As a thank you to all our Facebook friends, we'd like to offer each of you a free download - it's our Facebook party favor! Tonight we're going be talking about hands-on learning and timelines (among other things!). In keeping with that theme, we'd like to offer everyone in attendance a free Timeline Starter Kit download. Just click the link, add to your cart, and proceed to check out. Make sure the "Digital Version Only - No Shipping Required" button is checked. After your order has been processed, you can scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the "Download Now" button. Inside the Timeline Starter Kit you'll find lots of great tips for constructing timelines as well as printable pages to make it as easy as possible. Enjoy!  

Our first giveaway tonight is from our friends at A Journey Through Learning. Incorporating hands-on learning into every subject is important to them, too. That's why they make lapbooks for nearly every topic imaginable. They have lapbooks for holidays, literature, history, math, science and much more. Not only do A Journey Through Learning lapbooks cover nearly every topic imaginable, but they have lapbooks that correspond to a huge variety of homeschool curriculum options, including our Trail Guide to Learning series. Tonight, two winners will win one of two A Journey Through Learning lapbooks. One person will win Galloping the Globe and a second person will win Cantering the Country. To enter, just leave us a comment telling us which A Journey Through Learning lapbooks you've used and enjoyed or which ones you'd like to use. You can earn extra entries by following A Journey Through Learning on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to use the Rafflecopter widget below to let us know which tasks you’ve completed. Contest ends at 12:00 AM on January 31. Winners will be notified by February 1, 2013. a Rafflecopter giveaway

For tonight's grand prize, one winner will receive all six digital download units of Paths of Exploration and the corresponding lapbooks from A Journey Through Learning!

  The Trail Guide to Learning series combines real books, purposeful reading and writing, hands-on learning, and cross-curricular connections all based on the proven educational philosophies of Dr. Ruth Beechik. Trail Guide to Learning engages students and helps them develop thinking skills as they make connections between reading, writing, spelling, history, science, and more. With minimal prep time, parents can go through the clearly organized lessons with students of multiple grade levels. Each level of Trail Guide to Learning spans three grade levels, beginning with 3-5 in Paths of Exploration, 4-6 in Paths of Settlement, and 5-7 in Paths of Progress. Each volume can be adjusted to include both younger and older students with optional lapbooks and a middle school supplement. In addition to winning the Paths of Exploration digital set, the winner will also receive digital copies of the following lapbooks from A Journey Through Learning: Paths of Exploration Volume 1 and Paths of Exploration Volume 2. You can enter to win by leaving a comment letting us know which unit you're most looking forward to studying in Paths of Exploration. Earn extra entries by following Geography Matters and A Journey Through Learning on Twitter or liking Trail Guide to Learning and A Journey Through Learning on Facebook. Be sure to use the Rafflecopter widget below to let us know which tasks you’ve completed. Contest ends at 12:00 AM on January 31. Winners will be notified by February 1, 2013. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our next prize tonight is a timeline package to help you get started being able to see the full picture of history with your family. Connecting people, places, and events helps us to see how political changes, inventions, the economy, and even geographical events create a cause and effect that changes the world around us.

Tonight, one winner will receive:

• One laminated timeline
• Two timeline figures CDs: Historical Timeline Figures and Bible Timeline Figures
• One Profiles from History Volume 1 digital download

To enter, leave a comment telling us your favorite period in history to study or your favorite historical figure. Earn an extra entry by following us on Twitter. Be sure to use the Rafflecopter widget below to let us know which tasks you’ve completed. Contest ends at 12:00 AM on January 31. Winners will be notified by February 1, 2013. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our next giveaway tonight has been donated by our special guest, Shirley Solis. One entrant will receive a copy of her book, Not Just Tacos. More than just a cookbook, Not Just Tacos is a peek into Latin American cuisine and culture. Born in Quito, Ecuador, Shirley moved to the United States with her family when she was just 9 years old. Her desire to introduce authentic Latin American culture to those around her inspired Shirley to author Not Just Tacos, which features recipes from each country in Latin American. With easy-to-find ingredients, full-color photos, pronunciation guides, and preparation tips, Not Just Tacos will provide you with a fun, tasty option for exploring the culture, geography, and countries of Latin America! To enter, just leave us a comment telling us which Latin American country you'd most like to visit. Earn an extra entry by liking Not Just Tacos on Facebook. Be sure to use the Rafflecopter widget below to let us know which tasks you’ve completed. Contest ends at 12:00 AM on January 31. Winners will be notified by February 1, 2013. a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winter doldrums are notorious for hitting homeschool moms during the long winter days in January and February when spring seems so far away. A great way to combat the winter blues is with a subscription to Homeschooling Today magazine. Tonight, you can enter to win a 1-year subscription to Homeschooling Today - encouragement sent right to your mailbox four times a year! Earlier this year, Homeschooling Today came full circle when Alex and Ashley (Strayer) Wiggers, homeschool graduates and owners of Paradigm Press LLC, became the new publishers of Homeschooling Today magazine. The leadership team includes parents Greg and Debbie Strayer (co-founders of the magazine in 1992) and Josh and Cindy Wiggers, owners of Geography Matters. Homeschooling Today magazine provides information and encouragement from a Christian worldview. Additionally, the magazine offers ready-to-use lessons and activities for anyone who wants to expand the educational experience of their children, while keeping the approach to learning natural. To enter to win a 1-year subscription to Homeschooling Today, leave us a comment telling us your best tip for beating the winter doldrums. Earn an extra entries by liking Homeschooling Today magazine on Facebook or joining their email list. Be sure to use the Rafflecopter widget below to let us know which tasks you’ve completed. In addition to giving one person a 1-year subscription, we'd like to give everyone 25% off! If you don't win, use coupon code FBPARTY at checkout to receive 25% off the 1-year subscription price. Contest ends at 12:00 AM on January 31. Winners will be notified by February 1, 2013. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Every day, parents all across the United States make the choice to homeschool their children. Homeschooling always involves a sacrifice of some sort—time, energy, and financial resources. For the thousands of active duty U.S. military families who make the choice to homeschool, the burden is often greater. Our founder, Josh Wiggers, spent part of his young life living on military bases, as his own father served in the Air Force. In fact, it was while living in Germany that he earned the nickname "Josh" from their maid who could not pronounce "George," his given name. As a part of this legacy of service, we want to honor the military families among our customers and the homeschooling community. As these families work to protect our rights as American citizens (including the right to homeschool), they are building an even brighter future by choosing to educate their children at home. Twice this year, we will select a military family that is homeschooling to receive one of our complete Trail Guide to Learning curriculum sets. These sets have a retail value of over five hundred dollars. It’s one small way that we can give back to those who have sacrificed so much for each of us. Would you join us in our mission by letting us know about your own homeschooling military family or nominating a family that you know? We will select a family in February and November of 2012. Please use the submission form below and be sure to spread the word to others that might be interested. Thank you for your service and we look forward to hearing from you! (Please note that at this time, this promotion is only open to active duty military families. Thanks for your understanding!) Visit our sign up form to submit your entry!

We wanted to say congratulations to our Facebook party winners! We had so much fun and are thankful for each and every one of you who participated. The winners have been notified via email, so check your inboxes if your name is on this list!

Master Books Giveaway

• Passport to the World Tami H.
• World of Animals Alycia A.
• Sensational Sea Creatures Jen G.

The Adventures of Munford

• Jennifer C.
• Kathy G.
• Hope J.

 Profiles from History

• Sara R.
• Kristina B.
• Amy R.

Pick and Draw Games

• Lori K.
• Peiwen L.

 Trail Guide to World Geography

• Korri M.
• Lori V.
• Kristy G.

A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks

• Connie N.
• Garnet M.
• Trudi S.
• Shannon H.
• Juliana O.
•  Debra D.
• Kelli B.
• Hillary M.
• Laurel
• Nancy J.

Trail Guide to Learning Text Faith Dean - Paths of Exploratoin

Our grand prize this evening is a one hundred and fifty dollar value! Winner will get the core text for the level of their choice of Trail Guide to Learning. (You will be responsible for purchasing the required resources to complete the curriculum.) Choose between Paths of Exploration (3rd-5th), Paths of Settlement (4th-6th), and Paths of Progress (5th-7th).   Comment and let us know what level you want if you win. Be sure to use the Rafflecopter widget to let us know you've completed the task. (There are others tasks to earn additional entries!) a Rafflecopter giveaway

This next prize was donated by Rich over at Pick and Draw Games. It's a fun game that everyone in the family can play and enjoy. (What better way to overcome burnout than changing it up a little with a card game that encourages creativity?) In the game, you create different cartoon faces based on what card you draw. Even the most insecure artists can join in, because you are simply copying the card. Free spirits can customize as much as desired. There is no winner or loser in this game! We've all played this here at Geography Matters. (Here's a little tip for your smallest players: if they are having trouble making the shapes and becoming frustrated, let them trace the cards instead!) There are two sets of the game up for grabs today! Just leave us a comment telling us what your favorite card or board game is. You can also earn additional entries by liking Pick and Draw on Facebook. Be sure to use the Rafflecopter widget below to let us know which tasks you've completed. a Rafflecopter giveaway