.

2. Email no more than 3 photos to info (at) littleacornlearning.com with subject line 'Little Acorn Learning Giveaway'. Inside the email please give your name, location and a sentence or two about what you love about learning with your children or using Little Acorn Learning in your home or school. Please also give permission that Little Acorn Learning may use your photos in future marketing and publications (We always give credit to your name as the photographer!)

3. Keep checking our Facebook Page and look for the photo album titled 'Living and Learning with Little Acorn'. When you see your photos, be sure to LIKE them and share them with family & friends. Remember the photo with the most LIKES win!

4. We will close our contest on 10/27 and announce the winner on Facebook

(and also email the winner directly).

Good luck and thank you so much for your continued support helping us to make the world a little brighter, one child at a time! 

Bedtime Stories & Dreams

Abby Martz

Abby Martz

Jen Hay

Jodi Darring

Julie of Mommyhood Rocks

Congratulations to our March 2015 Photo Contest Winners!  We absolutely loved looking through all of the beautiful photos.  Be sure to keep up on our Facebook Page for next month's contest.  We also have a Facebook Discussion Group where you can chat with other Little Acorn families.  

xoxo

Bundle Up and Win a FREE E-Book!

Suzie Stephensen

Abby Martz

Andrea Ormerod

Suzie Stephensen

Ummmmmm can it get much cuter?  This month's Little Acorn Learning Photo Contest theme is:

Wool & Warmth

Be sure to show us up to 3 photos of your little ones keep warm in the cold for a chance to win a FREE e-book of your choice from Little Acorn Learning!  Our contest ends on Monday, January 19th (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day).  To enter:

Send no more than 3 photos to info@littleacornlearning.com 

Provide written permission for Little Acorn Learning to use your photos in future marketing or publications (we do our best to always give credit to the photographer) 

Check our FACEBOOK PAGE and when you see your photos spread the word to family and friends by clicking share and asking them to vote for your photos by clicking LIKE

The photos with the most LIKES get a free e-book of their choice from LAL - please be sure to keep checking back on our Facebook Page because that is where winners are announced.

Best of Luck!

October's Moon and Verses to Share

It's a beautiful month for moon watching and charting.  Maia's 5th grade class is keeping a Moon Phase log and the timing couldn't be better.  

Yesterday there was a total lunar eclipse of the Full Hunter's Moon.  Native Americans called it the Hunter's Moon as it signifies a time to go hunting in preparation for the winter cold.  We are preparing for the cold and a new season.  We've decided to buy a wood stove to help with our heating costs and because I love making fires each day when it's cold outside.  And for a new season in life, I've been trying to prepare an office space for full time writing after I'm done working on a big fundraiser that ends at our middle school next week.  

Here are a few sweet verses you can share with your children this month:

~Moon, So Round~

Polish Folk Song

Moon, so round and bright,

Looking from on high,

How I love to see you there,

Shining in the sky!

Where are you at morn,

When the night is past,

When the sun comes peeping down

Over the hills at last?

 ~My Guardian Angel~

Folk Song, arranged by Johannes Brahms

My guardian angel, pure and bright, 

God's face forever seeing,

Protect me and guide my path aright,

While I have breath and being.

When day departs and night is near, 

Thy light in me be shining; 

Teach me all evil deeds to fear,

My heart too good inclining.  

I remember when Keira had this project in the very same class.  While I do not believe in homework the way it is structured in our society, I do appreciate this type of learning at home because it bring children closer to nature and fosters a connection to the rhythms of the earth.  And it also brings the family together which should be done more often.

  ~The October Huntsman~

The huntsman through the greenwood came,

His heart was bent on finding game;

He wandered here, he wandered there,

He wandered here, he wandered there,

A-hunting, A-hunting through greenwood fair.

His faithful hound was by this side,

They searched the greenwood far and wide;

The hound was keen,the hunter gay,

The hound was keen, the hunter gay,

Together, together A-hunting through the long, bright day.

The Little Acorn Learning October Photo Contest has also just begun!  This month's theme is *Scarecrows and Pumpkins*  

Photography by Melissa Patton -Williams

Send us no more than 3 photos correlating to our theme and then ask family and friends to LIKE them on our Facebook Page!  The photos with the most LIKES wins a free e-book from Little Acorn Learning.  Contest ends 10/19/14

Good luck!!!!

Changing with the Season

My favorite season is approaching and the weather in Connecticut has shifted to cool temperatures this past week and I love it.  The girls are back to school and I am working hard to create some sort of a rhythm in my work and home life.  I always find that this time of year is a time of preparation and organization.

I have made a commitment to get my home more organized and work on my writing career full time.  So for the past week, I've been sorting through files and books, creating an office space and allocating a certain amount of time each day to work.  It's difficult working from home as it demands a lot of discipline and I get easily distracted.

With autumn on it's way, I find a new love for the work I do with Little Acorn Learning.  I love photographing and writing about how children and families can celebrate the beautiful seasons together.  Living in New England is such a gift as we get four distinct seasons to enjoy.

In addition to the cool temperatures this week, my pumpkins have been ripening in the garden.  This is always really exciting and we are hoping to get one just a bit bigger for our carving pumpkin.  There are two or three more on the vines that I'm hoping get pretty big before Halloween.  We will see how they do.

Our garden has done pretty well this summer.  Considering that the girls and I traveled a lot, it was good.  I still hope to do better next year and get more yield.  But it's fun and I think it is really important to teach the girls where their food comes from.  When you grow it yourself, you don't waste because you realize how much time and effort went into it. 

As autumn approaches, I thought I would share some of our favorite children's books this time of year.  In both the 5 day and Enrichment guides at Little Acorn Learning, we offer tons of book recommendations for each and every week of the month.  Here are just a few that we love:

Telling stories and sharing poems of the season is a simple way to encourage literacy skills in the home for all ages.  I still read to my 10 year old!  

Here are a few sweet poems you can share in the upcoming weeks as taken from our September Enrichment Guide:

~~~~~

Squirrel, Squirrel running around,

Bury your nut away in the ground.

Bury it deep, bury it round.

Bury it nicely into the ground.  

~~~~~

Little leaves fall gently down
Red and yellow, orange and brown (flutter hands as leaves falling)
Whirling Whirling around and around (turn around)
Quietly without a sound (put finger to lips)
Falling softly to the ground (begin to fall slowly)
Down and down and down and down (lie on floor)

~~~~~

The Rice Fields

Warmed by the sun,

Wet with the rain,

Ripe grows the rice,

Life-giving grain.

Week follows week;

Now comes the day,

Gather the rice,

Store it away.

Lastly, we have a really fun Facebook Photo Contest going on for the month of September on the Little Acorn Learning Facebook Page... 

Our theme this month is *Children in the Kitchen* and our winners will get a FREE ebook of their choice for each photo that wins!  

Photo by Dawn Umemoto

If you have photos of your little ones helping you in the kitchen, here's how to enter:

- Send no more than 3 photos per family or school correlating to our theme to info@littleacornlearning.com

- Include your name and written permission for Little Acorn Learning to use your photo in future publications and/or marketing initiatives.  

- Once your photo is posted on our Facebook Page, ask family and friend to LIKE it by sharing the link.

- The photos with the most LIKES win a FREE ebook of their choice from Little Acorn Learning - we will end our contest on September 19th, 2014  

Slow Summer Photo Contest Winners!

Slow down, grab a cool drink and be inspired by these beautiful WINNERS of our Little Acorn Learning *Slow Summer* Photo Contest!

ALL of the entries were absolutely breathtaking and we are filled with joy to see our community slowing down enough to breathe in every precious moment of summer with their families.

We hope you are inspired to do the same.

xoxo

Show Me Your Slow...

Today is the last day to submit your photos in our Slow Summer Facebook Photo Contest!  Show us your slow, unhurried and carefree summer photos of you and your children enjoying childhood as it should be.  

Send no more than 3 photos to info (at) littleacornlearning.com to enter to win a FREE ebook of your choice! Photos should show us what a "slow summer" means to you and your family! Hashtag the photos you post on Instagram and Facebook with #slowsummerseries to inspire others to slow down and do the same.

((Yarn Along)) and Giveaway Winner!

It's Wednesday, Yarn Along Day and we are SNOWED IN big time. Another school cancellation and more snow to come this weekend!! A great day to try to finish up some projects around the house if I can keep the girls busy enough.  

The never-ending baby sweater is coming along and really all I have to do now is block it and add the buttons. It took me so much longer than I expected (most of my projects do) as I just have very little time to sit and crochet so I sneak it in when I can.

As far as reading goes, I'm still not doing much heavy reading. I am, however, skimming through a lot of my favorite gardening books and looking ahead to Spring. Speaking of which, we just LOVE my friend Sharon Lovejoy's book Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots. Have you read it? I was lucky enough to do a wonderful interview with Sharon if you'd like to read it in 2010. She is such an inspiration to me. The girls and I took out our seeds to see what we have remaining from last year as we try to plan our garden. We will start many of our seeds inside this week too.

We have a bunch of fun things going on at Little Acorn Learning this week.  First off, let me announce our Waldorf Homeschool Handbook Giveaway Winner.......

And the winner is.....

**Emily Keniston**  

Emily said:

"The toughest part for me is learning all the specific approaches and methods Waldorf advocates, especially since I have four kids at four different levels. I need a resource that can break it down simply!"

Congratulations to you, Emily! I hope you enjoy your free copy of The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook. Please contact us at info (at) littleacornlearning.com with your mailing address.

In addition to all that FUN, we also have a beautiful photo contest going on over at the Little Acorn Learning Facebook Page! Our theme this month is Friendship and my goodness it really sparked a wonderful response. The entries are just breathtaking.

It's not too late to enter to win a free e-book of your choice from Little Acorn Learning. Just send no more than three photos to us at info (at) littleacornlearning.com with your name and written permission for Little Acorn Learning to use your photos in any current or future publications both online and in print.

We will put your photos into our February Photo Contest Album on our Facebook page and then ask your family and friends to vote for you by LIKING your photos. The winners will be announced on February 8th!!

Best of luck to all of you!
xoxo

Oh, P.S. - If you have a like-minded business or blog that you would like to advertise in our February Newsletter, it is due to be released this Friday.  We reach over 6000 Waldorf educators and parents and work hard to only place ads that are of value to the natural minded community we serve.  Speaking of which, I hope you GET our newsletter!  It's free and full of lessons, recipes, crafts, songs, festival dates, caregiver meditations and much more.  Sign up here:

Sign Up for Our Free Newsletter!

Email:

For Email Marketing you can trust