Resources for Daily Worship
I hope I’ll have a few minutes this week to talk about how adding Square Time(as named by 4 year old Drummer Boy) to jumpstart our day has given us fuel for the day.
Right now the family who inspired us toward this change in our day is hosting a contest to win the ebook so that you can read all about it for yourself. Â Particularly if you have more than one child, I highly recommend entering the contest and if you don’t win, go ahead and buy the very reasonably priced ebook.
For today I want to share a few resources for the Worship and Bible portion of our Square Time.
Worship
I can’t carry a tune or play an instrument, and although I have led us through some songs we’ve really enjoyed the videos available on youtube, words included, to bring a joyful noise to our worship time. The words help the readers and the pictures help the 4 year old track with us. A few examples:
There are also many audio links and lyrics for popular children’s bible songs, here.
Scripture Memory
This weekend I discovered Seeds, a band who combines God’s word with hip, quality music.  I bought two of their 4 cds, each cd package contains a complete cd for yourself and a complete cd to give away!
We’ll be listening to a verse a week(in addition to playing the whole cd in the car), learning one verse before moving to the next. Their website contains a verse checklist and verse memory cards to coordinate with the cd’s.
Even more exciting you can start listening to their music right now, here.
Memorizing the Books of the Bible
Each day they ask to listen to this song again and again. Â We’ve learned the first ten books in the last week. Â It’s addicting.
When we start the next five books I have my writers copy the names into their Square Time notebook.
Studying the Word
- Leading Little Ones to God: A Child’s Book of Bible Teachings by Marian M. Schoolland
- The Story Bible by Catherine F. Vos
- Read Aloud Bible Stories Vol. 1 by Ella K. Lindvall
- The Jesus Storybook Bible
- My ABC Bible Verses by Susan Hunt
(If you have a wide variety of ages, let your older children know that sometimes you’ll be reading Bible books directed toward their younger siblings and sometimes at their level. Â We are re-reading Leading Little Ones to God, my 7 and 9 year old are looking up the Bible passages reading them aloud to us. Â I also ask them to listen for something that is new to this time.)
Prayer
I tried to teach this prayer to my girls when they were 3 and 4 and we just didn’t stick with it. Â But we started again and it’s really brought about the sweetest part of our time in the morning.
Mookie “Mommy before we start can I tell you something? The other day when Jellybean and I were fighting I didn’t tell her but I prayed that God would soften my heart and her heart and we stopped fighting, God answered my prayer!” And we all praised God.
Don’t force your kids to pray this way. Â Some mornings my kids have moaned and groaned and then joined in later as we go down the prayer, “Lord, I confess I didn’t want to pray when we started.” Oh, my heart.
Basically we take each letter and go around in a circle(or square) saying one or two things aloud related to it, and continue to the next letter.
A-Adoration(You’re great!)
C-Confession(I’ve sinned, I’m sorry)
T-Thanksgiving(Thank you for answering my prayer)
S-Supplication(God supplies all we need, “Lord please help Grandad get out of the hospital”)
Here are a few more places to read about it:
http://teachingthem.com/2008/10/03/acts-prayers-for-kids/
http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/19359/2957/4
http://withthekids.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/exploring-prayer-acts/
Everytime we go back to putting our Bible and Prayer time first, no matter whether it goes smoothly or not, all of our hearts are softer, ripe for learning, filled up with our Daily Bread. Â Which is more important, that your child know how to label pronouns and verbs, or that your child knows how to spend time with the Lord?
Books in Hand
No wonder life has felt off-kilter at our house.
We’ve been forgetting to read.
What a crazy thing to say about a family who started their babies teething on books. Â Absolutely ridiculous to insinuate when the mom reads a couple of books a week on average. Â Kookier even still when we’ve considered in the past what non-essential furniture(like couches and beds) could be removed in order to fit more bookshelves in our small abode.
But it happened. Â Not a completely ink-free home, but the days a sleepy little baby while I read aloud on a porch swing are over Drummer boy who does not enjoy endless chapter books like his sisters. Â With limited time to get things done, I’ve found myself buying into the idea that we should give that precious time to tasks that give me a more tangible sense of accomplishment.
Thanks goodness we’ve recovered from that, and all is right in the world again.
Here are a few things we’ve a been enjoying, there’s a little bit for everyone.
Usborne Stories From Around the World
Finally a book that all three kids moan and groan after just one short story, “Puh-lease, just one more.” Â And then I sweetly, but sympathetically close the book and say, “Not until tomorrow.” Â Each 2-3 page fable, fairy tale, or myth originates from a different world location, providing a great chance to send kids running to the map on the wall to find New Zealand, Morrocco, or Sweden. Â There’s also a well-illustrated map at the beginning of the book. Â But even more than map skills, these are clever and adventurous stories, a great addition to our Square time each morning.
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield was the perfect book to draw us back into a family read aloud.  I’d had this on my list to read for a few years but after reading my friend’s post, I requested it from the library that night. Even Drummer Boy was laughing out loud at the smothering antics of Aunt Frances and the dramatic skills developed in young Elizabeth Ann.  After Aunt Frances takes leave from the story, 9 year old “Betsy” finally begins to think and breathe for herself after arriving at the dreaded house of the Putney Cousins.  I recommed savoring this one as a family, as laughing together will bring Betsy more fully to life.  Your kids will realize how brave and knowledgeable they are compared to the early Elizabeth Ann and as a parent you’ll want start taking cues from the Aunts.
Frindle by Andrew Clements
When I said that we had stopped reading I should have excluded 9 year Mookie from that statment. Â She’s continued her one chapter book a day diet, and I’ve fallen behind on pre-reading some new books for her to keep her well-stocked. Â After reading The School Story by Andrew Clements, she wanted to try some of his other books. Â I read Frindle in about 45 minutes and I knew my daughter who loves books and words(and identifies with the dread of the dictionary) would like this one. Â What a fun adventure for this 5th grader as he attempts to convince his teacher and a town to start using a new word. Â I won’t spoil it for you but this would be a good read for your middle elementary aged child or a family read aloud.
Talkers, Watchers, Doers by Cheri Fuller
This book explores the learning styles of children, offers suggestions to teach within that learning style and also how to strengthen the weaker areas of how your child learns. Â I haven’t read this entire book yet, but since I have a talker, a watcher, and a doer, I’ll be taking notes.
Her Way
Jellybean did get back to the painting that she had envisioned. Â I didn’t mention in my previous post that she saved the sketch that she had worked so hard on in order to do it her way and did another quick sketch to complete the Picasso project.
In the words of Jellybean herself as she admired the painting that inked it’s way from inside of her to the page,
“If I were a judge and this was a contest, I would give it first prize.”
She was happy with it.
(To see her original painting, the one she didn’t want to do, go here)
Picasso Goes Olympic
This week’s exploration of Picasso took us into his Blue Period.
Attempting to create an emotion with a color, we did this art project found through our Artist Study Guide.
The basic idea is to create a portrait with a strong black outline and then choose one color(with the addition of black and white available for a variety of shades) to fill in the areas. Â There were three reactions:
9 year old mookie: Looked disappointed, as if the project wasn’t excited enough. Â She ended up LOVING the project, see her artwork below.
7 year Jellybean: Had the same response she does with any project that has rules. Â She bucked and procrastinated and finally agreed to make one portrait as the project directed and then do it her way with another portrait outline after we finished the first painting. Â She will always resist learning technique but in the end she always adds the technique to her tool belt for her own endeavors.
4 year old Drummer Boy: The dear boy, this was probably a little advanced for him at the age when more color means more fun. Â He did a fantastic drawing but then felt frustrated by the colors he was producing with his choice. Â He ended up starting a new sketch and followed Mookie’s painting. Â (Which was a compliment to mookie, but she was frustrated anyway).
And the outcome?
Jellybean(She’s completed the outline for the 2nd painting, but hasn’t painted it yet, I’ll try to post it when it’s done):
Mookie, inspired by the nights of watching the Olympics, grabbed the red. Â We’re sending this one to Mr. Shaun White, Snowboarding Gold Medalist.
And Drummer Boy inspired by his big sister.(Do you see the eyes way at the top and he had to write Shaun’s name just like his sister).
This was a great project and very accessible for elementary age students. Â I was itching to give it a try myself(I like the challenge of rules), but the baby on my back had other plans.
What We’ve Been Up to
We’ve finally picked up speed after the Christmas Break. Â Keeping our fingers crossed that Spring will come soon, we are-
-Continuing our Indian Studies
-Beginning our first Artist Study of the Year with Picasso
-Finding rhythm and adding cohesiveness to our day with “Square Time”(as named by our 4 year old and inspired by this great ebook on homeschooling multiple children with Circle Time)
-and preparing stories for the PBS Story Contest.
Read On
If only a copy of this article could be placed in the inbox of every teacher, administrator, school board member, and person I meet who’s main concern is whether our homeschool is identical to the typical public school classroom. Â Note to self and others: we’re not trying mirror the schools, if we were, we wouldn’t be homeschooling. Â But if educators could see through the lenses of this article maybe we would be trying to emulate the school system.
A few favorite quotes:
“Imagine, for instance, a third-grade classroom that was free of the laundry list of goals currently harnessing our teachers and students, and that was devoted instead to just a few narrowly defined and deeply focused goals.”
“In this classroom, children would spend two hours each day hearing stories read aloud, reading aloud themselves, telling stories to one another and reading on their own. After all, the first step to literacy is simply being immersed, through conversation and storytelling, in a reading environment; the second is to read a lot and often.”
“What they shouldn’t do is spend tedious hours learning isolated mathematical formulas or memorizing sheets of science facts that are unlikely to matter much in the long run. Scientists know that children learn best by putting experiences together in new ways. They construct knowledge; they don’t swallow it.”
“During the school day, there should be extended time for play. Research has shown unequivocally that children learn best when they are interested in the material or activity they are learning.”
Read the article in it’s entirety here.
Homeschooling Multiple Children
Each season of homeschooling over the past 4 years has brought it’s own challenges(which means things that make me cry or growl or question my sanity).
In the beginning it was wiping out the only idea of school that I brought from my own childhood, and drawing in a new sketch where learning happened all the time and related to every day life. Â It was growing in confidence in a decision that was singularly different that anyone in our church or community. Â Then it was believing that I cared more than any school teacher could care about my child’s heart, education and spiritual life, and I could know her better than anyone as well. Â Even those triumphs over doubt didn’t show me which curriculum would work best, so we keep going by trial and error. Â Knowing we were choosing the right path didn’t show me how to homeschool with toddlers and babies and dishes and my own desires.
As we head into the second half of our school year, baby Sparkles is now mobile and responsibilities even more divided, I don’t wonder if I should be homeschooling. Â I’m only seeking a few tips to keep us open and fresh, excited and flexible, and to keep the growling and crying to a minimal.
Last night in preparation for a day of planning and prayer, I googled “homeschooling multiple children”. The first post I found was this one. Â Instead of being a how-to list of ideas that sound good in a blog post but aren’t actually helpful, it’s a portrait of a morning when nothing went as planned. Â I was cracking up! And I think I needed that, because I really need the gift of being able to laugh every day, more than I need ideas that worked for one family but won’t fit mine.
However, if I come up with any good tips I’ll surely pass them along for what they’re worth. Â Tip #1: Laugh instead of cry, start with this link.
Putting Some Thought Into It
On this night I’m trying hard to think only of the the hours of rest ahead of me. Â And in the morning I’ll try with equal effort to breathe in the unformed day, turning off the part of my brain entitiled, “planner”. Â But a thought will push and tug, asking for attention,”Remember, you’ll be starting back to school in a week, better start getting ready.”
It’s yet to be seen how tomorrow’s battle between staying in the moment and planning ahead will win out. Â At just the right time I’ve begun reading The Gift of An Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison. Â Each page is a glimpse as the author examines the expectations of the world upon her and her family, and her journey to discover for herself what they need to treasure and how to knock down a new path broken fresh just for their feet.
One area Kenison has put considerable thought is the education of her children. Â Though her contemplation never led her to homeschooling, her words are worth considering no matter where your children spend the bulk of their learning hours.
“I’m continually reminded that a real education is not just a simple transformation of information, not a competition, bit a gradual and at times unfathomable process of awakening compassion, deepening understanding, and fostering the development of imagination, curiosity, and will. Learning doesn’t always mean scoring high. Â It also means acquiring the tools necessary to take on the most challenging work of all-becoming the person you are meant to be.”
Katrina Kenison, The Gift of An Ordinary Day
Be Back Soon
While I have been sorely neglecting my new sweet blog, I promise to return soon. Â School is on break at the moment, but you can find us cooking and baking here, and living lively here.
Merry Christmas.
Late Start Christmas Idea
You might be like me.
You might be a little late wrapping your head around Christmas this year. Â You might be like me and have all the intentions in the world to create a meaningful, non-worldly celebration of Christ’s birthday this year, but for one reason or another you’re still trying to figure out the daily tasks like getting dinner made. Â You might be like me and enjoy all things creative and get overwhelmed by all your brilliant ideas and procrastinate picking one or two and now it’s December 11th.
Last week I wrote about our daily advent of unwrapping christmas books. Â After a few days I realized that book time had become much more exciting then reading the Word.
Here’s an idea that we started just a few days ago. Luke has 24 chapters, perfect for Advent(if it were December 1st), so a few days ago I handed out some blank books that I picked up a while back and a special set of sketching pencils. Â I told the kids that I was going to read a chapter from Luke and they could draw pictures from the story as I read. At the end of the month, I told them, you’ll have your own book of the Christmas story. Â Each morning since we’ve started, Â when I’ve announced it’s Bible time, there have been shouts of “Yeaaa”!
Mookie, age 9
Jellybean, age 7
Drummer Boy, age 4 1/2
To make this idea work for you:
- Luke tells the story beyond the birth of Jesus. Â You might look at the other gospels and pick one that tells the early Christmas events in more detail. Â Pick 12 chapters to finish off the days until Christmas.
- This activity will be more exciting if you give your children some specials supplies they only use for this activity. Â If you don’t have blank books, make one with construction paper, blank printer paper, and staples or yarn. Â Consider a new pack of crayons, pencils, markers, or sketch pencil.
- If you’re doing this with younger children, allow them freedom of imagination. Â In our Drummer Boy’s Christmas Story, there are pirates and a computer. Â But he is listening to the story and gaining confidence in his drawing skills.
- Stop once or twice during your reading and ask a child to narrate back what’s happened so far.
- My kids drew large, two page pictures and then realized a few days later that their pages would be used up before we read all of the chapters. Â You might let your children now how many days they’ll be drawing so they can divide up their book.
Let me know if you give it a try at your house.