Reading Jars (a way to re-use all the little toys cluttering your house and motivate reading!)

Here comes summer! I needed a way to motivate my 7 year old girls in their reading. They just were not all that willing to sit and read very often, and needed to practice. I got an idea when looking at all the little random things shoved in the corners of the schoolroom. 

Quickly I grabbed two mason jars from the cupboard, one wide mouth for little hands to reach in and the other regular mouth. Next I took a sharpie and wrote on the regular mouth jar, "Reading Jar!" with stars and happy faces, covering it with random stickers from the sticker drawer. Next, I scoured my house for little bits. You know the bits: games pieces without the game, pretty buttons, little shells, broken hair clips, a domino or two, beads,dice and more. I found enough to almost fill the wide mouth jar by looking in our junk drawer, schoolroom and corners of my kids bedrooms. Next I told them the rules. "Whenever you read a book to someone (even the dog!) or when someone reads to you (Mom, Dad, Grandma, brother etc. . .) you get to reach into the jar and pick out whatever you want to go into the reading jar. When the reading jar is all filled up there is going to be a big surprise!" 

I'm saving the Groupons I got for a local kiddie amusement park for that special day! To my surprise and delight they already filled up half their jar! We have been doing a lot of reading! They have fun reaching in and searching for their little choice for the jar. 

Turn STEM into STEAMM- ART and MUSIC is important to Education

Whenever I see the tag word STEM I have always thought something was missing. Doesn't science, technology, engineering and mathematics walk hand in hand with the creativity and brain development art and music training provides? There is a strong connection between music instruction and math ability that is well known. (google it- there are too many references to post here!) I have seen with my own eyes, as an art teacher, children light up when they are doing art. Often, their confidence and creative skills greatly improve. Also many children find healing from trauma and decrease in stress as a result of doing art.  Isn't that what we need in our society? I hope this generation of children find love in art and music and use these God given gifts to worship Him and serve others. Whether they use it in a traditional sense, or in science and technology, it will be a benefit to many and enhance their lives.
#turnSTEMintoSTEAMM #creativitymatters #bringbackartandmusic

My son writing his own music
#turnSTEMintoSTEAMM

Kids Craft for October 31st

On a day when most folks are celebrating dark and scary things in the U.S. on Halloween we like to focus on the light even more. During our homeschool day today we read and talked about Philippians 2:14-15 and John 1:4 and made a simple, fun craft to show the light shining through the darkness. All my kids enjoyed it from 10 years old down to 5. 

  

^" Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky." Philippians 2:14-15

 ^"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."  John 1:4

 

 

Geography and Creative Writing Prompt Idea

Prompt:
Choose two cities on the globe. Write about an adventure going from one city to another. Include landmarks, cities, and towns you go through, bodies of water, and types of people and animals you see. The cities you choose must be on two different continents.

See how creative your kids can get with this one!

Pray to Bring Home Domenic Johansson

I just watched the heart wrenching story of Domenic Johnasson, a happy healthy 7 year old, snatched from his parents from an airplane in 2009 for the reason of homeschooling. He still hasn't been given back to his parents.
Please watch this video story of him where his parents give the first interview on television since the abduction.
Heartbreaking! God have mercy. We are praying for you Domenic, we are praying for these parents whose hearts are broken.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2012/March/Swedish-Homeschool-Family-Broken-to-Pieces/

Learning Styles

God made us all SO different didn't He? When my son was younger I started to notice things about him that were a little different then other children his age. Not bad things- just different. He was so compassionate. He cried when he saw a child crying in a baby board book picture. He was sensitive, very competitive, spiritual, adventurous. A quick learner, he hated wasting his time with review. Lets get on to the next thing! I checked out The Way They Learn by Cynthia Tobias from the library and it was such a godsend! That book helped me so much to understand my son. Is there a better gift then that? From reading the book I understood that he was about 50/50 the two learning style that have the hardest time in the traditional classroom environment. Many learning styles do great in the classroom. But for the way my son was created this was one more step in the many that led me to homeschooling (when I would have not considered it before!) Now in my 3rd year homeschooling I am so thankful for this book (even though it is not a book on homeschooling at all) and all the other books and friends and most of all Jesus, that have helped me on the journey. Thank you!!!!

At the Foot of the Cross

One of the songs that has touched me so much is "At the Foot of the Cross" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk7_SBxYSZs ) by Kathryn Scott. It is so beautiful and described the Christian life so perfectly. It is the prayer of heart.
Yesterday I read a article in a Home School Enrichment magazine titled "Homeschooling at the Foot of the Cross". The author described how she was frustrated during the day with teaching her son, and them both getting frustrated. God brought that article in my life at the right time. My oldest son and I were so frustrated with each other yesterday, he covered his ears and wouldn't listen to me! In the article the frustrated mom confided in her friend who advised her to bring every lesson into prayer with her son. So I pray "Lord please help me to teach this to my son and help my son to understand it. Help us to be filled with your love even in our lessons." Being at the foot of the cross all day in the moment of hardship. Not just s quick prayer in the morning. Teaching your children at home is refining because you are forced to teach things that aren't always easy. I have to deal your your child's behaviors and attitudes all day, and correct and train him in the ways of the Lord. Lord help me and give me grace. I will stay at the foot of the cross.

God speaks in 1 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."
In my weakness, when I submit to Him, I am strong. His strength, not mine! (1Cor. 12:10)

Oh Lord wash me at the cross. Wash away anything that is not of you.

To look up verses in the Bible go to www.Biblegateway.com

Homeschool Treasure Find!

Once in awhile I come across sometimes seemingly by accident that is so fun and educational to compliment our homeschool program. I homeschool my 6 and 4 year old boys. My 6 year old is doing remarkably well and is starting 2nd grade work this summer. (He would have been graduating kindergarten now). My friend told me that studies show that most homeschool kids are two grades ahead. I wouldn't have believed it except it is happening to us! Learning can happen so fast when there is so few students and I can go as far as they want on a subject.
Anyway back to my original post. At the library I checked out a audio story series called Rabbit Ears, "American Tall Tales." My kids loved listening to the dramatized Johnny Apple Seed, Mose the Fireman and Stormalong the tough saltwater sailor from Cape Cod (the latter is read by John Candy! I haven't heard his voice in years).
 I don't recommend the one about Rip Van Winkle, it was too weird and kinda creepy. The others have been excellent and helped the boys to understand other parts of the country, and the way people lived long ago when the ideas for these stories were first said around campfires or by grandpas surrounded by grandchildren.  A big bonus is that they are well written so we have the increase in vocabulary.