BULLFROGS AND BUTTERFLIES {summer school}

 

 



Big smiles-- last photo with Hailey's baby front tooth!  She's getting to be a big girl.

 

 

It's that time again.  Sunny weather and time for some fresh new lessons! 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Do any of you remember the song, Bullfrogs and Butterflies?  Remembering that song and wanting to teach it to the kids inspired this sunny day lesson. 

 

 

 

"Bullfrogs and Butterflies

We've both been born again!

Bullfrogs and Butterflies

We've both been born again!"

 

 

 

Singing "Bullfrogs and Butterflies" with our sisters and cousins!

The life cycle of the butterfly always makes an interesting lesson for little ones.  Making it edible adds to the fun. 

But it is also a great chance to talk about what it means to be born again. 





Edible Butterfly life cycle- Egg (mini marshmallow), Larve (gummy worm),
Pupa (Tootsie roll), Butterfly (cookie)



Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you,

no one can see the kingdom of God

unless they are born again." 

~John 3:3

To be "born again" is to have a spiritual rebirth!  The Jews thought the promise of salvation was physical and came from being born of the "seed" of Abraham.  But Jesus explained the promise of salvation is actually through a spiritual "seed" which is by faith in Him.   







Colorful wings

 

 

 

We go through a change when we come to faith in Christ that makes us as different from our old selves as a caterpillar is from a butterfly. 

 

 

 



Reading about the Monarch-- hey look, that looks about where Santa Cruz is located.

Sometimes we can get a little hung up on theology and wonder if we can be saved.  For that reason, I love sharing this verse with young ones as well:


 

"All that the Father gives Me

will come to Me, and the one

who comes to Me I will by no

means cast out." 

~John 6:37

That language "by no means" sounds a lot like "no way, not ever, no way, Jose!"  And that's how the kids like to remember it.  ;) 

If we come to Christ, He will not cast us out.  "No way, Jose!"
 

Butterfly Stages free printables by MamaMiss

We did the school work of learning the names of the stages.  And we may refer to Tootsie Rolls as "Pupas" or "Chrysalises" from now on, but it was loads of fun. 

Big kids took a few minutes to join in, which always makes it more entertaining for the littles. 

Thanks for playing along, big kids.  I give you a big thumbs up!

I also  thought it would be fun to have the girls drink like butterflies from "flowers" with looooong tongues. 

Butterflies drink nectar or pollen from flowers from their proboscis (that works like a long straw).

Some left over dollar store plates and cups did the trick.  We always seem to have extra pink plates and cups around here.  I glued the cups to the plates the night before to avoid spills.  






Like this-- yum!

It was Toadally cool!  

    

 

Bullfrogs and Butterflies...  Joshie and Sarah Mae are sweet cousin buddies.



May you be blessed,



_________________________






CAST 'EM OFF {see ya weights and sin}

Every year our church hosts an old fashioned church picnic.  You know the kind with relay races, balloon tosses, tug of wars and other fun sporting events?   It's always a great time that allows our home school kiddos the chance to exercise good sportsmanship and to earn ribbons for first, second or third place.

Now that our church has grown enough to plant two more churches, the competition has become a little more serious and includes a bit more emphasis on preparing and strategizing with the purpose to "win the cup" a trophy that lists the year and the winning church. 

I thought using the scenario of running a race for the church picnic might be just the thing to highlight the verses Hebrews 12:1-2 for this weeks Summer School lesson...

    



EXAMINE WHAT WE ARE CARRYING

"Let's say that tomorrow is the annual church picnic and this year there is a new race!  In this race we would have to run the full distance of the park we usually meet at-  258 acres!

How would you dress for a race like that? 

Would you wear light clothing and tennis shoes, or would you want to run in flip flops with this backpack full of potatoes, apples and canned goods on your back?"

I had the girls try on the heavy back pack and asked them just how they thought a distance run would go if they were carrying this weight. 

Would they be tempted to stop running after a while?

Would they begin to feel discouraged as they witnessed others without weights passing them by? 

Would they feel this weight wouldn't make much of a difference to their run?   

 



They all felt the weight would make a big difference- and I agreed.

Paul writes in Hebrews that we are to "cast off every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us."

We see that weights are different from sin.  They are different primarily because they are not sin and therefore not the same for every person.  Stealing, lying, coveting and adultery are no question.  They are sin for everyone.

But weights; they are different.  What might be a weight for one person, may not be a weight for another (ex. Social networking, an interest in sports, driving an expensive car, video games, specific movies and so on).  These may be areas of Christian liberty. 

Other weights may include wrong beliefs and wrong thinking.  Thoughts not based on truth have the tendency to weigh us down, deplete our energy and trip us up as easily as a heavy backpack.     

What is critical for us to understand is just because a certain thing may not be a weight for a brother or sister in the Lord, it may be a weight for us.  If it is, God wants us to cast it off!

WHAT DO WE NEED TO DITCH?


I asked the girls to take a few moments to prayerfully consider potential "weights" in their lives that are slowing their growth in the Lord or preventing them from sharing the gospel. 

As they wrote down their personal weights on "rocks" which they tucked into a slit in their paper backpacks, I read the encouraging tale of Adam Raccoon and his Race to Victory Mountain.    

Each girl was asked to memorize Hebrews 12:1-2 to earn their reward- a "winner" sticker from the Dollar Tree and a piece of cake!  Little Hailey was really only required to listen to the older girls recite their verse and repeat it after me to earn her treat.  :) 

WE HAVE GREAT EXAMPLES TO FOLLOW

Paul lists out heroes of the faith for us in Hebrews chapter 11.  Men and women who serve as a great example to us.

There was Moses who chose to follow God's call rather than to enjoy the "passing pleasures" of sin that would have been available to him as a prince of Egypt (Hebrews 11:25);

Abraham (one of my all time personal favorites!) who journeyed away from the world and his people for reasons he did not know, because he sought to obey God (Hebrews 11:8);

Noah who prepared an ark for 120 years even though he had never seen rain or a worldwide flood (Hebrews 11:7);

Then there were- and continue to be- the martyrs (Hebrews 11:36-28) who have been willing to suffer greatly and even give their lives rather than deny their Lord. 

And finally after our charge, Paul appeals to Christ's example- telling us to look to Jesus who endured despicable things for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2-3). 

   

Are there weights or sin in our lives that are keeping us from running well?  Why not cast them off! 

When we do, we demonstrate our saving faith that we know there is something far better awaiting us than the pleasures of this life.  

See ya weights and sin...



  

Blessings to you!

____________________________

Previous Summer School lessons:  ONLY ONE LIFESAVER, THE GOLDEN RULE, THE GREAT PHYSICIAN 

 

ONLY ONE LIFESAVER {summer school}

If we fell off a large ship into the ocean, we would need someone onboard to throw us a lifesaver!  There would be no way that we could scramble back in without it.  

The same is true with our situation in life.  We are born "over board" and under the curse of sin (Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5).  But the Father sent Jesus to be our lifesaver.  And He is the only one who can bridge the gap between our souls and God.  

There are not multiple life savers.  There is only ONE.

As I plan our little summer lessons, I am trying to use visuals that may serve to remind our girls of the things we've talked about.  Is it too much to expect that when they see Band-aids in the store, they might remember our lesson on the Great Physician?  Or if they see Life Saver candies they might think of their true Life Saver?  Well, that remains to be seen, but a Mom can always hope.  :)

Since we've not had these Life Saver candies before, I thought they would be a fun tool- and like everything else easily accessible at the Dollar Store.  The box actually said Life Savers, so the girls and I photoshopped this version to make it singular.  Just a part of the lesson, right?

I wrote a couple of verses from the Bible that explain there is only one savior- and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.  These were used as the girls copy and memory work. 

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

John 14:6 

  

I found a cute connection between the Life Saver colors and a few verses in Let's Hide The Word (thanks, Dana!)

RED stands for the blood of Jesus, shed for you and me.  "He cleanses us from all sin."  (1 John 1:7)

GREEN is for the Christian growth that draws us closer to Jesus and the eternal life we are promised.  (see Eph. 3:16-21)

YELLOW is for the streets of gold we can't wait to see (Rev. 21:21)

ORANGE is orange you thankful for Christ?  Let's share the good news with others!

Were they excited to memorize their verses and earn their life savers?  You betcha!  

Hope you are having a fantastic summer!  

Blessings, 

Previous Summer School lessons:  THE GOLDEN RULE, THE GREAT PHYSICIAN 

GREAT PHYSICIAN {summer school}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why is it that a summer day can feel so much like a rainy day?  As we are seeking to keep inside and away from the 100+ degree temperatures, I am looking for fun ways to channel all that daily energy we seem to have over here with some lesson topics I have been wanting to cover.   

 

We were working on another super simple "summer school" topic this week.  

 

This time we are discussing the Great Physician and how He knows what is best for us. 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

THE GREAT PHYSICIAN

 



 

 

Doctors are now sure that our attitudes directly affect our physical health.  Frustration can give us ulcers; anger can stress our heart; holding grudges and holding on to guilt can impact our ability to sleep and cause other physical problems.

 

God knows us best-- He made us after all.  So, what does He say to us in His Word about stresses and how we should think about them?   

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meditating on God's Word is just the prescription we need!

 

To give the girls a hands-on way to work with several verses, I wrote them onto Band-Aids-- with half of the verse on one Band-Aid and half on the other.  Some of the verses related to God's sovereignty over our hurts; our spiritual need of healing or right meditations when under stress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRESCRIPTIONS

 

 

 

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."  Prov. 17:22

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."  Ps. 147:3

"Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed."  Jer. 17:14

"He wounds but He also bandages."  Job 5:18

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Mark 2:17

"I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Hebrews 13:56

"Don't be anxious about tomorrow."  Matt. 6:34

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us." 1 John 1:9

"I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."  Phil. 4:1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We talked about what each of the verses meant, then the girls wrote them onto super simple prescription forms.  My printer wasn't working, so I actually just hand wrote these out with a Sharpie. 

 

Hailey's is simply, "A cheerful heart is good medicine."  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once they memorized a verse from their prescription form, they received their "medicine" which was actually a package of Altoids.  You can see the Altoid packages in the image below- with a little "doctoring" by Faith and I.

 

While the older girls were writing out prescriptions, I helped Hailey with a little pharmacy math. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you are staying cool! 

 

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

If you missed our last summer school session, see THE GOLDEN RULE. 

 

 

THE GOLDEN RULE {summer school}

 

 

 

 

 

There are a few focused lessons I have been wanting to go over with the girls this summer. They are topics I want to be sure are fresh in their thinking.

I am calling this "summer school" and I wanted to share it with you in case you were beginning to suffer from a little cabin fever!

 

 

 

 

 

 

To apply mental "glue" I am trying to provide visual and hands on activities for each topic.

 

One of our first {that we seem to need to review} is the Golden Rule.   

 

 

 

 

THE GOLDEN RULE

 

 

 

 

 

 

So whatever you wish that others

would do to you, do also to them,

 for this is the Law and the Prophets.

 

~ Matthew 7:12

 

 

 

The Golden Rule sums up the Law and the Prophets, but when we boil it down, it means being kind.  And the method of being kind can vary from situation to situation.  So it is something I wanted us to open up and talk through.

 

Sometimes applying the Golden Rule means letting a little one help, even though it would be much faster to do something yourself.

 

Sometimes it means giving up your turn, even if you have been waiting a while.

 

Sometimes it means giving a soft answer that might cool down the person you are talking to.

 

It's a way of thinking of others, and it starts in the heart.  

 

 



 

 

 

 

I pre-typed some of the types of kindness we might need to work on, and while I read Kindness is a lot of things for the littles, then a section of Personal Help for Girls on kindness, the girls cut out the things they need to work on and pasted them on a colorful piece of paper. 

This paper is something they have hung by their beds so they might remember to pray and ask the Lord to help them specifically in these areas. 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT THE GOLDEN RULE ISN'T

 

 

We first went through what thinking of others is, then focused on the opposite angle, what the Golden Rule isn't. 

 

 

It isn't being envious of others (James 3:14-16);

It isn't being boastful (Romans 1:30);

It isn't being selfish (2 Peter 2:10) or

Thinking evil of others (Philippians 4:8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is so easy to be kind to others, when they are kind to us.  But God has asked us to do more than that.  We are even called to be kind to those who make themselves our enemies. 

 

He doesn't say to be kind when we feel like it.  We must train ourselves, as an athlete would, to respond kinder than we feel.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

I am a firm believer that developing patterns good of behavior, in conjunction with prayer, is critical in developing godly character. 

 

To help the children in applying these concepts we set up a "puff ball" station in the corner of the kitchen.  Above the station is a simple type written list of the goals we are trying to accomplish with the Lord's help. 

 

 



 



Every time a child chooses to apply the Golden Rule over their own will, they earn a puff ball in their cup, and you would not believe how excited they are to earn a puff ball! 

In our home, people get new toys on their birthday and Christmas and rare times in between.  Well, it's a long way until Christmas, but when a cup is full we have told the girls that they will be able to chose a toy at the store.  There is a lot of dreaming about dolls, paint by numbers and color in velvet posters right now.  ;)   

And while Faith and I don't have a puff ball cup, the hard work the younger girls are doing is inspiring us as well.   

Happy Summer to you!

P.S.  If you are attending the SCOPE Conference this weekend, be sure to stop by and say hello at the moms helping moms booth!  I'd love to meet you!