SMASH IT {genesis}

Even in judgement God gives his people mercy and hope.

As teachers we are always thinking about the best way to reach our kids.  As Christian moms we are especially concerned with how to impact our kids with the Word of God.  

At the start of the new school year I thought I would try to use the various learning styles together and have my kids SMASH their way through the book of Genesis.    

It's been years since I've taught Genesis, but it is such an important book that I knew I wanted to go through it again-  in a way that would stick. 

So this is what we are doing.  First, I read a chapter of Genesis each day and then the girls "smashbook" it.  If you are unfamiliar, smashbooking is very similar to scrapbooking but it's kind of the casual cousin.  Rather than taking a lot of planning to work through a theme and obsess over the perfect layout, smashbooking encourages the smasher to do something different on every page.  You can add random do dads and celebrate messy as you document what moves you.  Kids love that. 

My mom (a retired teacher) always said that teaching was about staying one chapter ahead of the kids and really anyone can do that, right?  What a freeing thought.  

I just give myself a little bit of time each day to prep for the next day by reading the chapter, creating a sample page in my book and printing out some clip art for the girls to use.  I have a bucket of supplies including scissors, scrapbook squares (adhesive squares that allow you to place a picture, then lift and move it without damaging the page), markers, scrapbook pens, colored pencils, stickers and do on.  I try to encourage the girls to get the content down that we discuss but be as creative and colorful in its presentation as they like.  And their pages always turn out better than mine.   

By slowing down the process, we are all getting a ton out of each lesson and it really seems to stick with us through the day. 

I am keeping the clip art files to post here for you as we accomplish various sections.  I hope you will join us in smashing Genesis this year or just go for it with another book!  It's really so fun! 

Praying for your school year!

"INNIES" FOR INSTAGRAM!

Are you an "Innie?"  Over the years, I have realized that I am much more of an introvert than an extrovert.  As I have learned more about introverts, I realize that I too recharge in quiet.  I am not anti social by any means, I love my friendships!  But I tend to enjoy deeper talk, the one on one type.  And I find that I have less social stamina than the extroverts I know.  I need mental margin in order to be the creative person that God designed me to be.

Over the years people have contacted me asking for a list of blogs I would recommend for them to read.  That is always a really hard question for me to answer because for myself it's quiet that I crave for inspiration.  You would be far more likely to find me cuddled on a couch reading aloud to my kids than reading a blog.  And yet I blog... is that a contradiction?  Ha!  Probably. 

Even Facebook is too noisy for me most of the time.  While I love to check in to see how I can be praying for or encouraging people, I find that I am more often met with too many posts that demonstrate how easily offended we Christians can be by an unbelieving world.  I just don't have the emotional energy to be offended by red cups or the latest upset.  As I remember the Lord's command in Proverbs 22:24:  Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man.  Do not associate with one easily angered.  I find it is easier to simply log off and find quiet.

I will literally go weeks without even opening Facebook.  Did you know that if you don't open Facebook for weeks, they will begin to send you emails to try to entice you back with all you might be missing?  It's true!  I get those emails all the time.  

With a couple of my dearest friends on Instagram, I finally succumbed to joining them.  I really did not want more noise in my life, but one of my friends who had left Facebook for Instagram convinced me it would be a good thing.

It's been about a year now and I realize that I really enjoy the quiet of Instagram.  It's just photos.  I don't follow people with loud political opinions or axes to grind.  In fact, I don't follow many people at all and it's not personal because unlike Facebook that doesn't mean we are "friends" or not friends.  We are just following or not.  It's quiet allows me to share simple and creative moments that I would ordinarily tend to just keep to myself.  

I enjoy looking back over the year and the thought that I can easily make a photo book from our little square photo moments at any time. 

As 2015 winds down, I thought I would share some photos from this year's Instagram feed.  No words, just moments for those of you who enjoy photos.  

So, here's to finding quiet in a noisy world, my friends.  May you be blessed.  :)

Love,

"Aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." - 1 Thessalonians 4:11