THANK YOU FOR WALKING WITH US

  

Before I dive in and start to catch up on all that has been going on in our little corner of the world, I want to say, "THANK YOU!"  Thank you to those of you who left sweet comments for me to find when I returned here to blog land and thank you to those of you who sent encouraging emails to check in and make sure we were still here! 

You are exactly the reason I am back.  And I am thankful for you.   

And now I am going to ramble a little.  You have been warned.  :)

Weekend Back Porch Family Times.  One of the highlights of our Summer and Fall.

In my last post I shared our excitement that Faith had completed her film was planning to mail it to the film festival hosted by Vision Forum.  It seemed no sooner had we posted that, the entire ministry had been dissolved and the festival was cancelled.   

Quite honestly, I was a little in shock as I am sure many of you were as well.  And also, quite honestly, I was a little troubled that I would need to break the news to my children, especially Faith.  What was the best way to frame this?  She and her friends had worked so very hard.  We had begun to save money and talk about traveling to the festival.  I imagined that it would be such an encouragement for her to meet other families with similar interests.  And now I wondered how would she would feel about all of her hard work-- and all the time she had spent pursuing a goal that was no longer there?  No longer there because of grievous reasons.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind,

be sober, and rest your hope FULLY

upon the grace that is to be brought

at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:13

Trial has a way of revealing if we are resting our hope FULLY on eternity, or partially on the temporal, doesn't it?  When the temporal world shakes, so often we shake with it.  I know that I do.  Then, as the smoke clears, I find heartache in proportion to how much I had invested hope in something that is fallen.  A man; a ministry or on some expectation of temporal happiness. 

It's all about the S'mores.  Well, being together is best, but the S'mores are pretty great too.

But God.  Only He can work in the heart.  When I went to break the news to Faith, I found a girl who was concerned more for her friend's feelings, but was resting on Christ.

Her response?  "Well, we certainly saw God at work helping us to make this film.  He must have had a reason for it."  

In her mind, this wasn't her film at all.  It was always God's.  Nothing had been taken from her.  She had seen God do the miraculous.  He provided the tools, the costuming, the locations and all that was needed to produce a film on a budget that could be rounded down to zero.  She saw that God was inclining His ear to this project.  It was His movie and He must have His reasons. 

Amen and amen.  We never wish for trial-- especially in our children's lives.  But only trial gives us a true glimpse of the soul.  It's like a progress report to let us know where we are.  And sometimes we are thankful to see it.   
 

Armed and ready for marshmallow roasting!

And so we move on.  Hopefully with renewed determination to rest our hope FULLY on the future grace that will be revealed with Christ and not on our own dreams and expectations.

I do not want to rest even a small measure of hope on something other than eternity today.

My garden was pitiful this year, but the littles enjoyed planting seeds and seeing things grow.

And when I am in the daily grind, I want to remember the lesson we learned from seeing a family broken.

Marriages and families are tied together with precious and invisible strings.  Strings that can easily be broken by selfishness and must continually be repaired.  Let's not break what God has knit.  Because every day and every person God has sovereignly placed in our home is a gift.

May our hearts be engaged at home.  With our eyes on these precious ones and our aim at nothing short of eternity.

     

Yum!  Recently our girls were asked their favorite family activity.  All of them said Back Porch Nights.

I love this reminder by Erma Bombeck.  It's an old column but makes me tear up like a baby whenever I read it.  It may not be an exact picture of our families, but it serves to remind us not to fret the temporal.

        

"One of these days, you'll shout, "Why don't you kids grow up and act your age!"
And they will.

Or, "You guys get outside and find yourselves something to do ... and don't slam the door!"

And they won't.

You'll straighten up the boys' bedroom neat and tidy -- bumper stickers discarded, bedspread tucked and smooth, toys displayed on the shelves. Hangers in the closet. Animals caged. And you'll say out loud, "Now I want it to stay this way."

And it will.

 

It may be the sugar...

You'll prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't been picked to death and a cake with no finger traces in the icing, and you'll say, "Now, there's a meal for company."
And you'll eat it alone.

You'll say: "I want complete privacy on the phone. No dancing around. No demolition crews. Silence! Do you hear?" And you'll have it.

No more plastic tablecloths stained with spaghetti.

No more bedspreads to protect the sofa from damp bottoms.

No more gates to stumble over at the top of the basement steps.

No more clothespins under the sofa.

No more playpens to arrange a room around.

No more anxious nights under a vaporizer tent.

No more sand on the sheets or Popeye movies in the bathrooms.

 

Or the laughs over burned marshmallows...

No more iron-on patches, wet, knotted shoestrings, tight boots, or rubber bands for ponytails.
Imagine. A lipstick with a point on it. No baby sitter for New Year's Eve. Washing only once a week. Seeing a steak that isn't ground. Having your teeth cleaned without a baby on your lap.

No PTA meetings.

No car pools.

No blaring radios.

No one washing her hair at 11 o'clock at night.

Having your own roll of Scotch tape.

Think about it. No more Christmas presents out of toothpicks and library paste.

No more sloppy oatmeal kisses.

No more tooth fairy.

No giggles in the dark.

No knees to heal, no responsibility.

Only a voice crying, "Why don't you grow up?"

and the silence echoing, 'I did.' "

Or it may be the fact that we are theirs- distraction free!

Did you follow all that?  It was probably way too much to cram into a single post, but in my mind these thoughts were somehow related. 

1.  I want to remember not to fret the temporal.  Only the souls will last.

2.  I do not want to rest my hope on the temporal.  My hope is better placed in eternity. 

May we hug our families tight this year; smile deep into their hearts and let them know we love them unconditionally.  Then we'll be better able to lead them Home. 

Thank you for walking with us.


Love,

P.S.  There is already a new festival that has sprouted up to take the place of the old for those of you happen to be interested in film making.  :)

    
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Looking for a fantastic Bible study for all ages?  We all love this one.  It covers one character trait at a time and provides application questions that stimulate great discussion.  It is sold here by Grace and Truth books.  We are using it without the flashcards. 

As always, we only promote materials we love!

FALL HAS ARRIVED {quietly}

Have I been a little quiet? 


It seems in the midst of doctor appointments for Lydia*, home schooling and regular life, the seasons have changed.  Fall has arrived on quiet feet. 

And, truly I welcome it's effects.  It invites us to don a cute sweater; say yes to making an indoor fort out of sheets; to cuddle up with a good book and even look forward to the prospects of eating homemade pancakes by the fire (the girls tell me that some of their best memories have been on cold days with homemade pancakes in front of the fire and books read aloud.  It's always the simple things, isn't it?)

Faith smiling at her daddy.

For our family, the seasons have changed in another way as well.  After five years of needing to work a night shift, Tom has been able to switch to a day schedule. 

That means I now wake up at 4 am to make his breakfast, coffee and pack his lunch- which I love.  Would you believe it?  It turns out I am really a morning person.  It also means that he is not rushed to squeeze in Bible before he needs to leave for work; he is home in the evenings to play Loving Family with the girls- which they love; and this Friday when we have a party to attend- I have a date and won't be going solo! 

Yes, sometimes change is good.


 

The BBQ King strikes again.

As our minds begin to think about celebrating the harvest and a big meal of Thanksgiving we think a lot about food.  

I am reminded that in Scripture we are told if we love our Lord, we will feed His sheep (John 21:15-17). 

Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him three times, and in response to Peter's affirmative and eventually troubled reply- the Lord commanded that if Peter loved Him, he was to feed His sheep.


How are we doing feeding the sheep in our homes?

 

A cheery little scarecrow welcomes us home.

Years ago when my step-mother was diagnosed with breast cancer I began to read and study about the disease. 

Do you know that most people who die with cancer don't die from cancer itself?  They die from malnutrition. 

I remember sitting with her at the convalescent hospital near the end when a nurse delivered a tray of food.  "Pat-pat"  I encouraged her "please try to eat a little."  She was uninterested. 

The food was right there. 

I was willing to help. 

But she would not eat. 

Sadly, she did not live much longer.

Is it really pumpkin season again?

Without spiritual nouishment our children have little hope of survival in this world.  They will waste away while Bibles in our own language gather dust on the shelves. 

 The food is there- we must feed Christ's sheep. 

In our children's case we actually have control over what they eat both physically and spiritually.  Scripture memory, meditating on God's Word day and night (Joshua 1:8) and our excitement for the Word and it's application to every area of our lives cannot be underestimated. 

Yes, salvation is of the Lord and yet He gives us verse after verse that indicate that we must know His Word.  Scripture is profitable for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17); from His mouth come wisdom, knowledge and unserstanding (Proverbs 2:6-9); and by hiding His Word in our hearts we are kept from sinning against Him (Psalm 119:105).  It is a combination of meditation, application and work by the Holy Spirit.

Rich warm colors replace casual cool ones.

I appreciated this quote by John MacArthur:

"Godly character is not the result

of good intentions, wishful thinking,

some mystical 'zap,' or even sheer

Bible knowledge. 

It's developed through the self disciplined

application of God's Word at a very basic

level, enabled and powered by God's Spirit."

Amen.

May we feed His Sheep, teach them to apply God's Word to every area of life, pray for them diligently and trust God's Spirit for the rest.


 

Time with my sisters- left to right:  Dale, Me, Elizabeth.

 

 

 

 

Fall blessings to you!

____________________________________________________________________________

*For those of you praying for Lydia- thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! She had significantly fewer seizures this month (4 vs. 11 last month).

Refreshing Words

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord...
For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there, but water the earth,
and make it bring forth and bud,
that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth.
It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing for which I send it."

-Isaiah 55:9-11

Gods thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Just as the rain descends, and does not simply return to heaven without first watering the earth and bringing a harvest, so God's Word does not go out and return without also watering, bringing forth the bud and harvest He intends.

His Word is water.

"Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:11

The past couple of weeks the girls and I have been focused on the practical application of this verse. We've talked about the encouraging words we like to hear, we've taken turns encouraging one another with our words and we've even spoken about what it feels like when words hurt.

"There is one who speaks like the piercings
of a sword, but the tongue of the wise
promotes healing."

- Proverbs 12:18

It is amazing how powerful our words can be. They can build a house, or tear it down (Proverbs 14:1). They can be like the stabbing of a sword (Ouch! No, that's okay, I've got another eye...) or they can bring literal healing to a sister, a brother, a husband or a child.

And we women- we've got a lot of them.

Today we asked the Lord to help us to use our tongues
to bring healing to others.

Wouldn't it be delightful to be known for healing words? Often the world exalts the sharp and quick reply. God says the "tongue of the wise promotes healing."

It turns out that God has much to say regarding the things we say and the way we say them.

This week our devotional book asked us to sing the chorus of a hymn- each using different notes in off-pitch disharmony- to demonstrate the painful sound of believers not living in unity with one another. I cannot say that we sound very good when we are trying to sing together, but this song- wow. It made its point.

I've got two words for you- wounded cats.

It was impacting to think of how our voices sound to God when we are all seeking to use our own song books- our own notes- rather than live in unity and obey God's Word.

Today, Faith's penmanship happened to be this verse by Amy Carmichael:

"If I can hurt another by speaking faithfully
without much preparation of spirit,
and without hurting myself far more than
I hurt that other,
then I know nothing of Calvary love."

Truth. We can speak "faithful" words often too easily, can't we? But to speak the truth in love, well Amy Carmichael really hit on it. It should cost us in preparation of spirit and it should wound us even more than the other person.

We are to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). How often I fall short of that.



What a blessing to be in communion with a God of grace. We all need it.

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

- Psalm 51:7

"For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth
into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands."

-Isaiah 55:10-12

Mike and Dana

May we mimic our Father, by speaking words of refreshment.


Peace to you!


_________________
Photos: A wonderful time away with dear friends. I would have a hard times coming up with enough positive adjectives to describe this family. Maybe it's enough to say that we love them- a lot. The photos of Faith in the snow and me with my camera (of course!)- by Dana. Thanks D!

Trees. Strong Trees.

Life has been busy here in our home this month as we decorate, prepare surprises for one another, bake cookies and make plans with friends and neighbors. I am sure your family is occupied doing the same.

But during the busyness the Lord has encouraged us with more than one passage of Scripture. I would like to share one of those here. I hope you will be blessed...


GOD'S DESIGN FOR GROWING STRONG TREES

Psalm 1:1-3

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;"

Does this not relate to the topic of media that we have been considering? We have had to ask ourselves, who are those who provide the media we dine on? Are they the ungodly, the people dedicated to living in sin, the scornful?

We've discussed as a family how to apply this verse and what we would need to weed out. As we have shared the verses, the girls have joyfully embraced this weeding and they have determined that they want to keep media choices to their "best" list.



Right now they have determined that those include but are not limited to: The Miracle Maker on DVD, Cedermont Kids for the littles their Christian Science Videos (Moody Science, AIG and 4th Day Alliance). They have other "good" resources, but they are excited about keeping their choices to the best for now.

Ephesians 4:14 says: "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" Children are easily influenced by others; easily deceived. So we must guard their hearts and minds.

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in his law he meditates day and night."

We've been considering various ways that we can meditate on God's Word day and night~ and make it a delight! While we are not accomplishing this perfectly (and I mean not perfectly!), we have made some changes that are bringing us more in line with this verse.

During the day I have begun using a Kay Arthur study with the girls. I read the instruction from one book and they circle and underline the verses that are indicated. It is engaging and fun. I've tried Kay Arthur's kids version as well, but the adult study with all of us seems to work better for our family.

On the weekend nights when Tom is here, we've dusted off the old Family Life books. We've blindfolded little ones and tickled their noses with feathers to talk about having self control and played card games in which one person has a "helper" who can see the other cards they can't to talk about the role of the Holy Spirit as our helper.

In my sister's home next door, she is having her little ones listen to the Bible on audio with all the music and voices that go with it. Sounds fun.

"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

As Christian parents our greatest desire is to grow trees~ strong trees! Strong trees that bear fruit for the glory of God. But often the task seems daunting. In these verses God seems to lay out His plan for growing these strong trees. 1. Keep them from ungodly influences. 2. With delight, meditate on His Word day and night and 3. We will will grow strong trees that bear fruit in their season.

Hmmm... fruit would be nice here. : )





Blessings,



___________________

Photos: The girls set up, lit and decorated the tree all by themselves. They did a great job and freed Mama up to make homemade cocoa. It is a seasonal treat we love and really just takes a few minutes to make from scratch.

Our Favorite Hot Cocoa

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
Dash salt
1/3 cup hot water
4 cups milk
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in saucepan; stir in water
2. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils; boil and stir 2 minutes
3. Stir in milk and heat- do NOT boil
4. Remove from heat; add vanilla
5. Top with whipped cream and sprinkles~ enjoy!



Serves 6 (but we often double and save extra in the refrigerator)

PLANNING {for Kindergarten}

J wrote:

"I so wished that you lived down the street and I could pop over and have you help me plan for the year. I am in MD and starting my first official year homeschooling with my daughter (5 ½). Reading your post about homeschooling and kindergarten was so encouraging to me. I already use SWR and Saxon, I’m a book “snob” and am probably excessively picky about what I read to my kids. All this being said, I was wondering if you’d share anything that you used for planning K? And, if you are so inclined to give a list of read-alouds that you like."

________________________________



Hello J!


Oh, that would be fun, wouldn't it? I'd love to have you come on over! You know, it feels like it was just last week when I was planning for my first year of Kindergarten instruction, but in reality I'm a week away from teaching Kindergarten for the fourth time. I couldn't be more excited! What a delightful task we have before us!

I'd love to share what we are planning for Lydia this year. It sounds like you already have several great resources available to you. I hope the Lord can use this to spark your creativity.


Blessings,





OUR GOAL~ TO BRING GLORY TO GOD

I would be remiss, if I didn't begin with a bit of encouragement for you, J. As a mom who has been around the kindergarten block a few times, I know that it is easy to lose focus and begin to homeschool for others. Maybe you will be tempted to sign your children up for a ton of outside activities to impress the extended family, or maybe you will be pressured and frustrated if you have a child that doesn't pick up reading as quickly as you think they ought. I mean~ yikes! What will the neighbors think? I've been there. But I would like to encourage you that you are to homeschool to bring glory to God alone.


A HOMESCHOOL TEACHER'S MARCHING ORDERS

"Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
~ 1 Peter 4:11

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
~ 1 Corinthians 10:31

Amen. : )


THE NITTY-GRITTY
Whenever I begin to think about a new year, I start with a written plan. I print out and scribble in my Proposed Course of Study for each student. It just helps me to organize my thoughts and plan for any purchases I may need to make. I eventually type it up and put it in my student's CUM file.


Here is what our kindergarten plan looks like this year:


1. Bible Study/ Devotions. This year we will use Our 24 Family Ways by Clay Clarkson.

What I like about this devotional, is that it set up to be very relational~ you ask simple questions; read the Bible; talk about it and then pray together. It makes God's Word very applicable in the day to day and it is very usable for a group K-7th! For more on the types of devotional books we choose and don't choose check here.


2. My Calendar Book. By Christian Light Publications.



Every kindergartner in our home gets a calendar. If you are using Saxon K, they recommend this as well. This year I opted for this cute calendar book with sweet illustrations that reinforce the character traits we are seeking to develop. Best of all, it can be kept in Lydia's school binder.


3. Math. We use Saxon K as you know. It's what the Lord has provided for us and we love it. It teaches much more than Math as the student learns to follow instruction while doing hand-on activities. I also have my eye on the Math-U-See Skip Counting CD- Bible version. The words to the music are here. I love painless learning whenever possible~ presidential place mats at lunch; states and capitals to music in the car... you get the idea. : )


4. English. You are a fellow SWR user, so you will probably be using the flash cards to teach the phonogram sounds. We have found their 70 basic phonogram CD very helpful in this process. They recommend teaching the formation of the letters using large muscle groups at the start (air tracing; writing with their finger in salt etc.) Then we usually make copy work pages. If you choose to teach Cursive First, they will walk you through the process of teaching similar letter shapes together (ie. lowercase a, c, and d all start in the same way). We will also use the Rod and Staff workbooks for those fun color, cut, paste activities. The illustrations are very sweet and again, reinforce the attitudes we are seeking to develop.


5. Read Aloud. I will tackle Science, History and Social Studies as read aloud topics. For example, for Science we are planning to use an Answers in Genesis book about the human body as well as an Evan Moor resource that has you trace; cut out the child's body and then color and paste the body parts in the correct locations as you study them.

Read aloud time is also and important vehicle for instilling character traits, as you know. Which is why you are so picky about the books you use. You can't be too picky! Once we put something in those heads, it's in there! I'd rather read a great book twice- or more- than have a large supply of mediocre volumes undoing all the effort I am putting in.

It is sometimes helpful in this season to maintain a Reading/ Read Aloud Chart to track the otherwise "invisible" investment being made in this area. This one is difficult to see, but hopefully gives you an idea of what I mean:



It's a simple form that will take you minutes to make. I would recommend you fill this in as you go and keep it in your daughter's school binder. It feels good to see that documented.




Kindergarten Age Resources we have enjoyed:

Homemade books! The best books are homemade books! I mean simple stuff~ connected with staples or yarn. It is fun to make your own "All about Me!" book to document this kindergarten age. You can include photos, your child's height, weight and favorites (favorite color, animal, game, toy and so on)! Other ideas might include: "My new ____________" (cousin, kitten, grasshopper~ whatever fits).

You can also make shape books. You'll find lots of templates on line~ apples, popcorn, boots, trees, pumpkins and so on. These are lots of fun to make and read. I guarantee they will become instant favorites.

But you were really asking about pre-made volumes, weren't you? Here are a few we've enjoyed in this season:


Wee Lambs by Rod and Staff (we prefer the bound volumes to the pamphlet option). These are large volumes with many sweet stories.
The God is Good Series by Rod and Staff (I think you can get a deal if you buy them in sets)
Little Jewel Books by Rod and Staff
Adam Raccoon books by Glen Keane (we omitted the circus keeper and the bully books from the series).
If you give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingallas Wilder (some editing)
James Herriot's Treasury for Children
A Summer with the Moody's Series by Sarah Maxwell
Jesus Loves Me by Helen Haidle (Fun Lullabies with hand motions~ especially fun for this age at bed time)


You may also enjoy Learning at Home by Ann Ward. It's a great resource for inspiration although you probably won't use it exactly as laid out. I think the "All about Me" book came from this resource. You should be able to find at the library.


6. Get outside! It is my goal to get the girls outside for an hour a day. That often means an evening walk or bike ride after dinner. It makes for a fantastic Deuteronomy 6:4 time.


I'll try to write more on this topic as the year progresses~ including ideas for making your own unit studies.


_____________________
Photo: Lydia at the bluegrass festival. I just love this picture of her. She is such a bundle of fun!

Needing Jesus

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." ~1 John 1,14

We were all seated together.

"Who needs Jesus?" I asked. And I raised my hand.

I looked and saw other little hands thrusting themselves into the air after mine.

"We all need Jesus, don't we? None of us can be righteous by our own merits." Just the day before we had read that if we could be saved by doing the law, then Christ died in vain. We all need Jesus.

"Let's read the Word."

And we read. And His Word is alive and active.

And it is good. Just the Word opened and expounded.

It is good to see Mama and Daddy humbled before it. It is good to see us excited about grace and unearned forgiveness in Jesus.

It is good for children to know that their parents need Jesus. And it is good when they know that they need Jesus too.

It is life.

Do you need Jesus today?


May God richly bless you as you lead little hearts home.

~Rebecca

Teaching Wisdom with Pictures

Based on Proverbs 25:20

WHO IS LIKE HE THAT TAKES AWAY A GARMENT IN COLD WEATHER?
ANSWER: He that singeth to an heavy heart

Have you ever felt like someone has taken away your garment in cold weather? Been unwilling to "weep with those who weep?" Although we typically want to be characterized by a joyful countenance, grief certainly has it's place and in those occasions frivolity would be completely inappropriate.

How do we train our children to be sensitive to those types of situations? One way is to work through the proverbs.

If you are looking for a resource that brings God's wisdom to life, Pictures from Proverbs may prove to be a blessing to you.


MADE FOR US!
It's not often I find a resource that is so in line with our family goals that it seems to have been made for our family. Pictures from Proverbs by Ornament Publications is one of those rare finds.

Each Picture from Proverb card teaches a verse from Proverbs. On one side is the picture, on the reverse, the lesson you are teaching. It is all pre-prepared, includes a verse that relates to the proverb, questions to ponder and more. Coloring books correspond to the cards and each lesson has a picture to color once the lesson has been taught.



The following photo shows me reading a lesson about meddling. "Who is like one that takes a dog by the ears? He that passeth by and meddleth with strife belonging not to him." Proverbs 26:17



TOP 5 FAVORITE FEATURES
Our favorite features of Pictures from Proverbs include:

♥ It's ability to bring up profitable discussion
♥ The fact that it is all pre-prepared
♥ The benefit of teaching one lesson to multiple levels
♥ The absence of poor examples of "cool" attitudes/the inclusion of modest dress
♥ It is multi-sensory teaching format (visual, auditory and kinesthetic)


And I don't mind that it gives me five minutes to transition to the next item of study as they complete their pages either. : )

Page by Faith

In the lessons so far, my sister Liz and I both decided to gloss over one example using Sampson, but we have been able to use all of the other Bible examples as written.

What an engaging way to pass wisdom on to little hearts!


Oh, and by the way, they are very affordable.


Ease of Use...♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Features...♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Price...♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Quality...♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Presentation...♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Overall: 4.4 "little hearts"


Blessings to you!
~Rebecca

DEVOTIONALS FOR KIDS

This week 3forme!! asked for suggested devotional tools for young ones.



WHAT WE DON'T CHOOSE


Whenever we look for any resource, be it a book, music or a devotional, we have a basic standard for what we don't choose. I think that is important too. Our basic guidelines would include include:

No “me” centered attitudes that demonstrate the world revolves around us rather than God and His glory
No resources in which the kids are trying to be “cool” is displayed (aka being prideful)
No sibling rivalry/sibling dislike
No unchecked disobedience/very few examples of disobedience as a whole
No examples of poor spirit or behavior that is opposed to our family goals to live for Jesus
No scenes in which children have little to no parental supervision or other examples that would oppose our family rules

Why? Well, there are many angles we can use to make our children wise. We can focus on the negative examples over and over or we can focus on the good instead. We have made a conscious decision to focus on the good and we think it has made a big difference.

In the case of a devotional, no overly "cartoony" resources in which Bible history is viewed as a cartoon or fairy tale rather than the truth of the Living God.



SOME OF OUR FAVORITES

To follow are our top 4 favorites. These are resources we have used and loved for our little ones. I hope they will be a blessing to you too!


#1 Scripture Pictures- by Nexgen. There are 52 short stories per book that are followed by a few questions. Again, the stories are short, the perfect size for your 3-6 year olds, but of course, we enjoy the devotionals as a family. The older girls get to remember back while the little ones get to enjoy them for the first time.



The format is a spiral binding at the top and the book itself can be set on the table in an easel type display. While you read the story, the children look at the large, beautiful artwork. They are wonderful. We own the OT and Life of Jesus books so far. In the Life of Jesus book we changed one sentence in the first story (It said something like “God will even know what job you are going to have.” Since we desire for our girls to be keepers at home we just changed it to “God knows just who you will be when you grow up” or something to that effect. I know, I'm a little picky.) These are really special books. They are a little large (17X11) but that is part of the fun- everyone can see.
You can purchase these books at Family Christian Stores for $29.99 (unless you have a coupon), at CBD for $21.99 or at Amazon for varied prices- as low as $12.99 used (or free if you use an Amazon credit card and earn points).

Note: The books are presented in English and Spanish – for bilingual classes and missions trips, so really your reading is half of the back of each page.


#2 Leading Little Ones to God- by Marian M. Schoolland.



This is a 173 page book includes 86 devotionals that are really well done. Water color art is sprinkled throughout. There is a suggested Bible reading passage with each story. This devotional was my tool (Tom primarily reads from the Bible alone) so I would read the devotional, ask our oldest daughter to read the Bible passage and then we would use the questions as a springboard for discussion.

You can find this at Amazon for $13.60 new or as low as $9.97 used.


#3 The Child's Story Bible- by Catherine F. Vos.


This appears to be Mrs. Vos' life work. She wrote this for her own children. Her mother had told her, she told her children and she instructed them to tell their children. A precious heritage indeed. This 382 page volume covers the Old and New Testament. The stories are a little longer, but written in an engaging fashion. This one always has my children begging for more chapters- and of course I love to oblige. Because we tend to spend more reading time in this one, I started having them color while I read. At each chapter we would stop and talk about the chapter. There are no pre-written questions.

You can find this at Amazon for $18.15 new, or as low as $7.93 used.


#4 For Instruction In Righteousness- by Doorpost.



This is a 298page, spiral bound, topical study that is really a blessing for busy parents. I have another post about this specific resource here that covers a little more on just what is in this book.


We also enjoy many wholesome character story books including Pearables.






But that's a whole other post. : )


May God bless you as you lead little hearts home!

 

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