Teaching Thankfulness

Teacher Tuesdays

Is it any wonder that we crowd stores to buy things we don’t really need the very day after we’re supposed to be thankful for what we already have?

Today, I wrote a post on College Park Church's Blog about how to teach thankfulness to your children at Thanksgiving. You can find it here:

But remember, in order to teach thankfulness, you need to be thankful yourself.

What are you thankful for today?

 

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I Thessalonians 5:18

Teacher Tuesday Humor

A little humor today for Teacher Tuesday. This would be my child. :)

Does LEGO Rockband on the wii count as a musical instrument?

Bringing Exodus Home

Teacher Tuesdays

I was recently asked to blog on our church's website about how to take our current sermon series on the book of Exodus and apply it at home. What a privilege!

It just so happens that we're studying Exodus from the ancient times in our home school right now. I love how God coordinates things. :)

So for your reading pleasure and enlightenment, here's the blog: Bringing Exodus Home.

When Mommy/Teacher Gets Sick

Teacher Tuesdays

I recently shared pictures of our first few days of school. I even created a plan for what I'd do if I struggled with various moods during the year. I neglected to plan for sick days.

Last week, I had some sort of allergy-headache-bowling ball for a brain-kind of day. When my kids were little, we could enjoy a bag (or three) of popcorn and PBS Kids. But that's not an option when "the show must go on" and little minds still need to wrestle through school.

How did I cope?

Well, for starters, during preschool time, while studying the letter B, my boys and I laid down and watched a couple of Blues Clues episodes as I prayed for the ibuprofen to kick in.

Our laundry didn't get finished in one day as I'd have liked.

The dishes remained in the sink. I was thankful the kids had something to eat, even though it came out of a jar and a can.

Daily chores weren't checked, meaning they weren't done.

And for our history reading, my throat was too sore, so I had my 11 year old read for us.

These days happen to all of us. Unfortunately, we don't get sick days. But we can cope. Navigate. Alter the course a little bit.

The dishes can be done another day. The laundry isn't going anywhere. An extra movie in the afternoon while I rest on the couch will not hurt their brains.

It sure does make us thankful for the healthy days, though, right? And early bedtimes?

Question: How do you handle sick-days as a mom? Any tips?

"He tends his flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart;

he gently leads those that have young."

Isaiah 40:11

Rapping the Bible

Teacher Tuesdays

Have you ever tried rapping the Bible?

We started school this week, and for scripture memory, we picked up where we left off last year in Matthew 5:21-22. I have a long-term goal to learn all of Matthew 5, 6, &7. It's going to take awhile!

To change it up, we decided to rap this short section. Below, you'll see the humerous result. Hey, whatever works, right? Many thanks to my 7 year old son who video taped about a dozen mess-ups!

What fun things are you thinking of doing this year to hide God's word in the hearts of your children?

Finding Free & Discounted Books

Teacher Tuesdays

Finding Free & Discounted Books can be a challenge, but with the internet, we have a lot of options, especially if you're willing to use ebooks. You can download a free reader at Kindle for PC. Some are simply pdf's, no reader required. Below is a list of the places I search first when looking for books for our home school.

FREE

Project Gutenberg. Find free online books such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, among thousands of others.

Kindle E-Books. More classics, with modern books thrown in as well. Wuthering Heights, Lord, Teach Us to Pray by Andrew Murray, and The Pursuit of God, to name a few.

Online Literature has lists sorted by author, title, and time period. 

Inspired Reads. This is a blog that offers free Christian ebooks every day. The style varies, but I've found some great free resources.

$1 or Less

Ebay. I just scored a large hard cover picture book lot for under $1 each shipped, including many award winning books. I was looking for some new picture books for my preschooler, and this deal made my month! I hadn't thought to look on Ebay before this for "Lots" of books. Buying in bulk saves shipping.

Half Priced Book Store. Their clearance section often has books that range from $1 or less. Go prepared to hunt. It's not really organized. (At least ours isn't).

Garage Sales. Again, if you enjoy the hunt, this is a great way to pick up books under a dollar.

$3
Paperback Swap. You send your books to other members, and then you get credits for books that you want. Although you're still paying on average $3/book that you ship, they give you credits in advance just for signing up, so you start out ahead of the game. At this point, though, I've been in it long enough that it feels like I'm just paying $3/book.

Amazon used books. I've found that many of their used books also qualify for Free Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. I used this option when ordering school books this year.

$5
Half.com This is a great resource, but your minimum shipping rate is $3.99/book, so if you add a 75 cent book, you're almost at $5. This is still much better than running out to the local bookstore, though! And this summer, I found a free shipping special, so my 75 cent books were actually only 75 cents!

What treasure am I  missing out on? Where do you find your book deals?

Pre-Reading Books

Teacher Tuesdays

I admit it. I shelter my kids. 

"I will set no wicked thing before my eyes."

Psalm 101:3a

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

Proverbs 4:23

My children's minds are growing daily, and for a short time of their lives, I can stand at the gate and help guard what goes in and out. I know that each family has different values and ways of doing this. Mine are probably tighter than most in some areas, but not as tight as others in different areas.

Movies and music are pretty easy to monitor, but as my 11 year old grows and becomes more of a reader, it's getting harder for me to be the guard over her books. My prayer is that I've taught her right from wrong from God's word so she can learn over the coming years to know how to protect her heart.

For this school year, studying the ancient time period, I bought a dozen or so books from recommended book lists for her to read alone. I thought it might be a good idea to browse a few of them, just to check them. I was honestly thinking more of reading level than content.

Books that make you blush...

Picking up The Epic of Gilgamesh, a book written long ago, between the days of Noah and Abraham, within the first few pages, I was blushing! To see if I was overly prudish, I read a few pages to some friends, and their eyes widened as well.

After that experience, I've decided not to trust book lists, and I will be pre-reading almost all of her books this year. It is a lot more work on my end, but I know it will be worth it. And, I'll be able to enjoy many of the books along with her, like The Golden Goblet which I just finished and thought was exciting and great for the time period.



For the record, I shelter myself too.

I'm convinced more than ever that what I put into my mind via music, media, and books makes a huge difference in my life, and as I get older, my time is more precious and most movies and shows seem more destructive than entertaining or valuable.

And lest people think that books are safer, I would heartily disagree. In fact, my imagination can take me farther in a book than any movie could go. That is a gateway that definitely needs to be guarded!

The time will come, gradually, that she can handle heavier material. But just as I do not plan on reading personally anything that will make me blush before God, I will most certainly not read them to my kids or let their imaginations wild on them.


"For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret."
Ephesians 5:12

Moms - be the guard for your children. And I'd also encourage you to be a guard for your own heart as well.

Math Made Fun

Teacher Tuesdays

After finishing up her final math lesson for the summer, my 11 YO leaned back dramatically in her chair and sighed, "Mom, I just don't know what I would have done without Times Tales!"

Have you heard of Times Tales? It's a pneumonic way of learning your upper multiplication facts. We had to learn the old fashioned way with flash cards and sheer will power. My very creative daughter was able to learn with pictures and stories, in about a month. And she still knows them.

But Times Tales isn't just for those who are struggling. My other daughter, who's great at math, loved it, and it really moved her forward.

I should mention that though the name implies multiplication, they learn their division facts too by finding out what is missing in the story (AKA equation).

Multiplication and Division made fun. I never thought it was possible. Where was this when I was a kid?

Trying to create a flexible school plan

Teacher Tuesdays

It's summer, so don't expect any real depth of wisdom on Teacher Tuesdays.

Right now, I'm gathering books, cleaning off shelves, making lists, and brainstorming what will make this year PERFECT.

Isn't that funny? I am actually chuckling to myself about that last statement.

I'm a planner. I love lists and color-coded charts. I love fitting life into boxes.

But I'm not a follower. I don't like following the strict schedules I make for myself. A week into a plan, and I'm ready to bust out. (A growth area I'm working on.)

So, I'm trying to plan a flexible plan this year that will make me feel like I'm in control, and not tied to my own self-made agenda, and yet still fits everything in.

Does this perfect plan even exist? :)

Maybe I'm dreaming. But it's still fun to see it start to work on paper.

How do you plan for fall? Do you like to plan more than implement, like me? Or would you rather someone just give you a plan that you can take and run with?