Archive | learning at home RSS feed for this section

Cultivating Learning in Everyday Activities: Outdoors

By on May 13, 2010 in learning at home

Photo Credit

How can you cultivate learning in the great outdoors? This is the final segment of our Cultivating Learning in Everyday Activities series. Check out Learning in the Kitchen, and Learning in the Laundry & Other Rooms for further inspiration.

Outdoors

1. Take a walk together and discuss seasons, the growth cycle of plants, recognize the different types of plants, leaves, flowers – all of which are beautiful means of exploring nature and science.

My cousin, Amy, adds: I count exercise as one of my daily to dos, and the kids learn a lot when we go on walks. We have fun talking about the seasons, if it’s winter or spring we look at buds on plants and talk about them, in fall we talk about how chlorophyll makes leaves green, and why they change color. We try to spot birds, etc. And of course we get books from the library on all these topics. They also like to collect nature items, which can be used to beautify the home, or can be used to make creative crafts!

Karis and I love to sit at the end of our driveway and count the cars that drive past. We count them by color, by vehicle type, and whatever other fun ways we can think of. I remember taking road trips growing up and playing games with my siblings of going through the alphabet by finding letters in license plates. We would also try to find every states license plate. These provided fun learning while on the road, but could also be done while sitting at the end of our driveway as Karis gets older.

2. Garage Sale - Autumn suggested: Give kids a table of things to sell (food items or small toys). Teach money recognition, counting, etc. Who can resist a cute little child selling some goodies?

3. Gardening
Michele shares: We enjoy gardening as a family to supply us with fresh produce, and this allows us to teach some interesting science concepts (such as decomposition, plant growth, and the water cycle/weather). As we start seeds, prepare the soil, and nurture our vermicomposting system, Gen does all these gardening tasks right alongside us. Here is a post about “educational” gardening with her when she was two-years-old.

4. Grocery store
Kat shares: My 5 year old always goes with me to the grocery store and we do lots of stuff there. We discuss the different kinds of produce, where they come from, how much they weigh and cost and I let her press the numbers for the little produce price stickers (which, I guess, is more fun than educational now that she’s older). I also show her how to pick out good produce.

Michele shares: We also work on this (identifying numbers and letters) while at the grocery store, and have begun adding in the concept of money (recognizing coins). As I make out my grocery list, she often gets her own scrap of paper and pen to practice making “her own list” (writing out letters we’ve been learning or drawing pictures).

Further Reading

Many of the ideas shared in this series where inspired from these two volumes:

Mommy, Teach Me!: Preparing Your Preschooler for A Lifetime of Learning by Barbara Curtis – an excellent volume of ideas, games, and learning activities from a Montessori mommy of 11 children. Highly recommend it!

Montessori Play & Learn: A Parent’s Guide to Purposeful Play for Two to Six by Leslie Britton – This volume is a wonderful collection of ideas for incorporating learning into your normal routine and help supplement preschool learning for your child. For planning your home, introducing your child to the supermarket or the neighborhood, and helping him discover other people and cultures, this book provides valuable tips and insights that help parents and children grow and learn together.

I wish to take a moment and thank Kat, Michele, Autumn and Amy for contributing ideas for this post! Thank you!
Comments { 6 }

Cultivating Learning in Everyday Activities: Laundry & Other Rooms

By on May 11, 2010 in learning at home

Photo credit

My mission…to cultivate a learning environment in our home. My goal…to purposefully incorporate educational concepts in our various household tasks with my little ones. Thus we continue sharing learning ideas that can be purposefully practiced while completing various household activities. Don’t miss out on sharing ideas for learning in the kitchen.

In the Laundry Room

1. Sorting laundry – teach sorting laundry by colors and then by textures, enabling a child to strengthen color identification, matching, and strengthening the sensory skills. Follow this by teaching the basics of washing laundry specifying the different temperatures needed to wash various articles of clothing, towels, etc. Clothing can be sorted by type of clothing as well (socks, underwear, shirts, pants, etc).

2. Organize clothing by owner - teaches recognition of possession by sorting the clothes by owner before folding. Karis and I discuss who each item belongs to as we sort our laundry into the piles of clothing for each person before carrying them carefully to the dressers.

3. Store a child’s clothes within their reach – from a young age, a child can learn to sort and put away their clothing as well as getting themselves dressed. Label the drawers with pictures of the different kinds of clothes kept in them, with the word was well.

4. Count the clothes - an older child could try to guess the number of items in each pile and then count them to see whether she/he was correct.

5. Matching socks – We like to set aside the socks till we have folded all the rest of the clothes and then make a game out of finding the match.

In the Bedroom

1. Make the bed – Before Karis turned three years old, we aimed to teach her organization and cleanliness by having her learn to make her own bed when she wakes up. We make a game out of it and shake the corners out together before laying the blanket out smooth on the bed.

2. Organize possessions at his/her level - We also organize all her toys at her level in a 9 cube shelving unit and rain gutter bookshelves so she can accessibly put each item away before getting out another. She still needs a gentle reminder, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how fully capable she is to accomplish these little chores.

In the Hallway

Place a hook at the kids level so she/he can hang up their own jacket after an outing. Designate a special place for his/her shoes as well. This makes the task of preparing to depart or return home much simpler, especially if you have other little ones in tow.

In the Living Room

1. Clean together – It is easy to include your children in various housecleaning tasks by providing them with their own dusting or wash cloth and some safe cleaning spray, if desired. They can learn to carefully lift up various options to dust underneath them while learning the feel of different textures – china, glass, wood, and so on. Discuss whether they are warm or cold, where they came from, how they are made, etc.

2. Answer the phone - A young child can learn to answer the phone. I believe my mom taught us this skill as early as 6 years old. We had a special phrase to say, “Hello, you’ve reached the ____(last name). This is ____(child’s name). How can I help you?” It was written next to the phone so we could remember. Now in a day of cellphones, this will not be so easy, but I want to give them the opportunity of learning basic social skills, improving communicating skills in this way from an early age.

Kat adds some additional ideas:

As we do our work, we like to talk to each other. Then when a new word comes up that they don’t know, I explain it’s meaning. Sometimes I will sound out words phonetically here and there, to get them used to the idea of how words are made up of different sounds. Teach them how words are made up of root words, etc. For example, if talking about an octopus, you can bring up that octo means eight, and an octagon is a shape with eight sides. The kids think that’s interesting info!

I try to answer their questions as we’re working together. My husband is better at this than me, I think I get tired of the incessant toddler questions! He will give answers, often that are somewhat beyond their understanding. But each time they understand a little bit more, and also it teaches them that Mom and Dad are eager to “learn” things together with them.

Including your children in your various household tasks may require more time and effort on your part to teach and instruct them, and there very well may be a bigger mess afterward…but what is more important? Investing in your relationship and teaching valuable skills in the process or sending them away and getting the job done quicker while losing out on this important opportunity?

Make these learning activities enjoyable for all by making little songs out of these tasks. For example, we came up with this little rhyme for folding laundry together:”Now we’re going to fold the clothes, fold the clothes, fold the clothes, now we’re going to fold the clothes, so early in the morning” (sung to Row, Row, Row Your Boat), with variations such as “match the socks”, etc. It definitely makes the task more fun when you can sing while you work – and the child will learn to love music and work at the same time!

Stay tuned for our final post with ideas for the great outdoors!

I wish to take a moment and thank Kat, Michele, Autumn and Amy for contributing ideas for this post! Thank you!
Comments { 14 }

Cultivating Learning In Everyday Activities – In the Kitchen

By on May 10, 2010 in learning at home

Photo credit

From a young age, children love to learn. They love to explore, imitate and absorb everything that takes place in the world around them. I have been fascinated to study and observe my daughter, Karis. She takes great delight in helping me throughout our daily activities. My passion has always been to cultivate a love for learning in my little ones from the earliest moments. I want them to cherish the joys of exploring, imaging, creating, and delighting in God’s creation and design of how things work and function.

Lately, I have been pondering how can I really cultivate a purposeful learning environment in our home? Yes, I can include her in these activities, but how can I turn these everyday tasks and activities into learning potential. While exploring this world of a child’s brain, I have found some wonderful ideas through friends and resources that I wanted to share with you today. All these activities are appropriate for 2 1/2 – 5 year olds. I have been amazed how young they can begin to learn to help and serve. What important life skills can be learned with plenty of praise and practice. I have learned that you should never underestimate the knowledge and ability of a two year old.

Thus we begin a series of posts sharing ideas for cultivating learning in everyday activities throughout your house.

In the Kitchen

There is much opportunity to teach mathematics and scientific skills in the kitchen while teaching your little ones how to cook and bake. Arrange your kitchen in such a way that the plates, bowls, silverware are at a reachable height for the little one. This will enable them to help uploading the dishwasher and setting the table.

1. Loading the dishwasher - teach sorting of silverware and dishes into categories, matching shapes. Teach how to handle sharp objects.

2. Washing dishes - having a small stool handy will enable your child to help wash dishes. Encourage learning how to carefully handle breakable items which strengthens their concentration. Kids love using soap and wash clothes to clean dishes. Place a towel next to the sink for the child to lay their washed dishes on or guide them in loading immediately.

3. Setting the table - Karis finds great delight in setting the table and learning how to carefully handle carrying plates from the cupboard to the table. Table setting is a opportunity to teach the concepts of left and right and will also appeal to her sensitivity to order. Make a sample placemat with drawings of plate, cup, silverware for a child to use as a model.

4. Cooking & baking together - Karis can pull a chair over to the stove top or counter top and learn how to mix and stir items carefully. Measuring items is a great scientific experiment. With supervision, we stir ingredients on the stove top and observe the different results of hot versus cold, what happens to ingredients when they are heated.

Use glass measuring cups where the calibrations are viewable so a child can learn to measure ingredients themselves. At a older age, we can teach subtraction, by putting too much in and asking them to remove enough to correct it.

Talk about the step by step process of following a recipe. Having a child’s apron and hot pad helps encourage them that they can be involved and a valuable asset to our food preparations.

Michele shares some further ideas:
We have encouraged our daughter Gen (now age three) to help with our regular household tasks since she was very young. Before she was two-years-old, she began helping in the kitchen. It became a great way of teaching her concepts such as “in,” “out,” “in front of,” “behind,” “on top,” and “under.” She also practiced stacking (and making items fit), by learning to recognize size differences. (She owns a set of toy stacking cups, but “helping mama” with the measuring cups was much more fun!) As she has gotten older, we have started identifying numbers and letters. She enjoys looking on the cookbook pages to find letters and numbers that she recognizes.

Including your children in your various household tasks may require more time and effort on your part to teach and instruct them, and there very well may be a bigger mess afterward…but what is more important? Investing in your relationship and teaching valuable skills in the process or sending them away and getting the job done quicker while losing out on this important opportunity?

What ideas can you share for including your children and purposeful learning in the kitchen?

Stay tuned as we discuss learning ideas in the laundry room, bedroom, living room and the great outdoors!

Comments { 20 }

The Family that Reads Together: Recommended Read Alouds

By on February 3, 2010 in building the family, learning at home

Photo credit

“The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.” - Becoming A Nation of Readers

Families reading together is one of the most splendid traditions and habits you can cultivate as a family. You may find it common to read to your little ones throughout the day, but have you considered scheduling family reading time together? I recall snuggling up around a warm fire and listening to a fun story my Papa would read to all eight of us children when I was a child. These were some of my favorite memories! When you read together:

  • You build family relationships in a unique way. You are sharing an experience of entering the world of the story teller, stirring the imagination as you enter the lives of the characters in the story.
  • You grow together as a family. You can interact together, discuss the contents of your readings, and encourage a learning environment in this way.
  • You share a fun, profitable and frugal activity. Many in our generation consider expensive family vacations as necessary to spend time together, but miss out on the day by day opportunities to invest quality time in a free activity. These are far more significant.
  • Your family strengthens reading, vocabulary and pronunciation skills. Taking turns reading aloud will also help strengthen vocabulary and pronunciation. We would do this in our morning devotions as well. Each person would read 5 verses and then make a comment. It built reading skills but also logic, speech and articulation skills. You can even encourage fun modulation and variation in your voices for varying characters which builds confidence and speech skills.
  • Your family will become better writers. Practically every individual in my family loves writing. It is well known that the more you read the better you will be able to write. Reading the classics is especially important for this.
  • Your family will become lifelong readers. Cultivating a love for reading in your childrens’ youth will last a lifetime.

If you don’t have time to take such adventures together, you need to re-evaluate your schedule. Reading together should be a regular part of the events at your home. Set aside an evening each week for family reading together. Turn off the technology gadgets around your home and snuggle up, and you will not regret it!

I wanted to share a collection of recommended books that are excellent for such times of families snuggling up together and enjoying a good book. This list is compiled because it is highly suitable for all ages.

Little Britches- a series of eight stories based upon the life of Ralph Moody. It begins with Ralph at eight years old in 1906 when his family moved from New Hampshire to a Colorado ranch. Through his eyes we experience the pleasures and perils of ranching there early in the twentieth century. Auctions and roundups, family picnics, irrigation wars, tornadoes and wind storms give authentic color to Little Britches. So do adventures, wonderfully told, that equip Ralph to take his father’s place when it becomes necessary. 

Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance & Tales of Restoration by David Mains – This three volume set is a powerful allegorical story set around the Enchanted City.  Each volume consists of twelve fantasy short stories, set in a city ruled by an evil Enchanter who has usurped the throne from the true King. They draw on the imagery of the kingdom that Jesus Christ Himself taught in His ministry. Under the influence of the evil Enchanter, the people of the Enchanted City prefer darkness to the light, and so sleep during the day and work at night. But the King is at work delivering the city and rescuing the poor and needy and bringing them to the Great Park. Great for meaningful dialog!

Freddy The Pig Series by Walter Brooks – for some fun family reading, you must check out Freddy the Pig. This series of stories follows the life and adventures of Freddy and his fellow farm animals. Freddy is a detective, explorer, and adventurer taking the animals all over the place in their explorations. These stories are hilarious and will definitely keep your family laughing together. Classic stories written from 1927-1958 includes 26 volumes. Reading level is ages 9-12, but I believe all levels will enjoy these.

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder – Adventures from the life of a family living on the Prairie in early American. Delightful!

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - who cannot include this wonderful allegorical series in this list? Need I say more?

Lamplighter Publishing- Lamplighter has republished classic character building stories that have stood the test of time. Many were written in the 1800′s and have powerful moral stories that are well worth reading again and again. They are all beautifully hardcover books. Two of my favorites include: Basket of Flowers & Robbers’ Cave – beautiful amazing stories your kids will be sitting on the edge of their seats especially with Robbers’ Cave. These are my all time favorite family reading materials, but are also great gifts for your children. Many of this collection is available through Vision Forum Ministries.

YWAM’s Christian Heros: Then & Now Series - an awesome inspiring series of stories on historical figures and missionaries. Each inspiring true story of a man or woman who answered God’s call is a testimony to a real-life adventure of faith and determination. I remember devouring these as a child and I believe they had a lasting impact in shaping my life with a heart for missions. These are excellent reading for all ages! These books are also available through Amazon.

I will also add that listening to books on tape/CD is a wonderful pastime for car travel as a family. We listened to many classic stories during our trips around the country and it was a great way to spend the time. Focus on the Family Radio Theater was a huge favorite for this! Les Miserables, Narnia & Anne of Green Gables were classics!

Further Resources:

Why Read Aloud? – Chapter One from Jim Trelease’s The Read-Aloud Handbook
The DO’S and DON’Ts of Read-Aloud – Chapter Four from Jim Trelease’s The Read-Aloud Handbook
Hints for Reading Out Loud – A page from Madame Esme’s Website
Reading Aloud: Tips for Parents and Teachers

What favorite titles do you recommend for family reading?

Comments { 41 }

Favorite Reads from 2009

By on January 7, 2010 in building the family, learning at home

I love reading! It is one of my favorite pastimes to be cuddled up with a good book. I only wish I had a nice fireplace in our home to cuddle in front of (memories of childhood). “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body” is my motto. Mark Twain once said, “The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” I began back in 2008 to record my reading list and goal for the year here on my blog. Since taking this step, I have been challenged and motivated to read far beyond my original goals. I have been inspired again and again through the rich materials published for our benefit. Reading brings such joy and refreshment to my life. I highly recommend cultivating a habit of reading. Here are some favorite highlights from 2009!

Womanly Dominion: More Than A Gentle and Quiet Spirit by Mark Chanski was by far my favorite read from 2009! This book challenged me to really understand the position, domain, and calling God had assigned for me as a women. It was a call to play your position and to play with a win it mentality! Do your work unto the Lord! A must-read for all women, young and old, single or married. Read my full review here.

From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out by Nancy Twigg was my second favorite book for the year. I was so blessed by the way this book challenged me to root out all the emotional and spiritual clutter in my life. She addresses how to reduce clutter in your home as well, but most importantly starting with your heart! Read my full review here.

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Poland is my new favorite read on the history and industrialization of food. He gives you all the amazing details as to where most of the standard supermarket food comes from and how you can find the “real” thing. Read my full review here.

Don’t Make Me Count to Three: a Mom’s Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline by Ginger Plowman is a fabulous read for mothers on training your children through the Word of God. She focuses on training the heart by using soul-searching questions and Biblical truth to draw out here children. I love this book!

Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World by Carolyn McCulley is a fantastic, eye-opening read on the history of feminism. This was both a fascinating and moving read, stirring up women to come to a proper understand of our culture and times and what we can do about it.

Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in Our Daily Lives by Wendy Alsup is a sort and yet powerful read on Biblical theology written for women. She challenges women to grow deep roots in the Word of God for it affects every area of your life. Theology is for everyone! Read my full review here.

The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections by Amanda Soule was such a delightful read in encouraging fun, interactive, creative play as a family. She gives a wealth of ideas for supplying your children with the tools necessary to strengthen imagination. I appreciated the focus on building relationships – the most important thing. Read my full review here.

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey was another book that was very valuable to our family this past year. I had heard so many good reports from this book and his methods that we knew we had to read it. Dave Ramsey offers valuable principles in helping individuals and families get out of debt and be financially free. The principles are practical and his step by step system works. We were able to save our $1,000, get out of debt, and now we are making strides on step 3 to build our emergency fund more strategically this year, thanks to Dave’s motivation!

Check out my new 2010 Book List.

Previous reading lists and recommendations:

My Book List 2008

My Book List 2009

Recommended Reading List

“The more that you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” -Dr. Seuss

“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” –Atwood H. Townsend

Have you made a book reading list/goal for yourself this year? What books would you like to read?

Comments { 25 }

Christ-Centered CD’s for Kids & Giveaway!

By on November 20, 2009 in building the family, learning at home, news & giveaways

My daughter loves to sing! A dear friend prayed over her an infant that she might be a singer and worshiper of Jesus, and I believe the Lord is answering that prayer! Recently, I set out on a mission to find some good solid CD’s of music, especially Scripture verses set to music that we could fill our home with. I decided this was going to be her Christmas present: a Portable CD Player(one that she could carry around the house with her) and a few good CD’s for her enjoyment. Here are some great finds and a fun giveaway!

Songs for Saplings - Songs for Saplings is a ministry of a home school mother (who actually lives in my area), Dana Dirkson. Her vision is to supply families with solid Christian music that would teach children about God. Thus far she has released four CD’s that are simply wonderful! The Songs for Saplings ABC’s puts Scripture verses to music that can be used while you teach your children their ABC’s. It includes a Scripture verse song for every letter of the alphabet, in addition to verses that can be used throughout the year for all the holidays. Very simple verses so great for toddler and preschoolers especially. I did give this CD to Karis already and she absolutely loves it! She can sing many of the songs already and it fills my heart with such delight as she learns simple Bible verses. It is never too early to plant God’s Word in their little hearts. Her other CD’s are a series titled Question & Answers that go through God & Creation, the Fall & Salvation, Christ and His Work, teaching basic doctrine to children in a catechism of sorts. Dana also offers chord charts that are free to download from her site. Highly recommended!

Steve Green’s Hide Em in Your Heart- I loved these CD’s as a child! Steve Green sets Bible verses to music in a fun, entertaining way. I can still sing many of the songs from these CD’s from my childhood. Music is so powerful! This set includes the DVD video that are enjoyable to watch and teach the verses and character qualities more visually. Check out Hide Em in Your Heart Vol 01 & Hide’em in Your Heart Vol. 2.

To Be Like Jesus - by Sovereign Grace Ministries. A fabulous solid collection of worship songs for children. To Be Like Jesus contains twelve worship songs that teach the fruit of the Spirit in a creative and memorable way. Through these songs kids will learn that Jesus is our perfect example of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. They are theologically sound and engaging. We use alot of Sovereign Grace worship music at our church and always enjoy their albums. You can also purchase this album directly from Sovereign Grace here.

Hymns for A Kid’s Heart – by Bobbie Wolgemuth – An excellent series of books and CD’s that will help teach your children the beauty of hymns. Hymns are packed full of solid gospel truth and are such a tool to be used in teaching your children the Word of God. Each book in this series includes a story about the history behind each hymn, lyrics, verses to be discussed and prayers. We recently purchased the Christmas Carols for a Kid’s Heart to be included in our preparations for Christmas. I want my little ones to hear and understand the wonderful gospel truths that are proclaimed in some of the traditional carols and the history behind them. Also, check out Passion Hymns for a Kid’s Heart.

Seeds Family Worship - I just stumbled upon these CD’s through recommendations by the readers and after listening the samples, I just had to add these CD’s to the list! Wonderful Scripture based songs for all – adults and children alike! There is a lot of variety in style and voices, including voices of children and adults. I can definitely see myself really enjoying this music as well and learn Scripture together with my little ones. Series includes: Seeds of Courage, Seeds of Faith, Seeds of Purpose, and Seeds of Praise.

Now, for the giveaway!

Dana Dirkson has graciously donated one copy of Songs for Saplings: ABC’s for us to giveaway! You can have the chance to add this awesome CD to your family collection.

TO ENTER:

1. Simply add a comment below and share your favorite resource for teaching your children. It could be your favorite music CD, book, or resource.

Giveaway closed.

Comments are closed

Our Jesse Tree: A Focused Advent Celebration

By on November 18, 2009 in building the family, learning at home

Last year, I was introduced to the idea of a Jesse Tree as a purposeful way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and our family loves it!

The name “Jesse Tree” comes from Isaiah 11:1-2: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”

The Jesse Tree idea centers around Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophesy being the “stump of Jesse”. I had a blast beginning to assemble my own homemade ornaments to add to our tree throughout the Advent season. Each ornament represents a different story, starting at the beginning of Creation and working all the way to the coming of Christ Jesus. Each reading shows how all the Old Testament points towards the coming of Christ as the Messiah. The Jesse Tree gives such a beautiful picture into seeing how each story of the Bible speaks about God. Each story is a little whisper of His name and a glimpse into character, plan and purpose. The Jesse Tree is a form of Advent, in which you read one story each day from November 30-December 25. It is a fun and purposeful opportunity to sit down as a family and read more about His coming, but also have a visual representation through each ornament.

We used the The Glorious Coming: A Jesse Tree Advent Celebration by Ann Voskamp. It includes all the daily reading plus paper ornaments that you can print and cut out for your tree. Ann’s readings are excellent and very thought provoking and suitable for all age levels. Discussion questions included. She recently updated to include black and white versions of the paper ornaments so you have the option of decorating them yourself and larger editions that can be used as coloring pages for the kids while you are reading the Advent devotions. I wanted to make my own ornaments, so we assembled our own ornaments and will be gradually adding a few more each year until we have a complete collection. I did not want to attempt to put it all together at once. 26 ornaments takes time. Why rush? Making your own is a fun way to include your children in the process. It can be very frugal, as most of our ornaments are simply made with felt and twine. I purchased a little 2 foot tree at my local Goodwill for $5 for which to hang our ornaments. But, the ideas here are endless!

I have included below the pictures of our current collection, in no particular order…

Continue Reading →

Comments { 53 }

The Fruitfulness of Reading

By on August 14, 2009 in building the family, faith & womanhood, learning at home

This is a speech I wrote in high school that I stumbled upon the other day and wanted to share it with you all. It is rather lengthy, but I was and continue to be passionate about challenging people to read. Encouraging reading in our home is one way to pursue simple and fruitful lifestyles. Why not designate one night a week to be a family reading night? Turn off the distractions, and have every one cuddle up in your favorite spot with a good book and enjoy!

Several decades ago, an American paper manufacturing company ran a series of ads in the major magazines, and each one had the same caption: “Send us a man who reads!” This generation is greatly lacking in the area of reading…we have satisfied our leisure time with numerous hours opposite of the television, lounging with a newspaper in hand, consumed in front of a computer screen, or simply wasting precious time in carefree thought and mindless wandering. We have stripped ourselves of a blessed pleasure that lies within our grasp. Young and old alike have abandoned the age old practice of reading, and it is affecting our intelligence, our character, and the attitude in which we live this life. God’s given each of us a beautiful mind and we control what enters in. Let’s put our minds to better use!

Continue Reading →

Comments { 17 }

Learning Resources for Toddlers

By on June 17, 2009 in learning at home

One of my projects lately has been to map out a plan for spending some more purposeful learning time with Karis this summer and into the fall. My goal is to spend 1 hour each morning, from 10-11am, during Titus’ morning nap, to have some special one-on-one learning time with Mommy. The first half hour will be an activity followed by a half hour of reading books together (keeping encouraging that love for reading thanks to the local library!). I am excited to explore together with her! Here are some of the resources and ideas we are using…

Continue Reading →

Comments { 38 }

Guest Post: Biblical Foundations for Child Education – Part 2

By on March 18, 2009 in building the family, learning at home

This is part 2 of a two part guest post by Jessica, mother of two, who is joyfully serving alongside her husband as they minister as international church planters in Eastern Europe. For part 1, visit here.

Previously I told you about what my husband and I are currently doing with our children for their biblical education.  I wanted to share with a few resources to help you out.

Resources that we read to help us get started:

Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham

This is one of the three must read books that I recommend to parents.  Dr. Baucham unashamedly explains how it is parents’ responsibility to be discipling their children and explains ways to get started.  The book goes through an exegesis of Deuteronomy 6 to present the argument.  Dr. Baucham challenges the current trend of youth groups and public schooling and even if you don’t agree with everything he presents, you will be challenged to evaluate your family’s practices.  I highly recommend that both the husband and wife read this book and discuss the principles.  My husband said that after reading it, he was really challenged to make sure he was living up to his responsibility for discipling his family if he wanted to be a man.

Family Worship In the Bible, In History, and In your Home by Donald Whitney

This is a short book that presents the biblical history of family worship and gives suggestions of how to start family worship time and what type of components should be included in this time.  Again, both spouses should read it or singles should read it and choose a spouse who desires for family worship time.

Continue Reading →

Comments { 11 }