Back to School Giveaway TODAY ONLY!!! We kick off our Back-to-School Membership Sale with a co-sponsored 1-day giveaway TODAY, July 28th (9am-9pm CST) with Notebooking Pages! 1 GRAND PRIZE WINNER (value $850): Notebooking Pages LIFETIME Membership plus 11 Sponsor gifts 24 WINNERS: Notebooking Pages LIFETIME Membership Freebie for everyone: Notebooking Pages Sampler Set Please spread the word!!!
Am I a Good Enough Homeschool Teacher? I wrestle with feelings of insecurity when it comes to homeschooling our boys. Sometimes I wonder if I am the best teacher for my children… Am I alone? Last week I picked up the novel my son was reading to help him with comprehension. He is reading Call it Courage. As I read the first chapter I realized that this book was not about a boy’s struggle with war. (That’s right! I never even noticed the cover) Good Lord, help my children! OK. I am not the most literate adult I know. In fact I did not read one book in high school. I was that student that could scan and skim, gather the right information and quotes to get an “A” in the class while never really having to read anything. I was pleasantly surprised by the plot of this tiny little book my son was reading, yet it made me question my ability to lead him. How could I possibly teach this child when I couldn’t even scan a book in advance to know it was about an island culture and their worship of courage? How could I look myself in the mirror and be confident in my ability to help my son love learning? After about three days of feeling bad, I realized my son’s interest had awakened as he read about and drew the setting of the story: an island surrounded by a beautiful coral reef. I picked up a Coral Reef book filled with fantastic photographs and we began exploring the complexity and delicacy of these living structures. Oh my, we were and continue to be captivated! In our research we discovered a new creature: The mantis shrimp. Holy smokes! This little guy is fantastic. Supposedly this creature has the fastest movement in the animal kingdom as it punches its prey. We had to learn more… A quick internet search, led us to one of my favorite YouTube Channels “Smarter Every Day” and viola, there was the beautiful, powerful, and astounding mantis shrimp. This one is worth watching with your kids! So there you go. A ride on my homeschooling merry go round. First I allow my son to read a book that I know nothing about. second, I form an opinion about the book strictly by its title. Then, I am struck “dumb” as I read to catchup with my son. next I see an opportunity to follow a rabbit trail down an area of interest. Then, we become engrossed and amazed in a little creature we didn’t even know existed. Yep, a successful homeschooling week I’d say. Of course, I failed again when I fell for the “Finding Nemo is all about a coral reef”: hook, line and sinker. How about you? Do you ever struggle with feeling like you fall short as a homeschooler?
Parenting in Today’s World We don’t fit in as parents today. In general parents today let their kids float. Through life.Through school.Through everything.I stink at that.My kids don’t float. They work. Things We Fail at in Parenting.Letting boys be boys.I have five of them. Trust me, they do not need help being boys. They need help being future men.We are training up the future men of this world, and we take that seriously. Our boys are clean, clean cut, and hard working… Whether they like it or not.Letting boys sit around all day.My “Mommy Sense” (similar to Spider-Man’s ‘Spidey Sense’) kicks into overdrive when I see my boys sitting on the sofa during the day.I immediately start asking, did you do this, did you do that?Sorry. Boys should not sit unless they are on the toilet.Letting my boys have their own style of dress and hair.Future men worthy of serving God, loving their wives, running their businesses, etc should be others centered.If they wear their hair and clothes in a way that makes “grandma” to feel uncomfortable and cross the street to avoid contact with them. Not acceptable.While I’m all for freedom of expression, my boys express themselves in a boring way physically and that will give them an edge. Expecting teenage years to be Easy.We expect the teenage years to be hard because we will make them hard. Hard to disrespect us,. Hard to disobey the house rules Hard to live in our house and break our rules, hard to break things like curfews, Hard to be a glutton. Yep. Teenage Years will be hard. Moms and dads, if you have boys join us at stinking to raise them to be wimpy, lazy, self centered men. If you have little girls, stink at raising them to be focused on selfies, self, make-up, and sexuality. We need to stink at parenting “today” and excel at parenting for tomorrow. PRINT THIS FREE HOMESCHOOL MOM REMINDER. This post comes with a free printable reminder list to help keep your heart focused on the heart of homeschooling. I always have the hardest staying focused. This printable simplifies it! Here is a sneak preview… DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 9,000+ homeschool moms who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas!Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal.Place it on your refrigerator as a helpful reminder.
Dragonfly Freebie for Your 3rd-5th Graders Free is good, right? Here’s a fun freebie for you! You will find this product in my store. Remember: The site is a FREE member site. It is easy to sign up. There are tons of amazing free and for purchase resources out here! Join our Summer Bucket Series on Facebook. Simply jump over. Like our page. Click “get notifications”
Friday Pool Games: Summer Bucket List for Kids Join us on Facebook for a Summer of Fun! Each day we will post a different activity, adventure, or link to share with your kids! All Summer Long Today’s Fun… Friday Pool Games: Classic- Marco Polo! Two or more players. To play, choose one player to be “it”. That person closes his or her eyes, or is blindfolded, and counts to a certain number. While the “it” person counts, the other players scatter around in the pool. When the count is over, the “it” player tries to tag the other players, using only the sound of their voices to find them. The “it” player calls out “Marco”, and the other players call out “Polo”. When the “it” player tags another, that player becomes the “it” person and the game starts over again. Each day has a theme: Monday Madness, Tickle Me Tuesday, Water Fun Wednesday, Thoughtful Friday, and Pool Game Friday. Please: Like, Follow, and Share! #abetterwaytohomeschool.com
Zentangles: Art for Kids with Hard Core Concentration Zentangle. This is the most simple, yet time consuming form of art my kids have learned so far. Our fourth son always draws incredibly detailed pictures with pen. He will sit there for hours adding dots, lines and squiggles to a picture and in the end produces the most beautiful drawings. This week I introduced him to the “formal form” of his natural style of artistic expression… The zentangle. I found an easy tutorial on Tiny Rotten Peanuts. I know. The name is funny, but the instructions are great. Here is our son’s first zentangle! This style of art is perfect for kids who get tunnel vision while doing a project, have a love for detail, or have incredible patience and concentration (or who need to practice!). Looking for Summer Fun for you and your kids? Follow Our Summer Bucket List posts on facebook… Jump over and follow us on facebook, then click on “get notifications!”.
Choosing Our Battles: Our youngest son loves to wear his socks inside out. They are comfier. The seams don’t bug him. And it drives me crazy!! This is not one of those battles that I choose to fight. Whether it is socially correct or not, this guy will be allowed to wear his socks inside out. Really, it is not that important. So why does it bug me so much? Parenting is hard. Parenting multiple generations at a time is incredibly hard! There are so many days that I choose to die on mountains like this. “Turn your socks right side out!” We are raising five future men. They vary in age from the nine year old foot above to the twenty-two year old working quietly across the table from me as I write this. Parenting is hard. There are battles worth fighting: you will be kind, you cannot lie, you need to make your bed, you will love to read, etc. I think I over-complicate parenting by engaging in battles over the trivial, non-eternal, ridiculous expectations that my brain creates at night while I sleep in a rose colored world. I think: my boys will not fart allowed my boys will not have belching contests my boys will wear their clothes properly, especially in public my boys will help the elderly couple load their groceries without being told my boys will choose hairstyles that I adore my boys will accept my motherly wisdom without rolling their eyes my boys will bend toward my will for their lives… oops. Maybe I see a problem. “My will for their lives”. I am not saying that I shouldn’t expect them to have manners and wear clothes, I am saying I should allow them to seek after the Lord and live their lives according to HIS will… Even if that mean they wear their socks inside out. Dear mama, choose your battles with your kids… there will be so many to choose from. Choose to let the “socks” go and concentrate on the issues that are eternal and life impacting. I need to pray for my kids, love them, and lead them. But I also need to let them be themselves. God is able to work them all out. I need to not neglect my duty as care-giver, teacher, mentor, tutor, mommy, guide, and prayer warrior. But… I really need to let somethings go… ****************************************************** Join NotebookingPages.com Free Member Program http://notebookingpages.com/free-resource-center
Chemistry and Pizza: Life Made Interesting Chemistry and Pizza: Life Made Interesting Whoever said, “Pizza is boring?” Not this guy!! Looking for Kitchen Chemistry Ideas?
Teachers and Homeschoolers Sharing Wisdom Part 3: Guest Blogger Jennifer Garcia I am just loving the guest Bloggers who have graced us with wisdom these past few weeks! The links are at the end of this post! Today’s guest blogger is Jennifer Garcia with Pages of Grace. She is a Christian, teacher, wife, mom, runner, cake decorator, and craft enthusiast who tries to enjoy the little things in life. I love that! Get ready. Jennifer, like me, began by disagreeing with homeschooling! I love how the Lord changed her heart! Here’s Jennifer! To be honest, when I was teaching in the classroom, I did not understand why people chose to homeschool. Through my college education and the years I spent working in public schools, I was trained to believe that children should be in regular school; it was not good for them to be deprived of the socialization that comes from the schools. Now that I have children of my own, my whole thought process has changed! I decided to take a few years off when I had my first child, always planning on going back to the classroom when my children were in school. Over the past year, we have spent a lot of time looking at the different school options in our area, and I am feeling more and more that homeschool is a very good option for us and many other families. My older daughter attends a Christian preschool, and I do supplemental work at a home with her and my younger daughter. I completely understand and respect the reasons that parents choose to homeschool their children now. Parents know what is best for their own children. There are many reasons, but these are the three big ones that stick out to me and many people I know: *We want more time with our children. Family time seems to be less and less important these days, but in reality, I believe it is more necessary than ever. By spending that extra time with our children, we have the opportunity to pour love, wisdom, and morals into our children that we might not have if they were in school every day. *Exposing our children to things when we feel it is right. There is such a push to throw kids out in society and let them deal with it, because that’s what “everybody” does. However, we feel that there is a proper time and place for children to be exposed to certain ideas and situations, and it should be when we feel they are ready, not when society says they should. *Religious reasons. While everyone has their own beliefs, we believe that Jesus and the Bible should guide our lives. Our society has removed every ounce of truth from our schools, to the point where I felt I had to walk on eggshells as a teacher. It is very sad to see that the more we push God away, the worse our society has become. Students will eventually have to grow up and make their own choices, but I believe that children need to spend these influential years in an atmosphere of love and truth, so they are ready for what the world throws at them later. My children are young, so we are mostly focused on literacy right now. I create activities and lessons based on their interests. I know the topic that I want to focus on, and then I mix it with the things that my kids enjoy. For example, my girls are both really into art, so when we are working on letter recognition, I give them lots of different materials and have them make letters using the different materials–rhinestones and glitter are their favorites 🙂 They also love playing games, so when we started doing sight words, I made some games that we could play together to reinforce the sight word practice. I think the key to approaching new things is to know the topic that you need to teach, and then create learning activities around the interests of the children. When I was in the classroom, I worked with many struggling learners. Here is my approach to helping them succeed: First and foremost, you have to know the child. Look at all of the background information so you understand what is NOT working. Then, I take a different approach. If one method is not clicking, I try something else. I also think it is important to take things one step at a time. It can be overwhelming to look at a child who is struggling in every area. I take the approach of tackling one thing at a time, and also making it a point to praise every milestone and achievement. This builds confidence in the student and helps him feel that he is making progress and that the goals are in reach. My Teachers Pay Teachers store has a wide variety of resources, because I have things from the classroom (4th-6th grade) and things that I make for my own children (preschool-kindergarten). I will include some products from different levels, in the hopes that it will help parents with multiple children. This is my main freebie. It is a set of task cards for double digit multiplication. Task cards are a great resource that can be used in many different ways. This is one of my phonics packets. I have a series of phonics packets that I made to teach my children how to read. I think this is a great homeschool resource. It is easy to follow and progresses smoothly from one topic to the next. Each packet builds upon the last. The packets are designed to focus on one or two word families at a time, allowing children to focus on and master one thing and build confidence. This is the first packet (CVC words). I have 3 other packets in my store now, and I am working on adding more soon. I have some novel studies that are complete integrated units. These are a fun way to really dive into a book, while covering many different skills. This link is for the book, Holes. I also have novel studies for Charlotte’s Web and The Tale of Desperaux, and I am in the process of adding a few more in the next few months. I hope parents find this information helpful, and I look forward to learning more about homeschool ideas from the other people in this guest blog. Thank you for the opportunity to collaborate 🙂 Recent Guest Bloggers: Melissa Jenkins, My Broken BootStraps Lisa Smith, Tales of Teaching and Learning Disclosure: I receive no monetary perks for any of the teaching and learning packets shared in this post. I am simply trying to share my heart for becoming a better educator by connecting great teachers with great homeschoolers. We have so much to learn from each other!
Guest Blogger Melissa Jenkins: Teachers and Homeschoolers Sharing Wisdom Ready for some more teacher/educator/homeschooling sharing? I am pleased to introduce you to Melissa Jenkins of My Broken Bootstraps. Melissa is fellow homeschooling mom and educator with a passion for teaching and she has so much knowledge to share with us! Be sure to visit her blog and grab some of her resources! ~Bekki Without further to do… Here’s Melissa! I have always known I would be a teacher. I remember lining up my dolls and stuffed animals as a child and diligently teaching them their ABCs every Saturday. While others worried about their career paths, I had an inner calm already knowing my purpose. And I was right. Twenty years out of college I can look back and see the many students whose lives I touched. More importantly, so many of them touched me. I have worked with infants through college, Deaf Education, Special Education, and Regular Education. I have had students that are adults now find me on Facebook and tell me how much I helped them. Several have become teachers themselves and give me some credit for making that decision. And yet… Without a doubt the students I loved teaching the most are my own twin daughters, now age 19. They are one week from graduating high school and I couldn’t be more proud. They both have learning disabilities, so school was a long hard battle for them as well as me. Their first grade teacher said Megan and Katie needed to repeat that grade, so they did. With me. I homeschooled them to the dismay of several public school teacher friends. We did not follow the typical public or private school curriculum. I saw how they learned. I knew where the gaps were and decided to focus on that alone. We did reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmatic, with an emphasis on reading. By the end of the semester, Megan, who entered homeschool as a non-reader, was now reading on a second grade level. We had gained two and a half years in one semester. Talk about miracles! The next time we decided to homeschool was during the terrifying Middle School years. I took a break from teaching other students to focus on my own. We had the joy of homeschooling 6th – 8th grades. There were many reasons behind this, but the main one was we wanted to draw them closer to our family unit. This is such a risky time when so many choices have life-long consequences, either good or bad. My daughter Katie has since come to me and admitted that if we had not homeschooled her during middle school, we might very well had lost her. She has already declared that she will be doing the same when she has children of her own. While homeschooling my own children, I pulled so much information from my training and experience as a professional teacher. I have been on both sides of the tracks. I fully support any family that wants to homeschool their children. Just as I heard dismay from public school teachers when I let them know of my plans to teach at home, I saw the wringing hands of homeschool families when we decided to put them back in public school. I have never understood why there are opposite “camps” on this issue. I think that at times there can be a benefit to both sides. As a professional teacher I have had the opportunity to try new things with a variety of students and happily tuck away the successful ones for future use. Here are a few ideas I have used when my students are struggling. One of the most difficult skills a good teacher MUST learn to do is break down information into smaller bites. WE know the information already, but our children do not. Think from the child’s perspective. Break the information down into small steps. Do not go to step two until they understand step one. This takes a lot more time, but it is so worth it in the end. Don’t be afraid of silence. When you ask your child a question, wait. And wait. Aaaand wait. The fancy word for this is latency, but the purpose is the same. We already know the information, and the fact that we were going to ask it. Your child does not have that knowledge. Plus, if it is a child who is struggling, they may need longer time to process that information. Variety is the spice of life. It is also the spice to teaching. When you are teaching something new, talk about it, read about it, youtube about it, make something about it… Make sure your child has the opportunity to see it, hear it, visualize it, and experience it. The more opportunities they have to learn in different ways, the better they will internalize the information. Wash, rinse, repeat. Repetition is critical for a struggling learner. Research has shown that young readers need to hear a story read to them up to 20 times in order to internalize it. It’s the same with any new information. Go back to information you have already taught and review it from time to time. After you’ve taught the concept, let them take a turn to be the teacher and explain it to you or a younger sibling. Random Teacher/Mommy Handwriting Hack: When you are working with a child that has atrocious handwriting, try writing what you want them to practice with a yellow highlighter first. They can copy the highlighted letters and get a feel for how they move. This will give them more confidence when they write on their own. A Freebie from Melissa: Math Anchor Charts-Freebie Two more favorites: Literacy Activities Detective Family Kit Writing Center Kit-Posters and Activities Also, I try to have freebies every Monday on my blog. It has not been as regular as I wanted, but I think I am back on track. Thank you so much for this opportunity! Melissa Jenkins, aka My Broken Bootstraps Disclosure: I receive no monetary perks for any of the teaching and learning packets shared in this post. I am simply trying to share my heart for becoming a better educator by connecting great teachers with great homeschoolers. We have so much to learn from each other!
Teachers And Homeschoolers Sharing Wisdom: Guest Blogger Lisa Smith I am super excited to introduce you all to my first “Teacher Guest Blogger”, Lisa Smith! As a fellow wife, mom, Christian, principal, teacher and author you can be assured that she has a lot of valuable wisdom and insight for each one of us. Make her welcome, comment on her post, visit her blog, and grab one of her fabulous resources at the bottom of this post! ~Bekki I believe that it’s the parent’s choice how their children are raised and taught. Whether you are a public school teacher, private school teacher or a homeschool teacher, you work hard for the success of your students and that should be respected. In reality, homeschool teachers and public school teachers have a lot in common. We all create lessons, assessments, and follow standards (of some kind). Instead of noting the differences, we need to work together to share ideas and materials, because in the end, we all want our students to succeed. When creating a new lesson, I always begin with the end in mind. I ask myself, “What is it that they must know?” Then, I create the assessment before making the activities and lessons. This helps me stay focused on what’s important. I am not a fan of making every assessment a traditional “test.” Assessments do not have to be boring! For example, my Events in History Series have projects for assessments. In my science class, I assess students by using my Around the Room Science Task Cards. If students can finish the cards, I know they have mastered the skills. In my fifth grade math class, I used Math Bingo Cards and a Classifying Shapes Activity to assess student learning (You can visit Lisa’s store by following the link at the end of this post) In addition, reviewing content doesn’t have to be boring. One of my favorite review activities came from Tr. Harvey Silver. It called the Magic Box. Basically, you have the students draw a box and have them write everything they learned on that topic in the box. After you give them plenty of thinking time, you go over the items in their box and help them add to it. This makes a great study guide, or a quick assessment. In my state, Indiana, we will have four different standardized tests in a four year period. We would be fools to worry about “teaching to the test.” Instead, we focus on teaching our standards. In my opinion, standards do not limit teachers or take away their freedom to be creative. Standards are just the checklist of what my kids need to know before they leave me. What I do to meet that standard is up to me. I use a standards checklist to ensure I meet my standards. This standards checklist helps me to ensure that I am helping my students be successful. Standards are important because they are a teacher’s guidepost. Every successful program has standards. They may not be Common Core or state standards, but if you have created your own curriculum, you most definitely had to put thought into what you wanted your child to learn and those are standards by which you teach. I sincerely thank you for reading my post and a special thank you to A Better Way to Homeschool for the guest host opportunity. More about Lisa: My husband and I have three children ranging from 10 to 17 years old. I have a wide-range of teaching experience. Many years ago I owned a preschool and was a teacher for 4 and 5 year olds. After selling the preschool, I taught first grade at a rural school corporation and then taught fifth grade at a charter school. For the last five years, I have taught in the community in which I live. Within those five years, I taught fifth and sixth grade. This year, I was promoted to principal of the elementary school and I am the High Ability Coordinator and Curriculum Director for my school corporation. Please visit my Teacher Pay Teacher store for units that may be helpful to you and your children at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Rigorous-Resources-By-Lisa ********************************************************************************* Isn’t Lisa Great? I asked her to share three fabulous resources with us. Not only does she have a wealth of experience and wisdom, but she also creates learning materials that can be easily used in our homeschooling environments. Here we go: Freebie: Even though the cover says “Classroom Posters”, these would make wonderful notebook references for homeschoolers studying poetry! Poetry: (5-7th grade) This is a great way to do a poetry focus. Lisa has done all the planning for you! Plot Structure: (4th-8th) This complete unit helps us teach our kiddos how to analyze the plot of a story in an objective way. Disclosure: I receive no monetary perks for any of the teaching and learning packets shared in this post. I am simply trying to share my heart for becoming a better educator by connecting great teachers with great homeschoolers. We have so much to learn from each other!
Teachers Sharing Wisdom I have a special treat for you! I have asked a handful of teacher/educators to share their thoughts and wisdom with us. Hear me out: I consider myself a professional educator. I am always looking for better ways to teach my kids or help others. One of my richest pools of wisdom and advice is from my teacher friends. I have lined up educators with various levels of teaching experience to share valuable wisdom. I am super excited. Don’t be afraid. I am still a homeschooler at heart. Often times I see homeschoolers and “public teachers” lined up on opposite sides of the educational fence, refusing to listen to one another. My hope is that this mini series will help bridge this gap. Teachers have a lot to offer us as homeschoolers! Stay tuned! I am thinking this series will be featured on Thursdays for the next few weeks. First up: Lisa Smith
Lessons from a Paper Roller Coaster Lessons from a Paper Roller Coaster My favorite part of homeschooling is having the ability to provide the opportunity for kids to dig deeper when they are sucked in to a learning experience. When we moved to Washington State, our boys caught the last session of a class on building a paper roller coaster. Our youngest son was so bummed that he missed the chance to build one that the teacher quickly pulled together a kit for him. Two months later, he was still working on the coaster. It has been an amazing learning tool. What can you learn by building a Paper Roller Coaster? Patience- This is not a “build it quick project. He spent days prepping and building the framework. We talked a lot about the need for a sturdy foundation and he took it to heart. This past week he decided to go taller. Currently, this nine-year old’s roller coaster frame is about 7 feet tall! Planning- Once he had his framework set, he began planning the actual fun stuff. “where are my scissors?” That’s right. He has had them for weeks now. Testing- Quickly, he learned that what he saw in his mind often did not work in reality. He would plan, cut and test, tweak the design and test again before he secured the feature into the coaster. Support features- In order to go bigger, he learned that you must reinforce your design. Coaching isn’t easy- By the time the coaster was 7 foot tall, the other boys in the house began to take notice. In the picture above, the older son was showing his idea to the younger son. He explained how to make it and was getting frustrated that the younger one “wouldn’t listen”. Very Important Lesson: Just because you KNOW the best way, doesn’t guarantee the student will listen or accept your advice. Sometimes the hardest thing about being a parent, teaching, or coaching is giving advice and then stepping back to watch… the 13-year-old in the picture was very offended that the nine-year-old wanted to try his way first… I could not have created a lesson that would have demonstrated the value of being a patient coach! Do you think your kids would enjoy this project? Grab your paper roller coaster kit here. Have an amazing day! Be willing to lay “school” aside to allow for learning! More from Bekki
A Simple Bible Study for Kids A Simple Bible Study for Kids Studying God’s words does not need to be complicated. One way to study scripture is by using the letters S-O-A-P. Choose a Bible verse and follow the letters through the study. I have a verse jar just in case the kids cannot pick a verse. The thing to remember is that studying God’s word is a a discipline that kids should be taught, so that when they grow up they already know how to “rightly divide the word of truth”. Walk your kids through the verse by focusing on the four letters: S=Scripture. Simply writer the Bible verse down. Younger kids may want to cut and paste the verse. O=Observation. Every verse has some truth to it, some facts. In the observation step, look at the details of the verse. This is a good place to put the verse into your own words. A=Application. God wants us to be “doers of the word”. What does this verse instruct us to do? P= Prayer. Ask the Lord to help us follow His direction. I love this way of studying scripture. I am working on teaching our boys to break open Bible verses this way. While there are many ways to “study” scripture, this is one of my favorites! I created a simple template to encourage kids to focus on observing, applying, and praying over their Bible verses for the week. I am so pleased with how much they are getting out of this exercise that I want to share the resource with you for FREE. 1. Download the Template and directions here. 2. While you are in my store, be sure to follow me. 3. Add your feedback in my store (directions are in the packet). Here is one of my boys’ devotions from today. Don’t you love the design he created along the side? I appreciate all of your love, encouragement, and support. Every time you download one of my products or make a purchase from my store you are helping me continue to “work from home”. I am so thankful! More Bible Studies for Kids: Bible Study Printables: Romans 15:13 Days of Creation Board Game Days of Creation Printables Days of Creation Food Ideas (free) Sunday School Activities: Fruits of the Spirit Bible Study BUNDLE #1 Daniel 1: Bible Study and Children’s Ministry Activities Bible Object Lessons for Kids: Waterfalls Bible Fun for Kids: ABCs of God’s Character Advent Activities for Kids: Freebie Advent Activities for Kids- Complete Bible Study: What Can I Learn from the Camel Bible Study: Pearl of Great Price- Matthew 13:45-46 Bible Study: Transfiguration of Jesus- Matthew 17 Daniel 4: King Nebuchadnezzar’s Tree Dream Sunday School Lessons on Prayer for Preschoolers Bible Study for Kids: What Can I Learn From the Ant? Memory verse for kids: Exodus 14:14 My personal statement of faith: I believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. I believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. I believe “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and that we are saved by faith in Jesus. My favorite Bible teachers are my husband (Craig Sayler), Pastor Jon Courson, Pastor Chuck Smith, CH Spurgeon.
Happy Mother’s Day Gift Idea Mother’s Day is right around the corner. I absolutely LOVE flowers for Mother’s Day, don’t you? Inspired by our new home’s garden, I had to create a fun, easy, and sweet Mother’s Day Booklet and Keepsake for your kiddos. This kit has everything you and your kids need to create this really cute booklet to bless mom. Yeah, it is a bit self serving, I know. But I love it anyway. I love Mother’s Day gifts like these because they capture the essence of my kids at the time they were created. Kind of like a time capsule, only better. Hop on over and grab your Flower Pot Booklet Pack today! By the way, this one is easily adaptable for kids of all ages! Yeah!!
I Know My Phone Number! I Know My Phone Number!! But do my kids? We have been struggling to memorize our new phone numbers together. It is amazing how confusing it can become when you begin to throw out the old numbers and learn the new ones. Our family has four phone numbers that need to be memorized. Phew! That is a lot! I created this fun little foldable to help out our youngest. In the event of an emergency, can you kids simply pick up a phone and call you or your emergency contact? If not, I would recommend that you begin memorizing phone numbers together. (I confess, I JUST memorized my oldest son’s cell number. Since I simply dial by contact on my smart phone I never committed his number to memory. Bad mom.) How do you teach your children important phone numbers? ***Just a final nudge*** My home phone does not work during a power outage. Does yours? We have a back-up phone. you know, one of those plug into the wall types. I would recommend you not only have a back up, but teach your kids how to use it! Do You Have a Minute? You might enjoy: My Son Almost Died Today
Don’t Rescue Your Kids Don’t Rescue Your Kids from Boredom, Second Place, or Hard Work! We recently moved to a beautiful new rental nestled on 4 acres in Washington. The place is stunning, the yard a haven. The boys have an absolute ball playing in the wonderland, but don’t necessarily enjoy the yardwork needed to keep it looking wonderful. Today, our 11 year old was cutting his section of the grass. Since we are in fact in Washington, I was trying to make sure the main yard got cut before this afternoon’s rain. I did not succeed. With 40 x 6 feet left to mow, the skies opened up and it began to pour. I mean pour! I shouted to my son to stop mowing so he could get out of the rain. He didn’t hear me. I stood there under the over hang of the roof watching him mow. He was smiling. Smiling in the pouring rain. Why was my instinct to “save” him from the downpour? It must be a mom thing. Not only did he finish cutting the grass with a huge grin, he also stumbled upon a beautiful little frog that he caught and relocated to our pond. The boy was in heaven. Some of the best experiences in life are on the other side of trials, downpours and boredom. We need to let our kids push through. I’m talking to myself right now as I reflect on this, but I know I am not alone. Kids today don’t have the same gumption as kids of the past. They need to work harder and be less entertained and coddled… Don’t you think? Maybe it’s because We have 5 boys and are very aware of our responsibility to raise future men that I feel this way. Yes, it’s ok to make your kids do chores. It’s even ok to make them redo them if they did a lousy job for their age, or if they have a lousy attitude. Make them go get the trash bag out of the can and place it back in the kitchen and take it out again. 5, 10, 100 times if necessary. Yes, it’s ok to let them cut the grass in the rain, or the sun, or under a rainbow. Supervised of course. (FYI- I almost always work right alongside the kids. If they are mowing, I’m weeding…) Yes, it’s ok to have them vacuum, wash dishes, or fold laundry. Trust me, it will not kill them. Yes, it’s ok for them not to win a game or trophy. If they did not win, then they lost. Teach them to win with humility and lose with grace. Don’t Rescue Your Kids from Boredom, Second Place, or Hard Work! We all need them to grow up to be creative, humble, hardworking, gracious adults who are not afraid to work hard until the job is done right! Amen? Who knows? Maybe they will smile in the rain and relocate a few frogs along the way…
I Should Have Quit Homeschool days are NOT all sunshine and rainbows. Some days we’re better off hiding every academic activity and simply be “only” the mom. I should have quit trying to get the kids to do schoolwork when: The ceiling started dripping. I realized the water was coming from the upstairs bathroom. When I called the landlord to tell her that the upstairs bathroom was leaking into the downstairs bathroom. When my 7th grader decided I was “wasting his time by trying to get him to write down a few math steps”. My 7th grader was shaking in frustration, confusion, and rebellion. The plumber came and asked me where the main water turn off was for our new home. My 6the grader decided that 2 hours was an appropriate time limit for a lesson that was begun with the words, “honey, I am letting you do this easy math lesson today so you can practice three things: neatness, discipline, and timing…” I looked at my 6th grader’s paper only to discover he had only neatly written the lesson number after 30 minutes. My 4th grader disappeared from the school area… AGAIN. Ok, I really should have quit when: I realized that one of my kids bit another of my kids. (Really? I have No I kids under the age of 9!!!) The guilty child was just “play biting in order to get his toy back…” (I repeat. My kids are older than 9). The plumber asks, “So… You homeschool?” I reply, “Yes sir. Only today is one of those days that I question homeschooling!” I really, really, really should have quit when: The boys almost hung the dog. Accidentally of course. So, I quit. Just now. I sent the boys to bed until tomorrow. (Or until I cool down, which ever comes first) Do you ever keep going on a day that clearly communicates, “STOP!” Tell me, I’m not the only one!!
Moving and Homeschooling In case you have been wondering where I have been… Our family is relocating to Washington State. My home is in complete chaos. School has been virtually non-existent. It has been crazy! I have not had time to even think about blogging lately, not to mention the fact that this is happening so quickly that it is a shock to all who know us. Out of love and respect for our family and friends, I wanted to make sure they heard about the move from us first, before reading about it here. This is the actual week of our move, so I expect to be continuing with my internet silence for another few weeks, or until I can find my materials again. For now, I am thankful for the flexibility of homeschooling! The boys have been champions at packing and disassembling. They are super excited for their adventure. Washington, Here we come!
Snow Days!!! Learning About Snow During School My boys and I are learning all about snow! I set aside our “normal” curriculum and wrote a unit study on snow. The boys are loving the break from the norm and are dreaming about our first snowfall. Hopefully we will be sledding before the new year. In the meantime we are learning about all the different types, colors, and sounds of snow. From Blood Falls to Surviving an avalanche, we are all amazed! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am purposing to break from blogging until 2015! May the Lord bless you and your family!!!