Light of the World Jar Candle Craft

November 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,  Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.

~ Isaiah 9:2, 6-7a

 

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ!  I’m so thankful that, while we were lost in darkness and sin, God sent His promised Savior and His One and Only Son –  to bring light to our darkened world, to penetrate our sin laden hearts, and to shine the Truth of His holiness, justness, love, and grace.

I’m thrilled to be part of the Bible Christmas Crafts for Kids series hosted by Danika at Thinking Kids .  Today, I’m sharing a simple Light of the World Jar Candle Craft  that could be a delightful gift and/or decoration for helping us to reflect on Christ this season! 

Jesus the Light of the World Christmas Craft for Kids SQ

Jesus, The Light of the World Christmas Craft for Kids

 

Filed Under: Christmas, The Joy of God's Word, The Joy of Holidays

His Great Name: Jesus

November 13, 2017 by 1 Comment

His Great Name

 

In the Bible, God placed tremendous significance on names. Whether it was the naming of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Abram’s name being changed to Abraham (Genesis 17:1-6), Jacob becoming Israel (Genesis 32:28), or when Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter (John 1:42) – assigning names, changing names, or disclosing titles was important and wrapped in meaning.

A couple of Christmas’ ago our family worked together to construct a set of wooden names of Jesus ornaments.  They create a beautiful display on our tree and are a visual reminder of who we celebrate at Christmas – Jesus!   Shortly after assembling the ornaments, they turned into a springboard for a Christmas exploration on the names and titles of Jesus!

She will give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name
Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.

~Matthew 1:21

Were you aware that Jesus has over 200 names or titles that refer to Him?  Why?  Well, each title reveals either more of His nature and character, His position in relation to God the Father, or the mission and purpose that He was to fulfill.  There is so much to discover as you study His Great Name!

His Great Name: Jesus is designed to be a three year advent study focusing on who Jesus is. It creates an opportunity, as a family, to pause during this busy season and to refocus our hearts and minds on who Jesus is, why He came, and His great love and sacrifice for us.

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In Volume 1, our children followed the birth of Jesus chronologically through Scripture readings, learned the meanings behind 13 of the titles and names given to Jesus (such as Savior, Immanuel, and Son of God), attempted to relate the spiritual truth learned about Jesus to their own lives, copied and recited Luke 2:1-20, and sang related hymns of praise to Jesus.

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His Great Name: Jesus (Volume 2) contains 14 additional titles beheld by Jesus.  Our children worked through part of these lessons last December and we look forward to completing them during this Christmas season.  Through Scripture readings, students get a big picture overview of creation, sin, God’s plan for redemption, the birth of Jesus our Savior, His death, burial, and resurrection, His promise to return, and the need for our continual growth in Christ. They also copy and memorize John 1:1-18, learn the significance of Jesus’ titles (such as The Word, Creator, Light of the World, Lamb of God, etc.), discover how these can influence their view of Christ, and sing hymns to praise His Great Name!

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Let them praise your great and awesome name
— he is holy.

~Psalm 99:3

 

Come study with us the most precious name of all – Jesus!

Salvation is found in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven
given to men by which we must be saved.

~Acts 4:12

Filed Under: Christmas, The Joy of God's Word, The Joy of Holidays

Aligning Our Hearts and Minds to God’s Word

October 31, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg.  He had studied Scripture and realized that salvation comes not from indulgences and things spoken by man, but instead…

By Scripture Alone
By Grace Alone
By Faith Alone
Through Christ Alone
For the Glory of God Alone

It sparked the Protestant Reformation, causing the Church to return to reading, studying, and applying the solid Truths from the Bible!

Below are a few fun activities to get our kids thinking about the importance of this event and what God did to bring His people back to faith in Jesus Christ and His Word.

 

1) Picture Book

Read a book about Martin Luther such as Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World by Paul Maier or enjoy a chapter book by Danika Cooley titled When Lightning Struck.

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2) Indulgences

IMG_3197– What was an indulgence?  A piece of parchment paper sold by the Church with the promise to forgive the sin of a loved one that has already died.  What was wrong with this practice?

– Play ‘Coin in the Coffer’.   Set a tin can several feet away from a marked line. Give each child 10 coins.  Have each child toss the coins into the can.  Once all 10 of their  coins have successfully entered the can, they have paid for an ‘indulgence’ and earn a ‘parchment’  (one piece of candy or another prize).

 

3) 95 Theses

– What was it?  Discuss its importance.
– Print and hammer a copy of the 95 Theses to a wood board.  – Read and discuss a few of the points.  – Make and eat edible hammers!  (pretzel rods with cubed cheese or pretzel sticks and marshmallows dipped in chocolate)

4) Diet of Worms

– What was it?
– Analyze Luther’s response.  Why could he not recant?

 

5) On the Run!

Compete in a three legged race, a sprint, or relay race as a reminder that Luther was forced to flee for his life after standing up for his belief in the truth of the Bible.

6) Gutenberg Press:

– Explain the importance of this invention to the time period & watch a a video about the Gutenberg Press and/or about Johannes Gutenberg

– Experiment with stamping! Work in two teams to form a secret stamped message (Bible verse or Scripture reference to look up and read) by using foam letters placed backwards.  Once the message is formed using the letters, have the other team use a paint and roller to ink the letters.  Then, they can press the inked letters with paper to reveal the Bible verse.

7) Bible Translation

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Scripture Printables for Candy Bar Bibles

– Discuss the importance of translating the Bible into languages common people can understand.
– Then,  assemble candy bar Bibles!

 

8) Watch a  4 minute Animated Video about Martin Luther

 

9) Reader’s Theatre
Gather some props, don  some simply made costumes, and perform a reformation day skit!

10) A Mighty Fortress is Our God
Read Psalm 46 and then sing this hymn that was written in 1529 by Martin Luther.

 

11) 5 Solas: The 5 Doctrinal Principles of the Reformation
5 Solas Scripture Cross

5 Sola Scripture Cross

– Give clues for kids to hunt for 5 items. (We chose a Bible, piano book, cross, fruit, and water.  But, any items would do.) At each location, have available one copy per child of a sola definition and related Scripture to look up.
– Have children look up the Scripture reference, read it aloud, discuss its meaning, and then attach it to cross sheet.


– Allow elementary aged children to watch the Torchlighter video on Martin Luther (currently free through Amazon Prime)
– Have middle and high school aged kids listen to Piper’s explanation of the 5 Solas (at least the first and last one in the series) and color as they listen.

5 Solas: printable scrolls from Intoxicated on Life

12) Learn About Another Reformer
Guide children to read online articles about another Reformer.  Then, they can write a paragraph and orally share their findings. You may want students to record their information on some of the pages in this Reformation Notebook from Homeschool Share.
John Wycliffe
William Tyndale
Martin Luther
John Knox
John Huss
John Calvin

13) Create Stained Glass Art commonly found in churches of that day.

 

 

14) Watch a Longer Movie about Martin Luther
Luther Movie Review from Plugged In

By Scripture Alone
By Grace Alone
By Faith Alone
Through Christ Alone
For the Glory of God Alone

We so need this reminder in our current day!  We can be easily swayed by our culture and popular opinions if we are not grounded in the Truth found in Scripture.  May we, each day, take time to align our hearts and minds to God’s Word.

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Please note that some of the above ideas were adapted from the following blogs…
Living and Learning at Home
Thinking Kids Blog

Filed Under: The Joy of God's Word, The Joy of Holidays, The Joy of Homeschool

A Day in the Life of Growing Independent Learners

September 29, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Growing Independent Learners

We have five children ranging in age from 15 down to 7 and we have been homeschooling throughout their lives.  With each passing year and with the development of each child, our daily routines have considerably altered.  It’s not bad…it’s just different.  It has truly been a gradual, necessary transformation as our children have grown in their maturity, confidence, and independence.

I vividly remember that, just five short years ago, I used to spend a few hours each day in very hands on school work with our three  elementary aged children, an active preschooler, and an ‘into everything’ toddler.  They were enjoyable days, but bone-weary and challenging.  I loved that we were able to enjoy so many activities together and learn as a family, but I also distinctly  remember feeling very divided among each child since they all needed so much of my attention and direct teaching or assistance. 

from 5 years ago…

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to today…IMG_2210 (2)

Now, our school time gets spread  out longer over the course of the day and we are not able to study as many of our subjects together.  However,  those once elementary aged children are all now either middle school or high school aged,  are much more responsible for their own learning, and are developing interests which I see them taking time to pursue in their ‘non-school’ hours.

It has been rewarding to see our older children begin to ‘own’ their school work, take initiative, and be self sufficient.  We have seen them develop into independent learners!

 

 

So, what does a typical school day look like
for our homeschooling family at this new stage? 

Well, you might be a bit surprised.

I will be the first to point out that, as the kids have developed and progressed in their autonomy, my own role has changed considerably – from direct teacher to more of a facilitator for most of the kids as they learn.  This has been a difficult process for me as I feel a lot of guilt for not being as engaged and directly involved as I once was in their education.  However, I am confident (as is my husband) that this is what our kids need in order to succeed.  So, I‘ve been gradually and intentionally giving our children more options, space, and time to learn and flourish.

 

Here’s a sample day!
(a full day at home, one without music lessons or other outside learning with friends)

Morning

  • Our 6th grader is habitually up around 6:00am to start his schoolwork.  He chooses this time of day because it is quieter and there are no distractions.

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  • I’m typically awake between 7 and 7:30am.  I check in with our 6th grader and then do my Bible reading/memory work, showering, eating, and a bit of computer work.  Characteristically, I am ready to dive full force into school with the kids by 9am (well, after I start a load of laundry =) ).  (This is so different from my former season with lots of little ones.  Then, it was critical for me to be awake before all of the children so that I would have ample time to get ready for the day and have a quiet time with the Lord.)
  • Our 4th, 8th, and 10th grade girls wake up and get moving around the same time as myself.  They can be found doing their own morning routines which includes Bible devotions and AWANA work.  Our oldest often begins schoolwork during breakfast at the kitchen  table. The other girls prefer to start working at their desks in the school room.
  • As for our second grader, lately, I have been having to wake up him up -no later than 9am.  (Can you say ’growth spurt’? LOL.)
  • I usually start the school time by listening to all of the kids’ AWANA verses and helping the youngest two to memorize their Scripture work.
  • I make sure to check school work that has been completed by our 6th grader and review/assist him with any errors or misconceptions that I may notice that he has.
  • Next, I devote a large chunk of the morning to focus on our 2nd grader.   As is to be expected, he still has lots of ‘work with mom’ subjects.  These include Bible, AWANA, All About Reading, book basket reading, read-alouds, English, and spelling. He does pretty well with math and just needs some assistance with it from time to time as well as direct teaching for brand new concepts. His Xtra math and piano are independent. He is then free to play until I call him for history and science later in the day. (Our 6th and 4th grader complete a Bible study together during this time as well as work on other subjects independently, coming to ask questions as needed.)

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  • Mid-morning, kids may get a snack.
  • After working intensely with our youngest,  I usually take a break to check in on our 8th and 10th graders to see how they are progressing and to see if they need help with anything.  (By the way, several of our 8th grader’s subjects, such as math, Spanish, and literature, are online. Our 10th grader takes an online math course, but she has chosen more book based subjects this year. )

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  • Reading and discussing literature as well as dictating spelling with my 4th grader is commonly next. 
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  • After that, I’ll try to sneak in a few minutes to ask and discuss science with our 6th grader.
  • As lunch nears, if it works with what she is doing, I try to work on Literary Analysis with my 10th grader.
  • Right before lunch, I, once again, check more work and meet with kids as needed for corrections and assistance.

Afternoon

  • Then it is time for a much need lunch break all together, followed by the completion of kitchen chores.  I also check the menu plan and start the crockpot (if it is necessary) as well as  make sure to switch laundry (if I have forgotten it earlier in the day, which is quite typical ;-) ).
  • After lunch, it is usually history time.  I like to do history with our 2nd and 4th grader first.  Afterwards, I call our 6th and 8th grader to work on history together.

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  • At this point, many of our children are finished with their school day. Our 6th grader typically spends his afternoon free time on coding/ Khan Academy, constructing intricate paper modeling, building with Legos, trying out a cool science experiment that he has found, or either reading or listening to a book for his enjoyment.  The 4th and 2nd graders are usually off playing together.
  • I once again check in with the 8th and 10th graders to see how they are progressing and to see if they need help with anything.  (Our 8th grader is also normally finished with her school day by this point and enjoys reading for fun, checking out new recipes to try, sneaking in some additional piano practice, or hanging out with her siblings.)
  • I’ll meet with our 10th grader to go over her daily end of chapter history questions and, once a week, her weekly end of chapter health questions.  We’ll also discuss her writing assignments.
  • As for science with my 2nd and 4th grader, um, well, in all honesty, we still haven’t started it yet.  Sigh.  But, over the years, I’ve learned that  we will get there eventually and it will all work out by the end of the school year!
  • Laundry and dinner prep sneak up fast at this point of the day.

Evening

  • We then have dinner as a family, followed by chores.
  • After chores, we may have evening commitments outside the home or a time of free choice for what the children desire to do.
  • In the evenings, right before bedtime, my husband has been reading a YWAM Missionary Biography with all of the kids as well as leading a prayer time for missionaries and for our sponsored compassion child.  (He used to try to do this in the mornings, but as the kids grow, they tend to need more sleep.  So, our schedule has been adjusted accordingly.)

Throughout the Day

I delight in listening to the sounds of the piano, cello, and violins as the kids take turns practicing when the ‘music room’ becomes free.  I also get to witness gymnastics and crazy sibling antics, aid in resolving sibling squabbles, hear lots of ‘mommy, look at this’, answer tons of questions, refer them to God’s Word, and experience lots of hugs.  I truly do LOVE them and enjoy that I get to be home for them!

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When we first started on this homeschooling journey with lots of little ones,
I would never have been able to envision the relatively calm, productive days that we experience now. 

Yes, our days are still full and busy, but it’s a different kind of full, a different kind of busy.  These days require much pre-planning to ensure our children’s independence and lots of intentionality to guarantee I am taking time to come alongside our kids and meeting them where they are each day.  It’s far from perfect and I admit that I’m not the greatest at juggling this new stage, but I’m thankful that God is challenging me and growing me, too.   It is a great privilege and season of joy as I get to spend time with my favorite people, guiding them as they develop into independent learners who love the Lord.

 

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Past posts on a typical homeschooling day for our family…
Homeschooling – Day in the Life (K, preK, toddler, and expecting our 4th)
A Day in My Life – as a 9th Grade Homeschooler

Our 2017-2018 Curriculum

Workboxes – a stepping stone to independence

Filed Under: The Joy of Homeschool, Why We Homeschool

Solar Eclipse Activities

August 18, 2017 by 1 Comment

 

Solar Eclipse Activities

 

Start by Learning about the Phases of the Moon

1. View an Informative Video about Moon Phases

2. Watch and then Participate in a Moon Phase Demonstration

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3. Review Moon Phases by sequencing the Phases of the Moon and matching the definitions. We used these free 3 Part Moon Phases Cards from  ETC Montessori. (You may need to type ‘moon’ into the search field.)

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4. Create an Edible Phases of the Moon Model
This was such a fun moon model idea shared by 4th Grade Frolics.

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Turn your focus onto the Solar Eclipse

Create a paper and brass fastener Solar Eclipse Model 

Learn all about a solar eclipse through Free Videos!

Watch and then conduct your own Solar Eclipse Demonstrations
Video Demonstration (from The Guardian)

Read Articles and Track the Eclipse

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Build a Pinhole Viewer and Discuss Eye Safety

 

Create Some Out of this World Art
 Chalk Pastel Solar Eclipse  (free tutorial from Hodgepodge)

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Don’t forget to enjoy some fun Solar Eclipse Food
Think Sun Chips, Capri Suns, Moon Pies, crescent shaped sandwiches, moon and sun shapes cut from fruit or cheese, cupcakes with yellowish orange frosting and an Oreo on top, etc.

Remember to reflect upon the greatness of our Lord, the Creator God!
Memorize Psalm 19:1 or begin working on learning the entire Psalm! (We have a free Psalm 19 memorization booklet and copywork for kids as well as a memorization and meditation booklet for moms and older kids on our Bible Memorization page.)

The heavens declare the glory of God.
The skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 

May you enjoy this special event with your children (and stay safe)!  
And, if you happen to miss it, there is another one coming across the United States on April 8, 2024!

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Filed Under: The Joy of Homeschool
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