Great Backyard Bird Count and Common Birds of Atlanta FREE Printable Checklist

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Courtesy of ebird.org

I had really hoped to have this posted on my blog on Saturday but I had to take an unexpected trip to the emergency room for a kidney stone. So better late than never, right? And there is still one day left to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count 2016.

What is the GBBC?
Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.

Now, more than 100,000 people of all ages and walks of life worldwide join the four-day count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds.
We invite you to participate! Simply tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, February 12-15, 2016. You can count from any location, anywhere in the world, for as long as you wish!


If you’re new to the count, or have not participated since before the 2013 merger with eBird, you must create a free online account to enter your checklists. Learn more about GBBC here.

Why count birds?
Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Bird populations are dynamic; they are constantly in flux. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to document and understand the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time.
Scientists use information from the Great Backyard Bird Count, along with observations from other citizen-science projects, such as the Christmas Bird Count, Project FeederWatch, and eBird, to get the “big picture” about what is happening to bird population.

FREE Audubon Bird App:
For a limited time you can download one of my favorite field guide apps. But hurry the Audubon Bird App doesn't stay FREE for long.

FREE Common Birds of Atlanta printable checklist:
Each February for nature journal club I always have a club meeting on birds. This is a printable I made for my class to make counting the common birds of Atlanta easier for the children. Get your copy of the Common Birds of Atlanta printable checklist for FREE.

Homeschooling With National Geographic Books #NGKInsider

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

It is no secret that our family has a slight, okay a BIG, book addiction. We have several favorite publishers that we love and utilize in our homeschooling journey and National Geographic Kids is one of them. Their entire line up of books are educational, fun and filled with beautiful illustrations. And most importantly the kids LOVE them.

Over the last few months we have received several amazing books from National Geographic, it is one of the many perks of being part of the National Geographic Kids Insider Club. Sadly I got a little bit behind due to some health issues so I am sharing all of the great books we received that we have been utilizing in our homeschool learning adventures.

I'd like to also mention that all of these books make great gifts for the upcoming holidays too and many are currently on sale on Amazon right now!

A Friend For Lakota by Jim and Jamie Dutcher - ($16.99) Since we homeschool you might think bullying is not a huge concern for our family, but it is, and mostly in our own home. I always say that my kids are each others best friends and worst enemies, it is to be expected since they are together ALL the time. In this book Emmy winning Jim and Jamie Dutcher had the unique experience of living in a tented camp in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains among a pack of wolves where they observed and documented the rarely seen social behavior, including bullying. In the book Lakota is a shy wolf pup who is growing up as the lowest ranked and frequently picked on member of the wolf pack (his brothers and sisters). This story was a great one for my kids. It taught them a very important lesson about not bullying one another and being there for each other no matter what and it also taught them that they shouldn't bully other kids and should they see a kid being bullied to do something to help them. In the back of the book there is a map that shows where Lakota lives as well as information about gray wolves, notes from the authors and a page with websites, books and places to see wolves. The photographs in this book are absolutely stunning by the way and make you feel like you are right there with the National Geographic photographers.*If you hurry you can get this book for $11.79 on Amazon right now!

100 Things To Make You Happy by Lisa m. Gerry - ($9.99) Have you ever made a happiness bucket list? Well after you flip through the pages of this book you just might. This book is filled with great ideas that are guaranteed to make you happy. Try a few or try them all, from exercises and foods that boost happiness to tips from professional "happy makers," like psychologists and even magicians. This book is also filled with inspirational quotes, heartwarming tales from the animal kingdom and interviews with National Geographic explorers who followed their dreams. I will tell you I have been very down in the dumps lately due to my health. I am in pain just about everyday and extremely exhausted. So whenever I am having a really bad day I flip open to a page in this book and find some inspiration to be happy. So not only is this book great for kids it's great for moms too! "The secret to happiness is to start by doing things that make you happy!" *If you hurry you can get this book for $7.34 on Amazon right now!

Why? Over 1,111 Answers to Everything by Crispin Boyer - ($19.99) Have you ever wondered why your cat hacks up hair balls? Or why volcanoes blow their tops? Well this book has you covered. It contains 7 chapters covering questions about your body, our planet, the universe, history, technology, animals and pop culture. This book is filled with hundreds of topics ranging from silly to serious, and includes expert information! It is fun and entertaining and will literally keep your kids busy for hours....seriously it kept my kids busy during a recent road trip from Georgia to Florida. Answers include all kinds of fascinating extra info like top ten lists, weird-but-true facts, explorer profiles, and cool activities. If your kids are anything like mine they ask a lot of questions....well this book will give them the answers without needing to Google! *If you hurry you can get this book for $10.99 on Amazon right now!

Mission Tiger Rescue by Kitson Jazynka - ($12.99) One of our favorite series from National Geographic Kids is the Mission Rescue Series. One of the homeschool clubs I run is zoo club. Each month we visit the zoo and learn about an animal while sitting in front of the animals habitat. Well thanks to the Mission Rescue books I am always well prepared for zoo club and can not only teach the children about the all about the animals but also ways we can help rescue them. Mission Tiger Rescue combines fun and amazing adventure stories, beautiful photographs, hands on activities, tons of facts and more. Throughout the book you meet real life tigers and learn about their habitats, challenges, and successes plus how YOU can personally take action and save these amazing endangered animals. Check out my review on Lion Rescue and Elephant Rescue here. *If you hurry you can get this book for $11.4 Amazon right now!

Buzz Aldrin Welcome To Mars with Marianne J. Dyson - ($18.99) This book is perfect compliment for our astronomy lessons. This book has 5 detailed chapters and covers Why Mars, Off to Mars, Approaching Mars, Riches of Mars, Martian Home and Green Mars. The kids favorite part of the book are the hands-on science experiments. I love that in the back of the book there is a section with additional book recommendations and websites. *If you hurry you can get this book for $12.22 on Amazon right now!

Pope Francis by Barbara Kramer  - ($3.99) I am sure you are all well aware there is a new Pope in the Vatican, Pope Francis! But did you know that he is the oldest of 5 siblings, that he loved to play soccer as a kid, that he was the first pope to take a selfie, or that he is an excellent cook? Well you can learn these facts and more in this Level 1 reader. This book arrived at the perfect time because my daughter asked to learn about the smallest country in the World this year which is well the Vatican!

How to Survive Anything by Rachel Buchholz - ($12.95) My kids are very interested in survival skills so this book is right up their alley. It contains 31 chapters and covers everything from surviving a tornado to a breakup. We took this book along with us on a recent camping adventure it was the perfect book to read at bedtime. I mean knowing how to survive a snakebike, being lost in the woods, or wildfire is definitely important information to know when camping! *If you hurry you can get this book for $8.34 on Amazon right now!

APPS:
Before I get to some really exciting news I want to quickly share one more valuable resource we use in our homeschool and that is apps. Well National Geographic experts have teamed up with Google Play to hand select some top educational apps. Nat Geo Kids is all about exciting children to explore the world around them. With these apps kids will have so much fun discovering all about animals, science, countries, and more that they’ll forget they’re learning. We have personally tried at least 4 of these apps and can say they definitely deserve to be on the list!

 

My kids love their National Geographic Kids subscription. This magazine subscription definitely makes a great gift for any child. Each magazine is loaded with engaging age appropriate content and fantastic photography. Little kids is designed for children ages 3-6 yrs old and Kids is designed for children age 6-12 yrs old. Currently you can get a subscription for as low as $12-$15.

Giveaway:
Guess what? One winner will receive a 1 yr subscription to their choice of Kids or Little Kids National Geographic Magazine thanks to National Geographic. Just fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below. Only the first entry is mandatory. Other entries are optional and give you extra chances. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. The winner will be posted on the blog and will be emailed. Winner must reply within 24 hrs with their contact information or another winner will be chosen. Prize will be shipped by National Geographic. Wait a moment for it to load....

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Top 5 FREE Apps To Manage Busy, On The Go Families

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details. This was was sponsored by Life360.

Are you an on the go, super busy family? If you answered yes then here are 5 apps you NEED to download. These are all apps that I have personally utilized at one point or another for our family.

Top 5 Apps To Manage Busy, On the Go Families:

1. Life360 - this app is available for iOS, Android and Windows. Have you arrived safely? Can you pick the kids up? Can you pick up eggs and milk at the grocery store? The Life360 app builds a utility-focused network for the family that is centered on location sharing and making it easier for families to communicate and stay connected despite how busy they become. But that's not all you can also send messages and share lists (like grocery or shopping lists). Life360 makes communicating destination arrivals and departures super easy. With just a tap of the "notification" button you can let someone know that you have arrived somewhere. They instantly receive an alert stating that you have checked in and also receive the address. If you currently get charged for text messages then you will love the fact that you can send and receive messages and lists with Life360 for FREE.  READ my full review here.
   
   
   
   
2. Cozi Calendar - this app is available for iOS, Android and Windows...it also works on a PC. Cozi is a free online organizer that helps families manage crazy calendars, organize household chores, share memories and more —all in one place. My favorite part about the app is that you can sync calendars from places like Meetup.com and Facebook too.
3. Trip It - this app is available for iOS and Android - TripIt makes planning a trip itinerary a breeze. You can easily organize all of your travel details including plane tickets, car rentals, train schedules, hotel reservations, activities and more. TripIt "automatically" creates a single itinerary from all your trip details. And if you have Life360 downloaded to your phone and your family's phones you can easily let everyone know you have arrived at each of your destinations safely. 
4. InstantPlaydates - this app is available for iOS and Android (BETA) - Who’s free to go to the park right now or meet at the museum on Saturday? InstantPlaydates lets you easily schedule playdates with your Facebook friends. When you’re heading to the park, you  broadcast your availability and how long you’ll be there. Or, you can check to see who’s currently available.
5. iReward - this app is available for iOS, Android and Windows. iReward is a great app that brings the traditional reward chart onto mobile device, with a customizable, interactive interface. iRewardChart helps busy parents keep track of their child’s good behavior and chores and reward them appropriately. READ my full review here. 

What are your favorite apps to help manage busy, on the go family life?

* All apps have FREE and paid versions. Paid versions offer more features and are ad free. 

Our On The Go Life Just Got A Little Easier And Safer Thanks To The Life360 App

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details. This post was sponsored by Life360, however all thoughts are completely my own.

Life360 was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in San Francisco. They are the world's largest network for families and have over 43 million families using their app around the world. The Life360 app builds a utility-focused network for the family that is centered on location sharing and making it easier for families to communicate and stay connected despite how busy they become.

A moms review:
Several days ago I downloaded the FREE Life360 app. Life360 is an award winning Family Network App that allows you to easily locate family members and quickly communicate with them. The app is available across all mobile platforms including Android, Apple/ios, Windows and BlackBerry. 

Downloading and setting up the app was super simple. After downloading the free app to my phone I was walked through the simple setup process.  First I added people to my circles, which in my case included my husband. You can set up separate circles for family, friends, etc. Your location is only shared with the people you add to your circles, when you choose to share it. My husband was then sent a notification that I had added him to my Life360 family circle and given instructions on how to download the app. Next I set up two places (work and home). Anytime either my husband or I arrive at or leave one of these destinations we will receive an automatic alert. This is helpful for so many reasons one of them being I now know exactly when to start dinner! After he downloaded the app and created his profile we were all set to go. Note: the app does use geolocation so your GPS will need to be turned on at all times while utilizing the app.

The children and I are always on the go and often go on out of town and out of state road trips, hikes, and other fieldtrip adventures without my husband. Generally I just send him a quick text message letting him know that we arrived at or are leaving our destination, but thanks to Life360 fieldtripping just got a whole lot easier and safer for our family.

This app makes communicating our destination arrivals and departures much easier. With just a tap of the "notification" button I can let my husband know that we have arrived somewhere. He automatically gets an alert that we have checked in and also receives the address. At anytime he can also view our history, request a check in from us and call or message us directly from the app. If he taps on my icon he can view our history for the day to see exactly what destinations we have been to and how long we were there. By using the timeline tool at the bottom you can scroll through your daily travels or use the map feature to see the route you took on a walk, run, hike or bike ride.

And for the times we do travel or hike together as a family Life360 can help us find each other quickly and easily in the event we get separated from each other.

My children are still too young for cellphones of their own, but I can already see the many advantages of this app for children. Rather than a child having to constantly check in with mom or dad via text messaging or phone calls they can simply tap the "notification" button to alert their parents of their arrival, removing the friction of the dreaded check in.

It is also a fabulous...actually a must have app for people with any sort of medical condition. My husband is a type 1 diabetic and I often worry about him having complications, like a seizure. With Life360 I can make sure he arrives at his destination safely and in the event there was ever an emergency I will know his exact location.

Other app features include crime alerts which will update you on any major crimes that have happened recently in the area...this is great for traveling to unfamiliar areas. Need to locate a police station, medical facility or fire station quickly well the app does that for you too. One of my favorite features in the app is the "panic" button. With the tap of the "panic" button everyone in my selected circle gets an email, text, and phone call which states that I need help and provides my location information. And a button will also pop up that I can tap to quickly call 911. Note: In the event of an emergency where you don't want an attacker to know you are calling for help make sure you MUTE your phone. When it sends the alert out your phone will make a loud tone which could alert an attacker that you have just notified for help. Hopefully future updates of the app will resolve this issue.

There is also list feature which makes it easy to send grocery or other lists to family members. And if you are someone who frequently looses or misplaces your phone then you definitely need the app. Just ask someone in your circles to look for your phone. You will be able to locate it within about 60 feet.

As I mentioned above the app is FREE however if you purchase the premium edition of the app ($5.00/month) you can also set up roadside assistance, locate non-smartphones, add unlimited places, and more.

This app is great for helping you stay in contact with those you love and care about. It makes life easier and is great for families, friends, other small groups and even businesses.

Links to follow:
-Life360 Facebook
-Life360 Twitter

How important is for you to stay connected to your family?

*Prior to downloading any app it is recommended that you review permission details and privacy policies.

10 Reasons We Love Tablets + A Kindle Giveaway

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Image from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Since we are on the go a lot the children utilized mobile devices frequently (tablets, Kindles cellphones etc). But they don't just use these devices to play games on. They use them to enhance their learning, take tours, read books, and identify nature/wildlife. Technology really is a wonderful thing if used correctly.

Here are 10 reasons why we love tablets:

1) There are tons of FREE eBooks available to download.
2) They work great with all learning styles.
3) They make it easy to keep up with current events - Flipboard Social News Magazine is one of our favorite apps.
4) They enhance tours of museums and landmarks - check out these must have fieldtrip apps.
5) There are lots of educational apps available and many are FREE - check out these 45+ FREE Android apps.
6) They help make history come to life - check out these great Civil War apps.
7) They help the environment by eliminating paper waste.
8) They teach very important and necessary computer skills such as typing, coding, etc.
9) They are great for researching topics - I love having Google on the go!
10) The children love to use them!!

I am sure I could come up with many more reasons as to why tablets rock! What are some of the reasons you love your Kindle, tablet or other mobile device?

The Crew is on hiatus from writing reviews until January. So while we have a little time on our hands, we thought we'd bless our awesome readers with a super cool Christmas Fire Giveaway! Twenty of our team members and The Old Schoolhouse have joined together to sponsor this incredible giveaway with 3 winners!

We are excited to be giving away not one, not two, but THREE Fire HD Tablets!

One person will win a Fire HD 7 Tablet, and TWO people will win a Fire HD 6 Kid's Edition (in your choice of lime green, blue or pink).

Fire HD 7 Tablet ($139 value, one winner)
Powerful, full-featured Fire HD tablet—with beautiful 7" HD display, 2x faster quad-core processer, dual speakers with Dolby Audio, and unsurpassed reliability in its class.

Fire HD 6 Kid's Edition ($149 value, two winners)
All-new Fire HD 6 tablet—with 1 year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, Kid-Proof Case, and a 2-year worry-free guarantee—up to $95 in savings

Giveaway
To enter, use the Rafflecopter below. The winner will be announced at our It's a Crew Christmas Facebook Party on Tuesday, December 16, 9PM ET.

RSVP for the Christmas Party

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Terms and Conditions:
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Void where prohibited by law. Must be at least 18 years of age. This giveaway is in no away associated with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Amazon. No purchase necessary for entry. Odds are determined by the number of entries. Selected winner will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn. Entry into this giveaway will subscribe you to the Schoolhouse Review Crew email list.

Sponsoring Crew Bloggers
Only Passionate Curiosity
I Choose Joy!
Homeschool Encouragement
Ben and Me
The Potter's Hand Academy
As We Walk Along the Road
Adventures with Jude
A Mama's Story
futureflyingsaucers
Kathys Cluttered Mind
Footprints in the Butter
Crystal Starr
Lextin Academy
Living Life and Learning
My Harbor Lights
Our Homeschool Studio
Pea of Sweetness
Embracing Destiny
Be The One
Simple Living Mama

Our team of bloggers will be sharing about how tablets can be used in homeschooling, and linking up their posts her for you to learn more.

An InLinkz Link-up

Civil War Films and Apps For Children

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

The Civil War is a huge part of Georgia history and it is almost a guarantee that we will learn something new about the Civil War during our fieldtrip adventures. And it is inevitable that my children will have questions and will want to learn even more afterwards. Thankfully there are amazing films and apps to help us out.

Here is a list of Civil War films (movies and documentaries) that are child friendly (PG-13 and below ratings). As well as several great Civil War Apps.

War is always a very sensitive subject and can be a very tricky one to discuss with children due to the horrific nature of the events. Civil War films tend to be very bloody and gory, since it was one of the bloodiest battles in our history. These are documentaries and movies that we have allowed our children to watch with parental supervision. However children's maturity levels and parent views are all different so before letting your children watch these I encourage you to preview them first!

Civil War films for children:

- Dog Jack - Redbox - During the Civil War, a slave boy and his dog escape from a plantation, join the Union army and eventually face their former master on the battlefield.
-Ken Burns: The Civil War - Netflix - a documentary depicting the action of famous Civil War battles. Includes stories of soldiers and generals and the president.
-Death and the Civil War - Netflix - A film that explores how the American Civil War created a "republic of suffering" and charts the war's far reaching social, political and social impact.
-National Geographic: Civil War Gold - Netflix - Excavators and explorers uncover the mysteries of the SS Republic, a steamship that sank in 1865.
-Fields of Valor - Netflix - The miniseries brings to life the intimate accounts of brave men on both sides of the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict the U.S has ever know.
-Gettysburg - Amazon Prime - The epic story of the three day battle that forever changed the course of the American Civil War, this sweeping drama is compassionately recounted through the eyes of soldiers.
-Gods and Generals - Amazon Prime - The rise and fall of legendary war hero Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson as he leads the Confederacy to great success against the Union from 1861 to 1863. Prequel to the 1993 classic "Gettysburg".
-The Red Badge of Courage - Amazon Prime - Truncated adaptation of Stephen Crane's novel about a Civil War Union soldier who struggles to find the courage to fight in the heat of battle.
-Warriors of Honor - Amazon Prime - The Revolutionary War united America. Less than one hundred years later, a bloody Civil War divided it. Most Americans believe that Southerners fought to preserve slavery; however, a much deeper divide existed between the North and South. Two drastically different cultures had emerged on the American landscape.
-How the West Was Won - Amazon Prime - A family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the nineteenth century--including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.
-The Civil War, Part I: Crash Course US History - YouTube

-The Civil War Trust - YouTube - has tons of awesome videos (I love their 4 minute videos)
-Conflict in the South (2 part) Liberty Kids - YouTube
-Causes Of The American Civil War  - YouTube
-A Summary of The Civil War - YouTube
-Johnny Shilo - YouTube
-History.com Civil War videos

Civil War Apps (FREE):
-Civil War Battles - Android - Civil War Battles is a detailed turn-based simulation of combat from the American Civil War. Unit types include infantry, cavalry, artillery, gunboats, and supply wagons as well as leaders which can significantly determine the outcome of a battle just based on their own personal leadership and command abilities.
-American Civil War Gazette - Android - With the advent of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War (ACW) upon us, this is a simple app + widget that will unfold the news headlines and events of the ACW in real-time as they occurred.
-Atlanta Campaign Battle App - IOS and Android - The Atlanta Campaign Battle App™ is the perfect touring partner for your visits to North Georgia’s Civil War battlefields. Our GPS-enabled tour application allows you to discover the great historical sites associated with this pivotal 1864 campaign.
-Civil War Interactive Tour - IOS and Android - Sandy Springs has a rich, complex Civil War history.  This app is a wonderful new asset that residents and visitors to the area can utilize to learn more of the pivotal role the area played during the turbulent summer of 1864, when Union General William T. Sherman unleashed his Army to cross the Chattahoochee River and take the City of Atlanta.
-Marietta's Cannonball Trail -  IOS and Android - Download this app for a voice narrated, guided tour of Marietta’s Cannonball Trail. Stops include: Cheatham Hill and the Illinois Monument, Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park, Kolb’s Farm, The Marietta Confederate Cemetery and many antebellum homes.
-History Here - IOS and Android -  an interactive travel guide to thousands of historic locations across the United States.

A few months ago The Civil War in Four Minutes was available to watch online but was removed for copyright infringement. It was absolutely amazing though and I highly recommend purchasing The Civil War In Four Minutes DVD. Here is the trailer.

I will continue adding more films and apps to this list as I come across them so be sure to pin or bookmark the post for future reference.

More suggestions:
-FREE Civil War resources
-Your Story Hour - General Lee Hero of the South

*We may let our children watch things other parents may not approve of. So before you let your children watch any of these I encourage you to preview them first.

Documentary printable:

This journal page is great for any documentary, get yours here for FREE or click the photo below.

What are some of your favorite child friendly Civil War films or apps?

Mile Marker News - Our South Georgia Adventure

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Welcome to my first of hopefully many "Mile Marker News" posts. So what is this post all about? Well we have a big dream to travel the United States and eventually the World with our children. But for right now our travels are mostly in the South East. Since we are a single income family, with one car our trips always have to be done on a tight budget and require LOTS of planning. But thanks to the many wonderful attractions, visitors centers, travel pr companies and some amazing friends our travel dreams are able to become a reality. I started this blog in 2011 as a way to share about our homeschool journey and traveling and learning through hands on experiences is a huge part of that journey for us.

The "Mile Marker News" will include details about our upcoming trip, the preliminary itinerary, the planning process, travel tips, and more. And of course there will be many posts to follow after the adventure when we share our reviews and other travel articles pertaining to our trip.

Remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and/or Google + so you can see snapshots of our adventure.

South Georgia Adventure:
In a few days we heading out on a South Georgia Adventure. We have lived in Georgia for 13 years now, but we haven't had a chance to explore South Georgia. South Georgia may seem like a desolate place compared to Atlanta and Metro Atlanta, but once you start researching you will find that South Georgia offers families so much.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Here are just a few of things South Georgia offers:

• Rich history - there are tons of great historical places to visit in South Georgia where you can learn about the Native Americans, plantations, agriculture, Spanish explorers, Civil Rights movement, Civil War and much more
• Beautiful landscapes - South Georgia boasts some of the most spectacular landscapes in all of Georgia. There is the largest Georgia canyon, the beautiful coastline and of course the largest, intact, un-fragmented, freshwater and black water wilderness Okefenokee Swamp. 
• To die for food - several South Georgia restaurants have gained national recognition like Nu-Way Weiners in Macon which is America's second-oldest hot dog chain. It is no secret that you will get to experience some of the best traditional southern foods including fried chicken, fried okra, boiled peanuts, and pecan pie while visiting South Georgia. 

Here are the cities we will be making stops at: Macon, Fargo, Waycross, Albany, Lumpkin, Warner Robins and Cordele. Planning a trip with this many stops takes lots of patience especially when you are trying to do it on a tight budget. This trip was sparked by an idea for a blog post and from there it grew. Sorry you will just have to wait to find out what the post is about or perhaps you will be able to make a guess after you read our itinerary.

Itinerary:

• Macon - Harriett Tubman Museum and Ocmulgee National Monument and Mounds and of course we plan to grab a hot dog at Nu-Way.
• Waycross - Laura Walker State Park - geocaching, swimming in the lake and playing in the sand
• Fargo - Stephen C. Foster State Park - boat tour, geocaching, hiking and camping. Wish us luck on the camping between the heat and bugs we are going to need it.
• Waycross - Okefenokee Swamp Park  - up close encounters, boat tour, hiking, history and more.
• Albany - we will be in Albany for almost 3 days. We will be visiting several attractions and dining at some of the local hot spots. Here are some of the places we will be exploring Radium Springs, Riverfront Park, Chehaw Park, Flint RiverQuarium, Thronateeska, Artpark, Mark's Melon Patch
• Lumpkin - Providence Canyon State Park - geocaching and hiking
• Warner Robins - this is more of a sleeping spot for us but if time permits we may squeeze something in.
• Cordele - SAM Shortline - before heading home we will be catching a ride on the SAM Shortine. We will be taking the Watermelon Express trip which stops at Veterans State Park and Plains. 

**Update**

• Read our review on Albany.

And there you have it our upcoming adventure! 837 miles and a total of 14 hours and 4 minutes in the car (assuming we don't hit any traffic).

I know this will definitely not be our last time exploring South Georgia. During our research we found tons of other great places we would like to visit. You can find many of these exciting places on my 200+ Things To See And Do In Georgia or in the Kids Love Travel books (review coming soon on this book).

What adventures do you have planned for the rest of the Summer?

Tips:
Recently I discovered two amazing travel apps which have helped me greatly with planning this trip. What are some of your favorite travel apps?

The first app is called TripIt and makes planning an itinerary a breeze. You can easily organize all of your travel details including plane tickets, car rentals, train schedules, hotel reservations, activities and more. TripIt "automagically" creates a single itinerary from all your trip details. Access your TripIt itinerary on your smartphone or tablet when and where you need it. When you book a travel reservation, simply forward your confirmation e-mail to plans@tripit.com. TripIt instantly recognizes reservations from more than 3,000 booking sites including cruises, restaurants, concerts, and much more. And best of all, you can easily sync your TripIt itinerary with your calendar and online at tripit.com. You can also share trip plans with family or colleagues directly, or let Facebook and LinkedIn contacts know where you're headed and when you'll be.

Seriously BEST APP ever check out these screen shots.

There is a FREE TripIt version (w/ads) and a paid TripIt version which is $3.99 (w/o ads).

If you are a history buff you will love this 2nd app. This app is called History Here. This app is an interactive guide to thousands of historic locations across the United States, brought to you by HISTORY. The easy-to-use interface, photos, video and dynamic maps bring history to life anywhere in the country. Whether you're on vacation or just running errands, the app makes it simple and fun to get the facts on the history hidden all around you, including amazing architecture, museums, battlefields, monuments, famous homes and much more! They are continually adding points of interest to make this app even better.

One of our favorite things to do before a trip is learn more about the places we are visiting. So we head to the library and check out all the books we can that pertain to our destinations. For this trip we are reading books on Georgia history, swamps, geology, Native Americans and the Civil War. So far some of our favorites have been Leaping Lily, Geology, Deep in the Swamp, Wild and Swampy, Encyclopedia of Biomes and The Very First Americans. Do you read books to plan for your upcoming trips?

One of our favorite camping activities is playing board games by the camp fire. Here are 4 of our favorite camping games: Camp, Animal Tracks, Sci-ology and Suspend. What are your favorite camping games?

Special thanks to my amazing friends who helped us in one way or another with this trip Ben and Me, Almost Supermom, Holly W., and Cassandra R., Cleve W.

Simple Lesson Planning With Lessontrek - Review, Giveaway and 50% Discount Offer

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Lessontrek is an online lesson planner for homeschool parents and classroom teachers. This easy to use program was created by a team of designers, engineers, writers, teachers, homeschoolers, grandparents, project managers, and team players from all over the country. Though their backgrounds were diverse they all had one common goal, to develop a better online lesson planning program that met the needs of the modern day homeschool parent and classroom teacher. Each team member brought a unique view to the creation of Lessontrek. And in 2013 Lessontrek accomplished their goal and launched their amazing lesson planning program which offered easy lesson plans for all!

A moms review:
If you read our blog often then you know that we unschool and therefore I don't do any lesson planning or give my children grades. With that being said I am required by the state of Georgia to keep records for 3 years of what the children learned. Up until now I have had a very hard time with lesson planning and record keeping because I have yet to find a program that fits our family's needs. I have tried paper planners, computer software programs, online programs, spiral notebooks, mobile apps....you name it I have probably tried it. I even tried creating my own customized form. So when I was contacted by Lessontrek to review their online lesson planning program I was a little apprehensive. 

First let me tell you about the Lessontrek features then I will tell you how I utilized the program for our unschooling family and if it worked!

Lessontrek features:
Lessontrek is still fairly new so they are continually adding to their program to make it even better. Based on user feedback Lessontrek has several additions in the works including gradebooks, shared subjects across students, attendance tracking (I am really looking forward to this) and transcripts.

• Lesson tracker - create detailed daily lesson plans for each subject.
• Grade recording - use the "assignment feature" to create individual assignments for subjects. You can also indicate grade settings and hour requirements for subjects.
• Drag and drop lessons to another weekday - easily move lessons to another day by dragging and dropping. 
• Copy/paste individual daily lessons and weekly lessons - save time by using the copy/paste feature to easily recreate lessons across days or multiple weeks.
• Print weekly lesson plans - print weekly lessons for children to utilize or for record keeping purposes.

This is what the printable version looks like.

• Secure information storage - secure years of records online safely and securely. 
• Customer support - get quick customer support when needed. And provide feedback on features you like, don't like or would like to see added.
• Help feature - enable help feature to view info bubbles while learning to navigate Lessontrek.
• Example student - view the example student to easily learn how to use Lessontrek.
  

How I used Lessontrek:
The first thing I fell in love with was how easy it was to use. The program is really simple and doesn't over complicate the process of creating lessons and assignments. There is lots of flexibility so you can utilize the program with virtually every homeschool and classroom method. In just minutes you will have your children and lessons set up.

Since we unschool I decided to use Lessontrek as a journal for recording what the children do each day. At the end of each day I simply add the subjects they covered along with a description of what they did for that subject. I even created a subject specifically for fieldtrips, since we do a lot of roadschooling. 

There is a very helpful "example student" which assists you in learning how use Lessontrek. After taking a few minutes to read over the "example student" lesson blocks I was ready to get started. 

First I created two student accounts. I simply clicked on the add student button and completed 2 simple steps. First I entered the child's name and chose a label color (I chose my children's favorite colors). Next I set up their grade level, school year dates and subjects. You can also set up grade report periods in this section too. I love that you can tailor the lesson planner to meet your needs by creating your own subject lists.

On the left side of the screen you can easily see and toggle between each student. To edit a students planner simply click on their name. To add lessons under each day click the little plus button at the top right corner of the lesson block. Then select a subject and add a description and assignment details if you wish. If you wish to copy a lesson to other days of the week just select the copy feature at the bottom of the lesson block. To copy an entire week select the copy week button, move to a different week and select paste. When you paste to another week you can select keep all, remove all or keep/remove individual daily lesson blocks. At this time you cannot copy and paste between students, I am hoping this feature is one that gets added soon because in our case there are a lot of things both children do together. Navigating between weeks and months is really easy thanks to the date timeline at the top of the planner. When you set up your student you can choose to have weekends be visible or hidden. Since we believe learning happens all the time (even on the weekends) I choose to have the weekends visible on our calendar.

And there you have it! I created a simple weekly record of what the children learned for a week and it only took me a few minutes each day. 

My favorite things:
I can't believe I am saying this, but I am pretty sure I have found a lesson planner that I will continue utilizing. And here is why....

• It is easy to use and set up. 
• It takes just minutes a day to record subjects and descriptions.
• It offers flexibility and can be used in a variety of ways. Users receive excellent customer service and Lessontrek listens to user feedback.
• It is affordable for everyone including one income homeschool families. 
• It can easily be accessed from any computer and even most mobile devices. 
• It worked pretty well on my Note 2, however there are a few glitches that need to be fixed to improve mobile capability.

• It stores and archives records for each school year, which can easily be accessed at anytime.
• It uses coloring coding for children and subjects.
• It is great for homeschool and classroom use.

Freebies:

Sign up for a FREE 14 day trial to see for yourself how awesome Lessontrek is.

Links to follow:

-Lessontrek Facebook

-Lessontrek Twitter

Where to buy:

Lessontrek is very affordable and costs only $6 per month or $60 a year ($12 savings).

Limited time discount:

Through July 30th you can save 50% off a 1 year Lessontrek subscription. Use code:JULY50BLUE at checkout!

Now time for the giveaway:

One lucky winner will receive a 1-year membership to Lessontrek. Only the first entry is mandatory. Other entries are optional and give you extra chances. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. The winner will be posted on the blog and will be emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hrs with their contact information or another winner will be chosen. Prize will be emailed to the winner via Lessontrek.

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Disclosure:

I was sponsored by Lessontrek to review their homeschool lesson planning tool and am excited to share my experience as well as an awesome giveaway!  All opinions are mine alone.  For more information please read my full disclosure page.