Online Advent Calendars

In this digital age Advent calendars aren't only physical. Here is a selection of online Advent calendars for you to share with your child. Sorry, no chocolate involved ;)

If you want to learn about other countries and how they celebrate Christmas, have a look at this one from Project Britain. Check out Day 6 if you are exploring with Picture Book Explorers ~ The Best Christmas Present in the World

If you want ideas and inspiration for outdoor activities take a look at this advent calendar from Nature Detectives. Day 9 fits will help with one of the activities in Picture Book Explorers ~ The Best Christmas Present in the World

For an advent calendar that reveals items relating to the First World War, check out this one from The Liverpool Museums. Day 15 is particularly relevant to Picture Book Explorers ~ The Best Christmas Present in the World

For younger children, you might like to try this cute interactive one from Poisson Rouge that will help with mouse control skills or this one from CBeebies which offers different types of games every day.

Older children may enjoy Christmas themed games and puzzles at Santa Games.

Activity Village offer a daily printable colouring sheet - this year's theme is a Christmas train :)

If you want an advent calendar that focuses on the religious aspect of the season, have a look at this one from the Jam Trust in Scotland that gives Bible verses, carols and facts about Christmas traditions.

And, if all else fails, you can even make your own online advent calendar for free at Adventios....I'm book marking this for next year :)

The Book to go with the Latest PBE

If you're looking for the book to go with the latest Picture Book Explorers guide, look no further :)
You can buy a copy of The Best Christmas Present in the World by Michael Morpurgo from The Works for £4.99.

Even if you're not planning on exploring the book right now, it's still worth buying a copy and reading it this year as we approach the centenary of the event depicted in the story - the Christmas day truce and famous football match on no-man's land in 1914.

The words of Michael Morpurgo work well with the pictures of Michael Foreman. Together, they tell the story with a sensitivity that is both heartwarming and heartrending in equal measure.

If you spend £10 at The Works, you can get free delivery and 20% off with the code 

SAVE20.

New! Picture Book Explorers ~ The Best Christmas Present in the World

The new Picture Book explorers pack accompanies the book The Best Christmas Present in the World by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman. It is a moving story that involves secret drawers, hidden letters, burnt down houses and an elderly lady. The book tells the tale of the Christmas day truce of 1914 in the words of a British soldier.  The book is sensitively illustrated and the combination of words and pictures brings me to tears every time I read it.

There is also a stage show/book reading performance which fills in a little more of Jim Macpherson's story including where he was stationed and when he died. It is read by Michael Morpurgo and Virginia Mckenna and has musical accompaniment.  It will be next performed at St Martin's Cathedral at Ypres on Monday 22nd December 2014.

Whilst researching the Christmas day truce story to write Picture Book Explorers ~ The Best Christmas Present in the World, I have read so many letters and seen so many photographs of the soldiers who were part of this amazing piece of history that the characters in the book feel even more alive to me now. It is such a poignant story of the hope of peace in the midst of war. Some of this information is in the pack but there are also winter weather science experiments, art activities, creative writing prompts, discussion starters and role play opportunities in this hands-on learning pack that includes maps, flags and timelines and recipes.

The first time I remember hearing of the Christmas day truce was in the Paul McCartney music video to his song "The Pipes of Peace" way back in the1980s. Now I'm showing my age ;)

Happy Exploring!

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Make Snowflakes

Every year my children spend the first few days of Advent making snowflakes. Each year they have got more complex as well as more numerous. They like to string them across the room instead of paper chains or tinsel.

This year they have been watching snowflake tutorials on Youtube. These are two of their favourites. They like this one because it is fun...



...and they like the second one because it is a more serious tutorial on how to make six-pointed snowflakes which are much more tricky.


For a less messy, less permanent snowflake, you can visit this virtual snowflake maker :) 

Happy Exploring!

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About Me

Beyond The Book Education

Welcome! We’re a home educating family based in West Yorkshire. I started home educating my eldest son over 20 years ago. In that time, I had 2 more children who have never been to school and I gained a Certificate of Mathematics and a BSc Honours with the Open University. As a family, we love books and we’re looking forward to sharing that love with you. Our unit studies and lapbooks are designed to give you anywhere from a week to six month's worth of activity based learning that you can tailor to your child's needs. The unit studies can be used with all your children simultaneously, or you can use them again and again as your children grow into them. The chosen books all have a link to the UK, whether it's the setting, the author or the illustrator. We are happy to take suggestions of new picture books to explore and new lapbooks to build.

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