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Simply Gemstones Book Review

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simplygemstones
Simply Gemstones: Designs for Creating Beaded Gemstone Jewelry by Nancy Alden

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Potter Craft (July 14, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0307451356
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307451354

    • If you’re a jewelry maker, chances are you have lusted after a gemstone or ten.  Be it majestic turquoise, fiery opals or sparkly diamonds, todays fashion runways are glittering with gemstones more than ever and so can you.

    There use to be a time when the only place you could buy an semi precious or precious bead like an emerald was at a jewelry store but now they can easily be found online and in local bead shops.  ”Simply Gemstones” author Nancy Alden is your gemstone fairy godmother. She brings back her popular Beadworks series with this book focusing on greating great gemstone jewelry.  As with her other books, she makes the process easy and shows even a novice how to create stunning gemstone jewelry. 

    This book begins with a primer on gemstone basics and introduces the read to common as well as uncommmon gemstones such as Cornflake Pearls, Pink Sapphire, and Black Spinel, among others.  There is over 5o projects in this book and they lean toward simple strung necklaces and bracelets. The use of an amazing colored or shaped stone can make even the a simply strung necklaceinto a masterpiece.  The book as lots of eye candy and is a great resource for someone who isn’t familiar with gemstones.

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    Hanukkah Unit Studies for Kids

    Learning about Hanukkah is important for people of all faiths as a reminder that December isn’t just about Christmas and that their are many other important holidays that happen during this time. Hanukkah unit studies can give you ideas for incorporating the holiday into your holiday studies that happen in December, or to use at home for learning about people of different faiths.

    Homeschool Superfreak has a lot of basic ideas for how to build a Hanukkah unit study, as well as FAQs about what Hanukkah is and why it is celebrated. This list is a good stargint point but doesn’t include all the details you’ll need. For example it says you can play the dreidel game but doesn’t explain how to do that or why it’s important. (If you need that information, this post from Mama Smiles is a good source.)

    Teachers Pay Teachers has lots of great lesson plans and activities if you’re willing to pay a little bit to get some good content. Two I really like are this Hanukkah PowerPoint presentation from Shelia Melton, which provides a good overview of traditions, food and the history of Hanukkah; and a virtual field trip to Jerusalem from MagiCore, which includes lots of videos showing the city and activities like playing dreidel, drawing a menorah and making latkes. It’s a Google Drive folder and also includes writing activities and more for kids in second to fifth grade.

    Kids Activities Blog has some simple printables with facts about Hanukkah and things kids can color in like a Star of David, sufganiyots (jelly doughnuts) and a menorah. These are great for learning the basics.

    Homeschool Giveaways has a printable ebook about Hanukkah complete with questions kids can answer after they read. This would be a good one for older kids with good reading comprehension.

    NurtureStore’s Hanukkah unit study includes a printable mini book, tons of crafts, as well as math and writing activities. I love the dominoes game that’s part of the unit.

    And check out our previous posts for more Hanukkah crafts and learning activities!