Missionary Monday: Jim Elliot

11/30/2015

I think almost everyone knows the Story of Jim Elliot and the Auca Indians. I first read his story when I was a teen and it has stuck with me ever since. The courage needed to serve a people known for their savagery. The sheer trust in God needed.

BUT on to who Jim Elliot was.

Born in Portland, Oregon, Jim Elliot was interested in missions from the time he was a little boy. Listening raptly to visiting missionaries and asking countless questions of them. He was not afraid to speak out about Christ even through to his highschool years, carrying a bible with him wherever he went.

Before working among the Aucas, Jim Elliot and his partner, Pete Fleming, worked among the Quichua people in Ecuador.    They worked hard to learn the Spanish and Quichua language, and to pick up some of the Auca language.

The Aucas were much feared, they killed anyone who ventured onto their land.   They were a very fierce people, but Jim Elliot and his comrades knew how much they needed to learn about who Jesus was.

First they tried to show their friendly intentions.   Giving gifts and living safely across the river.   Showing kindness in every way they could.    But it was in vain during Jim Elliot's life. He lost it to the Auca's. He had a choice... defend himself with a gun or allow himself to stand by what he was convicted of.. that he would not take the life of an Aucan, a man who didn't know the love of Jesus.

BUT (and this is the cool part).... within a couple of years Elisabeth Elliot, her daughter Valerie, and Rachel Saint (Nate's sister) were able to move to the Auca village. Through their witness many of the Auca's became Christians.

I learned through the Brinkman Adventures what the Aucas, now called the Waodoni people are doing now.   You should check it out.   It's a neat story of trust in God, of choosing to stand by one's convictions, and to not let fear stop you from doing what you know God is calling you to do.

E is for Elliot, Jim Elliot missionary to Ecuador.

Sources:
Christianity.com.
Inspirational Christians.
American Evangelicals.
Wikipedia.

I am joining up with the ABC Bloggers this week. Check link below.

Engaging the senses to cement knowledge

11/28/2015

Science has proven that part of memory is the senses that accompany them. So to help our children retain information, the more we engage the senses, the more our children will retain in their memories.

So a child that creates something in the process of learning about it, retains the information longer.

Whether that creation be a poem: My boy considers this one the best poem he has written so far. :)

Or learning math, science and geography while cooking our way through Europe. One has the fun of company, the smell of food cooking, the opportunity to read a recipe and the hands on fun of mixing foods together. Those strawberry desserts below were made almost entirely by one 10 year old. :)

Learning about nature in the raising of mice, toads and a snake. The feel of the prey in your hands as you feed them, the fun of watching a snake fish, and toads do their silent stare when they see a mealworm move or see a doodlebug scurry.

Doing interesting things like interactive math journals to make learning math more fun! It's good to make a monster when you are learning the technical terms for pattering rules.

You can learn how others do hands-on learning in their schoolrooms by checking out this link.

Review: Murder at the Courthouse

11/28/2015

A motherless boy, a man murdered, a hometown man killed...could they all be connected? It's a Hidden Springs Mystery called "Murder at the Courthouse", written by A.H. Gabhart. Will Michael figure things out before it's too late?

Book Synopsis:
Nothing ever happens in Hidden Springs, Kentucky–and that’s just fine with Michael. Nothing, that is, until a dead body is discovered on the courthouse steps. As Michael works to solve the case, it seems that every nosy resident in town has a theory. When the sheriff insists Michael check out one of these harebrained theories, his surprising discovery sends him on a bewildering search for a mysterious killer that has him questioning everything he has ever believed about life in Hidden Springs.

My Thoughts:
When I signed up for this review I thought that this book would be right up my alley but I really struggled reading it. It simply didn't grab my interest...until the next to last chapter and then I just wanted to know if the person I thought was the guilty party was indeed the guilty party (and I was correct).

It wasn't a bad book in and of itself. It wasn't. It had good characters rich in history and possibilities for the future. It has real life subplots, and a real small town feel... but some of the characters seemed SO predictable.. like the bumbling deputy, the gossipy old lady, the virtuous older woman and so forth. And YES every small town has those people (I know mine does) but ... what can I say... this book just didn't suit me. That's what it comes right down to.

BUT here's the kicker.....what suits one person might not suit another and vice versa. The book was good enough that I would happily let other people borrow it and indeed I have someone waiting to do so. So if you are able to check it out, do so. :)

Product Details:
Received: Softcover book
Author: Murder at the Courthouse
Author: A.H. Gabhart
Publisher: Revell
Series: A Hidden Springs Mystery
Pages: 321
Reviewed for: Nuts About Books

Christmas Craft Fun

11/27/2015

A while back I issued an invitation to the folks in my homeschool group. Come join us for a craft day. We'll make Christmas crafts...the ones that pop up on facebook so frequently.

Two families responded to that invitation but only one manged to make it here. Having one family here made it easy for this introverted family to just relax and have fun. :) We had a blast.

I had pulled up a variety of crafts that I found. Some simple ones and some more complicated.

These were supposed to be hot chocolate, mints, marshmallow jars, but in this house we are somewhat flexible in the "this is what you should do" rules.

The children experimented with what they wanted to have in the snowmen and how to fit them all together.

I loved what the children did with the pinecones. One became an elf, another a Christmas tree. The tree becoming an ornament for the tree.

A stuffed felt Christmas tree joined them. I got this inspiration from the trees up at Fanshawe Pioneer Village that we recently went to.

Our sock snowman proved a hit! Check out how they are decked out. :)

I like offering options about how children should engage themselves in a craft and the variety is great is it not? :)

if you want to know how to make them, check out this youtube video.

We ended up having a whole family of these delightful clay pot snowme n. They all looked different, one had a baseball cap, another a pink hat, all had different faces and different head gear. Seeing the creativity expressed was so neat. :)

Christmas sleighs from candy canes and chocolate bars, and gob stoppers in a box. Every single one made looked different, and one even had a man driving it. :) Fun to see the artistic designs of these children. :)

These ornaments made using bits of crayon turned out to be a total hit. I think almost everyone made one, except for the youngest who made an ornament using pony beads stuffed inside the ornament...it looked quite nice. They were so easy to make, and the colours sometimes mixed in ways we didn't expect. Its a very neat craft to make.

After a meal of spaghetti we finished off our night making gingerbread men. It was a great afternoon and we look to be doing it again sometime. :)

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Opportunities.

11/26/2015

Black Friday through Cyber Monday is becoming a good sales weekend. It's a great time at these post Thanksgiving Day sales to pick up curriculum on sale! Neat eh? to have that opportunity isn't it. :)

I thought I would take a moment to share some of my affiliate curriculums with you that deserve a second look.

Want to add some music to your schooling in an easy way? Check out 20th Century Music Appreciation. Friday through Monday save $10. So your price is $15 instead of the normal $25. :)

21 Lessons in 20th Century American Music Appreciation Black Friday/ Cyber Monday $10 off sale

Grapevine Studies has a sale on as well. It's for their birth of Jesus study. So it's great to do right before Christmas, really help those children get a good handle on what the Christmas season is really all about. The sale is for 30% off. :)

I hope you will find these links helpful. If you do pick up these items, do know that you will be helping to support schooling my lad, one of the most important parts of my life. :)

Educents deals this weekend!

11/26/2015

It's that time again... time to head over to Educents to pick out one of their many discounted curriculum items. They have all kinds of deals waiting for you to browse through. :)

For Black Friday & Cyber Monday, everyone gets an extra 10% off already discounted educational gifts PLUS free shipping on all orders.

Educational Toys & Games | Subscriptions

Curriculum | Musical Instruments

Educational Toys & Games

Magformers

These colorful tiles click together magnetically to form shapes like sea creatures, vehicles, dinosaurs and more! While playing, kids will develop motor skills, explore geometric concepts, and get a crash course on engineering! For ages 6 to 13.

“This toy is perfect for a birthday or Christmas gift! My 8-year-old (who has decided that this is his new favorite activity) has already asked for another set so that they can build even more amazing creations!” -Gena, I Choose Joy!

“Sometimes, when I need to get some work done, I find an educational video for the kids to watch. I didn’t need to with the Magformers! They were totally occupied all evening. I even had to tear them away at 9 p.m. to go to bed. :)” -Yvonne C.

Peel, Play & Learn - Buy one get one free!

These fabric stickers are an interactive way to learn about concepts like the solar system, geography, science, time, and money. The reusable stickers will allow you to bring your lessons to any room in the house! Even transport lessons using your the car window! For ages 5 to 10.

"This is an extremely useful, hands-on method of learning about the human body that all kids need to learn." -Gena, I Choose Joy!

Magic School Bus Science Experiments Subscription

Give a gift that keeps on giving. Your kiddo will receive a new science experiment at his or her doorstep every month for a year! Includes experiments exploring concepts like bacteria, the human body, magnets, stars, planets, volcanos, and more! For ages 5 to 12.

"What I like about this is we can open up a science kit, turn to a lesson page, and jump right in to that hand-ons activity. It helps me feel like a “fun mom” because we’re doing a science activity, and I didn’t have the stress or mess of pulling it all together. That’s what I call a homeschool mom win!" -Jamerrill, Free Homeschool Deals

“We recently ordered this set to be delivered to us and we love them! The science experiments are grouped in themed science activities that my kids love! I set up a curriculum to go through the scientific process with the hypothesis, tests and theories. I feel this is perfect as a hands on activity to supplement the worksheets we download from other sellers.” - Sasha B.

uKloo Riddle Edition Treasure Hunt Game

Disguised as a treasure hunt, this multi-award winning children's literacy game gets kids physically active as they read clues and search to find a hidden surprise. There's even a Picture Helper poster to look up words when kids get stuck! For ages 5 to 8.

“This game is so much fun! My boys love scavenger hunts, and when they help them practice reading - that's even better. We've played this game several times and it never gets boring. I love letting one kid be in charge of the game and set it up for the other boys.” - Lisa Marie F.

Suspend Game

Suspend by Melissa & Doug is a hands-on game that involves the entire family. Players take turns adding rubber-tipped wire pieces to a tabletop stand. Can you add all your game pieces without making it fall? For ages 8 and up.

“We always have trouble finding gifts that kids and grown ups can play together. This is it! Challenging for everyone, but easy enough, kids can try... and sometimes even do better.” - Marie V.

Coloring Books for All Ages

Six coloring books filled with some of the most amazing and beautiful designs! Give them all to your favorite little artist to keep them entertained all year. Or, separate into multiple gifts for kids in your family! For ages 5+

Super Science Holiday Bundle

Give your favorite young scientist the gift of science fun and learning this holiday season with this exciting holiday Super Bundle! For ages 5 to 12.

Subscriptions

1-Year Magic School Bus Science Experiments Subscription

3-Month STEM Experiments Subscription

Groovy Lab in a Box is full of everything a child needs to learn about and do hands on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiments. Each box activates thinking, questioning, inquiring, and original creation as it guides children through the “scientific inquiry and engineering design process.” For ages 8 to 12.

1-Year Online Language Course Subscription

Choose from 12 language for your kiddo to learn over the course of 12 months. This program covers everyday topics using videos, pictures, basic words, and interactive exercises. For ages 5 to 9.

"After each of the vocabulary videos, there are a bunch of fun games that your children can play to practice what they learned. The games really help children remember the words and are easy to do. It makes a big difference for children to have the opportunity to practice their vocabulary! ..." -Multilingual Living

Netflix for Children's eBooks

Parents and teachers love this "Netflix for Children's Books." FarFaria offers over 1000 ebooks for your children. Each story comes to your mobile device as a colorfully illustrated book that they can flip through, read on their own, or have read to them. For ages 2 to 9.

"I introduced FarFaria to my kindergarten students last year and they LOVED it! In fact, they begged for reading time! During reading time on FarFaria they were focused and engaged on reading. As a teacher I love the features in FarFaria including reading levels listed for each book. My favorite feature is that the text highlights word by word as it is read. This is so helpful for budding readers. Most reading apps highlight a sentence at a time which doesn't help with specific word identification. FarFaria is the best reading app and well worth the cost!" -Amy B.

History Unboxed Subscription

History lessons should be fun! Each monthly box comes with an interactive timeline, coloring comic strip, time capsule, and instructions on the lesson. By taking part in the activities, they'll learn directly about the ancient world that they're reading about. For ages 5-19 or 10-15.

"History Unboxed was a lot of fun to open with my children. My older son couldn't get enough of the activities, and I love that this subscription box does such a great job at exposing my kids to history. If your kid is between ages 5-13 and they love history, you should definitely try this out." - Ariana.

Curriculum

Wars Around the World Lapbook Package

Infuse some hands-on fun into your history of war lessons, and get a HUGE discount! Among the 11 downloadable lapbooks includes materials to teach everything from the War of 1812 to the American Revolution, and both World Wars. For ages 5 to 15.

"Our family fell in love with lapbooks a few years ago! I love how they engage each of my children in the material and give them a completed project at the end for future reference. Then when they are done with that unit or book they have a resource to look back on for questions later on." Kris, Book Wishes

Dr. Bonyfide Books

Dr. Bonyfide Books are colorful workbooks that make learning the names and functions of the bones easy. These stories bridge the gap between simplistic introductions to the body and dry textbooks. Young readers join Dr. Bonyfide and his friend Pinky Le Darpals on a whimsical, step-by-step journey through the bones of the hand, arm, shoulder, foot, leg, and pelvis. The workbooks include puzzles and quizzes! For ages 7 to 13.

Ultimate K-12 Curriculum Guide

completecurriculum

"I have been homeschooling since 2002 and I am currently homeschooling the two youngest of six. I've tried a LOT of homeschool curriculum products over the years, and quite frankly this is the best value available in a secular curriculum package and it's easy on the parent. I'm homeschooling two kids and it's very easy to have them read the lesson and complete the assignments independently, then later the teacher's guides make it easy on me to review their work and correct it. The content is interesting and relates to the real world in a way that makes sense to the kids, especially the math problems. You also can't beat the price. I'm shocked that this curriculum isn't better known. You will pay a lot more for comparable products that won't have the quality this one has, and I've done the research and spent the money to be able to say that with authority." - Judith "I purchased Kindergarten math and language arts for my daughter and we have had a great experience with it. She is learning so much. I supplement with lots of hands-on activities so she doesn't burn out on worksheets."- Educents customer

Musical Instruments

Violin Starter Kit

Perfect for beginners, this Violin Starter Set by eMedia contains everything you need to play the violin. What’s more, it includes a great teacher, the award-winning eMedia My Violin interactive Win/Mac CD-ROM. For ages 5 and up.

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"Yippee!!!!! I wish I took a picture of my son's face. I'm so grateful I saw this when I did." -Tawana

Click HERE to watch a video review from Free Homeschooling 101.

Ladybug Guitar Starter Pack

This perfect all-in-one package contains everything a musician needs to start playing guitar today! After following the video lessons, your guitarist's hits will be flying up the charts. For ages 5 to 12.

"Great guitar for my DD. She wanted to learn how to play the guitar like her father, and she is really getting into it. I would recommend this for any little boy or girl who is interested in learning to play the guitar." - Karen W.

Didn't find what you're looking for? Educents is offering an extra discount and free shipping on DOZENS of educational products on Black Friday!

Thinking Thursday: Boethius

11/26/2015

Boethius was a Roman Philosopher who was also a Christian. He proposed a solution to this question "If God already knows what we are going to do in the future, how can we be said to have free will?"

His thinking went thusly
God lives in the eternal present
God KNOWS the future as if it were the present
God knows what decisions we will make
God foresees our free thoughts and our actions.

God is outside of our time as we know (past, present, future). God lives in the eternal present. Just because God knows what we are going to do, doesn't mean that he interferes with our decisions. Our decisions are our own, God just knows what those decisions are going to be.

Boethius lived when the Roman Empire was in it's decline, he was orphaned at age 7 and raised in a Aristocrat Roman household. He was well educated, speaking fluent Greek and had a thorough understanding of Greek and Latin literature.   He wrote "The Consolation of Philosophy" while he was in prison awaiting execution for treason (a wrongful accusation).

A good part of Boethius' life was spent in translating Aristotle's logical works into Latin, and then writing commentaries on them as well as logical textbooks,   He used his logical training to contribute to the theological discussions of the time.

In his book Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius argued that there was a higher power and that all suffering had a purpose. He argued that true happiness can not be found in wealth and power but by turning to other virtues.

He also wrote books on math and music, introducing the concept of the threefold classification of Music.

For more information on Boethius Check out these resources
Stanford. UK Philosophers. The Basics.   Anglican. Grade-saver.

Animal Prayer Poem

11/26/2015

We are continuing to work our way through the book "Poetry Patterns and Themes".

Today's lesson was on Animal Prayer.

In this type of poem you start with the animal, you state the environment that the animal lives in and then have the animal make a request. Because we take our faith seriously, I asked my lad if he thought animals could pray? or if we would going to do a prayer should we have thankfulness to God for what he has given us?

Where's the next book Mom? I want to read the next one!

11/24/2015

"MOM!    That boy Bryce..... he just has ISSUES MOM!!!!! "
"I think he has something WRONG with his brain!!!!"

Ever read a book that provokes strong emotions in you or met a character that just annoys you to know end?

Well...My, getting more confident by the book read, boy has met a character that he JUST DOESN'T like but... at the same time wants to know how the main character deals with him.   AND planning out how HE would solve the next case..

Makes me smile.   The book: Fish Finelli Operation Fireball.

KUDOS to E.S. Farber for writing a series that my son is hooked on. :)

Book Synopsis:
When Bryce Billings says he will clobber Fish Finelli in the Captain Kidd Classic boat race, Fish has no choice but to accept the bet. But Fish's 1970s Whaler with a broken motor is no match for Bryce's new, top-of-the-line, 9.9-horsepower Viper-even if Fish, Roger, and T. J. can fix their measly 5-horsepower motor, it can't compete with Bryce's boat. With $9.63 between them, do the guys even have a chance at the Classic?

My son's review is simple.
"it was a good book mom. Bryce is just stupid and not very nice. Fish has done all these nice things, and beaten him and everything and he should be NICE MOM. Fish was nice and it meant well.. I shouldn't tell you because then I'll be giving away the ending. Read this book it's good mom".

My Thoughts:
I haven't read the book but I have loved my son's reaction to it. He's been telling me all that is happening but his emotion regarding Bryce has been so fun to watch.... He's met a villain (not that Bryce is a true villain but he's a not very likable character). He liked how the book ended, he's liked the characters, Clementine surprised him but it was a good surprise. Jason Beene does a good job with the illustrations, the snippets of information in the sidebar my lad likes. Good book and we want the next in the series.

Product Details:
Received: Hardcover book
Title: Fish Finelli, Operation Fireball
Author: E.S.Farber
Illustrator: Jason Beene
Pages: 168
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Raincoast books can be found at the following links:
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Teaching a Boy To Read

11/24/2015

I have to tell you... my son was NOT an early reader.

There were reasons for this... having holes in his ears affected his hearing and he had a hard time figuring out what the right sounds were for different letters. Teaching phonics with him was such a no go as it just didn't work for him.   Logic of English was a review we did last year that worked really really well for my boy.   It helped him to figure out what letters are shaped like in your mouth and what the vibrations feel like.   Why that helped him connect with the sounds I don't know, but it was such a God-send because once he made that connection he started to read.

BUT what to read.   I got a lot of "mom, I don't like that book.   Mom, that doesn't interest me. Mom, this one is too hard to read."    I kept encouraging him, telling him it was just a matter of finding what intrigued him and was at the right level for him to read ... even if he couldn't read all the words (making a point of letting him see how sometimes even "I" don't know all the words but I can figure out meaning using a dictionary or using the context of the story to help me) he would be able to enjoy the story.

I mandated 20 minutes reading every single day. I didn't care what, just that he read. We started and stopped a lot of books. Discouragement set in until... we hit upon Calvin and Hobbes.   A boy and his cat. Living life, getting into trouble, laughter ensued.   We got the entire series for him and he read it over and over again.. you could just see his confidence growing.

From Calvin and Hobbes we moved to Garfield to Snoopy to a book I started him on called Deltora Quest.   His goal was to finish the second book before I managed to do so.   In fun I kept threatening to steal it on him, but he finished it before I did. From there he moved on to Mouseheart, and Andi Undercover and Fish Finelli and now he's starting into one of the Redwall books.

I can't say how very delighted his dad and I are to have a reader in our house. It's so very nice. :)

My lad and continue to read together.    I find it interesting that as much as my lad likes to read fiction books, it's the non-fiction books that he reads or that I read with him that inspire the most comments and questions from him.

Take for instance the book: Natural Gas Power. This book is part of the harnessing Energy Series.    It's not what you call an "easy reading book". It uses technical language (while explaining what the words mean) but one really learns what is all involved in using natural gas.   We learned the history, the uses, the shipping and more.    "But mom, why?" was a frequent question. OR "(statement of clarification).. would I be correct in that mom?" OR "MOM! That's neat!"

I LOVE how non-fiction books bring out those questions in him.   AND it's particularly neat when I see him internalize that information and I see it come out in the stories he plays out with his toys.   Just LOVE IT.

Another book we've been reading lately is from Smithsonian called Endless Explorations Readers Level Four. Learning about predators, world wonders, natural disasters, space exploration, Ocean Habitats and Flight. It's a rather neat book with fact cards, quizzes and gorgeous pictures. Just perfect to read together or for a lad to read on his own. It has interesting tidbits of information scattered throughout... like did you know the Spanish Flu of 1918 affected 1/5 of the world's population and was found on almost every continent? (of course now I am curious about which continents it wasn't found on... ) :)

Reading non-fiction books is a great addition to my boys reading. It's good to have him reading and asking questions... some of it as I read to him, part of it as he reads to me, or as he reads on his own and brings his questions to me. Seeing the confidence in him grow is amazing. And I love it. :)

Product Details:
Received: Softcover book
Title: Natural Gas Power
Author: Diane Bailey
Pages: 47
Publisher: The Creative Company
Series: Harnessing Energy
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Product Details:
Received: Hardcover Book
Title: Endless Explorations: Level 4 Series: Smithsonian Reader
Pages: 200
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

<<Previous

Missionary Monday: Jim Elliot

Engaging the senses to cement knowledge

Review: Murder at the Courthouse

Christmas Craft Fun

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Opportunities.