Christianity Cove

I was given for review two E-books by Christianity Cove  in exchange

for my review through the SchoolHouse Review Crew .

Make and Take Bible Crafts - $29.00

The Divine Dozen - $24.00

 (12 Parables of Jesus that every child should know)

My kids love to craft. I think they got it honestly from their mom.
I am pretty creative in thinking up ideas for different activities
but always like to see what others come up with and how we can
incorporate that into our homeschool.  I also teach Sunday school
in a old schoolroom style setting. I work with ages 3-12. It helps
to have activities that the older children won't find boring and the
younger ones can do. Not an easy task I might add.  I am always
searching for new ideas and new ways for us the learn about
Gods word.

Let me introduce to you Make and Take Bible Crafts . There are 47
craft ideas included in this E book. You will need very common
craft supplies, so prep is very easy and cost is effective for those
churches or families on a tight budget. The scripture verses and
stories are included in the packet if you are pressed with time and
need them readily available. However I strongly urge you to use
your bibles whenever possibly with children. The  crafts
themselves only take about 15-20 minutes to create. Very feasible
for those with limited time restraints in a Sunday school setting.
This book would be great for Preschool and early elementary ages.

20 of the crafts go with Old Testament stories such as Play dough
snake, paper bag ark, David and Goliath hand prints and hair growing
Samson just to name a few. The next 20 crafts are those that go along
with stories from the New Testament having to do with Jesus.
Examples include Jesus as a little child plate, walking on water
brown bag boats, Ten Lepers thank you fans and many more.

The last 7 are crafts to teach biblical lists like fruits of the spirit,
the 10 commandments, and salvation scripture dice.


I ended up using this with my youngest daughter (age 3)
and my son (age 7) We used it during our bible time. I read the
stories from their children's bibles and then we'd make one of the

make and takes. They worked well for our early morning circle time
because they were simple and quick freeing us up for other things. 

My son was being camera shy but this is my little sweety wearing
some of her new bible jewelry. Her bracelet is the Isaac and Rebecca
paper clip charm bracelet. This is one I really like because I think I can
adapt it to go with other lessons in our Church environment. All the
ages 3-11 in our classroom will be able to make them.

We also made the Ruth and her Mother in Law necklace.
The little one liked this one because she loves hearts. We talked a bit
about friendships and what it means to be a family. All good things
for little hearts to learn.




Here is my little one below with her fishers of Men fishing rod.
We changed it a bit with what we had laying around. We just happened
to have some pvc piping from our VBS activities so we used those.
She added glitter and sequins to her fish to make him shiny. Girls
love glitter and sequins. Well, at least mine does.

I'm not sure what that look is. I told her to say cheese and this is
what I got. 

 

We had a fun time with Christianity Cove.  Some of the crafts were

new to me but many were not after 16 years in children's ministry.

I think that this E-book would be great for those of you who are

not very crafty but want to add that element to their bible education.

In our Sunday School class another teacher and I take turns with

the lessons. One week she teaches and one week I teach. She struggles

with finding crafty things. It's just not her thing. I might have to

have her purchase this one because I think it would be perfect for her

needs in our ministry.

The second E-book we were able to review is The Divine Dozen
12 Parables of Jesus that EVERY Child Should Know.




I choose this E-book because it is often hard to teach the parables to
young children. They often have difficult deeper meanings, the
consequences of the characters can be harsh and scary , and they often
contain words that are hard for children. As a Sunday school teacher
I often avoid many of them and stick to the ones that feel are child friendly.
The great thing about Christianity Cove is that they set up the wording
for you. You are given the Story but when needed it is paraphrased and
worded for children of elementary age.

The great thing about the parables is that that don't need to be taught
in any particular order. So you can teach squeeze them in where ever
you need a lesson or you can do them all in a group cluster of lessons.
The parables covered in the Divine Dozen are :

The Good Samaritan
The Wedding Feast and the Unwilling Guests
The Weather Signs
The Pharisees and the Publican
Faithful Servant and the Thief in the night
The Rick man and Lazarus
The Weeds in the Grain or the Tares
The two Debtors
The 10 Maidens
The Rick land owner
Parable of the Lost Sheep
The unjust Judge and the Helpless Widow


Each lesson takes about 25-30 minutes to compete. For our Sunday
School that means we have enough time for snack. There are 5
steps to your lessons. The first is the Capsule which will let you
know at a glance what the parable is about. Then you are given
God's word but as always you might want to use your bible. I would
 have the printout beside it for wording. Next you will find the supplies
list and then any preparation you may need. You will be able to read
a story lesson that relates to children in their world today pertaining
to the parable. I  love this about the lessons. I think to often the
parables are to hard for young children to understand. This simplifies
it for them. After your story time you will be able to complete a craft,
game or worksheet that goes along with the lesson.


We took a few of the parables and tried them out. It worked best
for my elementary child over the preschool age . My middle

schooler sat in sometimes just for pure interest. I was able to modify the
conversation after for his ability. The lesson were easy to follow and
I hope to do some of these with our Sunday School class this summer.
They are perfect for our relaxed days ahead.

I would recommend Christianity Cove. There are many other bible
resources on their website for the Sunday School teacher, Homeschool
mom and dad, or for family bible time .


Warm Blessings,


Nikki

Busy Busy Busy

Just a little note to let you all know I haven't abandoned you. hee hee!!!
Working with our church VBS this week and its been a big job but
so much fun. I have so much to share and I know I missed my bible post

Sunday no worries I'll post it this Sunday for the first few chapters of the
Anything book. I also have a review for you this week and will hop on
as soon as I have a moment.


See you all soon,

Nikki

See the Light - Shipwrecked

 

This was one of my favorite products for art. We are in love

with See the Light !!! I don't usually start that bold but it definitely

is product we will order for more art lessons in the future.

I was given for Review Shipwrecked Story and Art Lessons

by See the Light through the Schoolhouse Review Crew

Shipwrecked  comes in DVD form for the low price of $14.99.
This particular DVD is for ages 6 years and older.


The Story - This DVD shares a 15 minute story about the Apostle Paul.
We learn about Pauls' faith through the eyes of child Giovanni.
Giovanni and his father are on a special journey when a storm hits
their ship. The ship is beginning to be torn apart and fear grips the
passengers and Giovanni. Everything seems lost until Paul , the prisoner,
steps forward and teaches them all about his Wonderful faith in God.
This is a exceptional story that tells of The Apostle Paul's adventure

through the eyes of a child. The video is not animated but better yet
is drawn with pastel Chalks. This did not deter our children at all
while watching it they became memorized by the artist and the story.



Art projects- On this particular DVD there were three art projects
for my son to complete. I was so grateful for the list of supplies for
each project. I would suggest watching the videos before you
purchase your supplies. I have experience with art materials and I
wasn't sure about some of them. We did have a large box of pastel
chalks but I'd suggest purchasing the fluorescents from See the light.


 My sons first project was a lettering project. The words are to look
like wood and when you take a black light over it you can see highlights
of yellow. For our black light we purchased a bulb and put it in our light.
This wasn't the best way because it was hard sometimes to see the
glowing parts of our work unless we were very close to the bulb.
I would suggest see the lights black light. When we order our next
project we will purchase the black light from them. 

His next assignment was called Who would save us?
Artist Pat Knepley take your child through step by step direction on how
to create this pastel drawing. When you turn on the black light you would
see the cross that saves Us. My son also added other things that glow. He
was into making more things stand out. I think his sea turned out so awesome. 



 

I had a really hard time capturing his art with the black light I just
don't have the right camera.

We used the See the light Dvd as 4 different lessons. First we watched
the story part together as a family. Then my son did the art assignments one
per day. This DvD could have been a month of art lessons if done one per

week or a two week project doing two per week. We did ours in 2 sittings.
It was just so much fun!!!

His last project is called God is my lighthouse and is presented by Jim
Pence. Jim gives your child instructions to create a mixed media piece.
This one was small enough that I think I was able to catch the glowing
parts with our black bulb and take a picture of it. It's still a little difficult
to see but if you look closely I think you can see the light. 

He used water colors, marker and extreme colored pencils by Crayola.





This is the black lighted ones. You can sort of see the light coming off
the lighthouse. It shows better in real time. 

The only thing I was unsure of was all the supplies we had to purchase.
They weren't things that we had readily available and we have a lot
of art supplies. However once we did get them the kids are enjoying
the new found supplies and I'm not sorry we got them. It also helps because
I think we will be doing more of these and many of the supplies are
similar across the lessons.

Again I cannot stress enough how much we enjoyed this art lesson
and bible study. There are several more bible art lessons and a selection
of art projects without the bible lesson.



Warm Blessings,


Nikki






Personal Development Homeschool Style - Child Development and Goals

(this graphic is from morguefile)


Over the summer I wanted to spend sometime becoming more intentional about
how I'm teaching my children. There is so much information out there
that it can become overwhelming. Over time I think I have lost sight of the
real purpose and the focus for our learning time. I thought it would be a
good idea to regroup my thoughts on what I think about what I'm already
doing. Each Monday I will write a post about the topic I have chosen. I
will also at the end of the post announce the new topic. I will then research
what I need all week long and you can to if you like. You can add any
information you find in the comments section. Then on the following
Monday I will post my finds so that I can put my thoughts in order.


This weeks Topic is Child Development.

As each year passes by I see how different my children become and
how much they grow. I often see one phase go out and a new one come in.
Understanding the development of each age is helpful in creating teaching
strategies that are effective to the learning process. When you look at a child's
development you have to remember that some children may develop faster

or slower than another. So when referencing you might want to look at
the development of children an age below and an age above their given
age. Overall though there are predictable patterns of development in 4
principle groupings physically, emotionally, socially and ability to think.
Keep in mind if your child has a learning disability or learning challenge
the timeline may differ and that is ok.  The reason I want to look at the
development stages is so that I might find what is appropriate for
learning. It's not for me to compare my child to another or to a standard.
It just gives me a basis and an understanding about why a particular behavior
may suddenly appear in my child's life. Often times growth is uneven and

learning comes in spurts. I feel that children learn naturally that they desire
to see what the world has for them . They want to know more about what
comes next. Overall the development of children is always changing
just as our world is always changing. It is good to relook at your  child's
development every so often. Possibly more than just your once a year
well visit. It provides a basis , a window so to speak into the way you
will be able to connect with your child.



Let's start with my youngest. She will be 4 in August.
Last year looking at her development I used the website zero to three
There is a lot of good information there and you can spend hours reading
many good articles. There is also special podcasts that you can listen to
I have listened to the entire series. Little Kids Big Questions
You might want to try clicking the behavior and development tab at the
top of the page as well.



Now my favorite source for taking a quick look at each child's level
Is the book Yardsticks Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14. What I
like most about this book is that it doesn't just show developmental stages
but it shows them as to how they relate to a child and their academics.
Yes it's based on a classroom setting but still it has information that
is useful to the homeschool mom as well.  I can use this information and
begin planning ahead .




.  Again starting with my 3 soon to be 4 year old here is what I have

gathered.  After the dashes are my notes to myself. Its a mix of development
and learning goals.




Development 4's



*Needs lots of physical activity- Movement activities, use lots of music,
learns best using large muscles.

* Loves Jobs- taking attendance, putting out snack, passing out pencils
I can use this to my advantage when she becomes frustrated with waiting
on the older children. I'll have to think of some small jobs ahead of time.

*very talkative (which means lots of disruptions for my other students)
I will need to find a plan for her so she remembers to respect their study time.

*loves to be read to- Perhaps using older children to read to her would
help with my time management and help to develop her reading skills.
Since she is a talker having her retell the story will help her develop skills.
Fascination with fairy tales, acting them out and dramatic play.

*Not ready for close visual activity- should do very little paper skills.
Hmm not what I have seen on the blogs. Will need to work on developing
a Paperless ABC curriculum with less writing skills. Until she is ready.
Want to base it on her Children's bible.

*Ready for prewriting skills- finger painting, painting with brushes etc...

*Beginning to read environment- Perhaps the label notebooks would be
a fun start to reading.

*Hands on experiences -Play

* Ready to count using real jobs - Counts now to 10.

* Colors, shapes, sizes, sorting - Exploring opportunities




Development of 7 year old


*moody , sulky, - yes we are at this stage for sure. Lots of sulking going
on. Need to work on a plan to help him work out his emotions. Will have
to look into ways to help with this.

* Need security and structure - relies on me for help. Wants me to see

everything he does. Look at me is said numerous times in a day. Need
a plan so he does not disrupt older children with his look at me wants
and at the same time validate him. Possibly have a special time to look
over the projects he has done.

*Likes to send notes - might use this to my advantage for writing.
Maybe a pen pal this year.

*bothered by mistakes- wants to give up when he makes one. I'll use
Encouragement and praise.

*enjoys games- Should use more in our lessons  . Is very active.

*holds pencil near point, presses hard and finds it hard to relax-
work more in handwriting without tears this year. More copywork.


Find ways to get him to relax. Research

*Doesn't read silently to self- maybe try whisper phones to get
him to move to that stage. Do more silent reading but make sure
to still do the reading aloud time.

*Needs humor- to get through his work and it helps if it looks like

play.

* phonics- work using games and practice reading
this summer. Need to create that summer plan. Summer library
program is a must.

*Need work on improving mental math and number sense.

*likes to verbally learn, and discovery type centers.




Development of 13 year old.



* Hygiene important at this age.

*Lots of physical activity/health- my child does not like, so have to push
The issue. Signed him up for tennis the summer. If that goes well
might do more with it. Would like to do some health education
this coming 2013 year.

*quieter , likes to be alone, moodier and sudden burst of anger.
His feelings are easily hurt.- Oh that last one. He has become very
sensitive emotionally lately. I know its changes he is going through.
I feel like I walk on egg shells. I have to really think before I talk to him.

*horse play and jokes- One practical joke he likes to do is moving my
bathroom decorations. Makes me completely nuts but for some reason he
thinks this is hilarious.

* may get headaches from close work- Yes have had this happen numerous
time. Maybe more breaks in between reading.

*interested in humanity- Maybe should start doing some current events

work. Read fiction and non fiction on social issues. Would love to start

some community service projects as a family.

*Literature and Writing- Still need that read aloud time and want
to get him writing more with a journal this summer. (All the kids)
Add to list of supplies spell checker. Work more on cursive writing.
Classical conversions is on its way for this. So excited.

*Geography- need a better sense of our world geo.
Looking for something to help with that. Wonder if homeschool group
still has geography club. Possibly make one for our school. Varying ages
would be interesting to figure out.


Development of 16 year old (soon to be 16)



*needs lots of exercise and sleep. Often sleeps during the day.

* Adult personality develops. - in that know it all stage.

*Developing larger vocabulary

* working on that deeper meaning in literature and language

*reads a lot

*enjoys small group discussions- meets in online sessions

*growth of individual skills - work on skills for culinary ,
food skills.

*project based learning- Says she doesn't like this but she always
seems so excited about what she has created.


*Couple important things- Need to take PSAT, SAT's
Start touring Schools.



Two other things to keep in mind while learning. Children
learn better with Brain breaks. Need healthy snacks during work time
and Water near work areas.

Using all of this information I can now work on planning my school year.
Using the developmental areas and goals I think I can place just the
right material for my children needs and learning styles. Now I'm
ready to start searching catalogs and our current curriculum.

If you have any other ideas to share or websites please add to

my comments so that I can learn more.

Next weeks Topic: A short look at  Education Theory


Warm Blessings,

Nikki



Book Review- Destined to live. Despite me Series- A Cause to Be Thankful

I received the book A cause to Be Thankful by Yolanda Shanks

in Exchange for my review of the book. I am not required to give

a positive review or compensated in any other way than the gift

of the book itself. This review is set up through CWA Review Crew.

A Cause to be Thankful is a book about giving Thanks. I was anxious to

read this book. One thing I have learned for sure in my life is that when

the struggles come and life becomes so hard you don't think you can endure

another day. Stop and give Thanks. I know its sounds crazy. Why would you

want to give Thanks when you are going through such sorrow and hardship?

I'll tell you why because that sorrow or thing that is so hard that you don't

think you can endure another moment becomes a little less difficult to face.

 

" So let us proclaim His goodness together , and allow a wail of praise to rise
from the depths of our souls as we consider the fact that God Himself
considered us in our darkest hour!" By Yolanda Shanks

There are 110 pages to this book. Its a rather short read. Each chapter is

set up so that you have a reading portion, bible verses to read , Prayer

and or study section.  I felt like I knew much of the information that

was in the book however I did find a few nuggets in there I had forgotten.

I would suggest this book for new bible students or those wanting to

reaffirm their faithfulness in Thanksgiving. It could also be used as

a daily devotional they way the chapters are set up.

 

Yolanda takes us through two important stories of the bible. One is

the story of Zacchaeus and the other is of the 10 lepers.  I love the picture

Yolanda portrays of Zacchaeus in his best attire climbing the tree to

see Jesus. Then in turn pointing out that Jesus already knew he was

there. God really does know our hearts.

Then you are taken through the accounts of the 10 lepers. Taking a look

At each important event that the bible gives us to learn more about

His forgiveness for us and His love. She shows us that being Thankful

doesn't always come naturally. It's something we need to work on .

 

"God's mercy to those deemed as lawbreakers then to give them
the opportunity to redeem themselves, through their individual acts
of obedience? " Yolanda Shanks


We soon learn that Jesus heals the lepers but only one turns back

to Him to give thanks. How often do we forget to turn and Thank Jesus.

We go about our days in a haze and often forget who is in control.

Yolanda tells us to

"Dance in Thanksgiving."

About the Author: Yolanda is a blogger, speaker, teacher and

grandmother. She is the author of several other books. Yolanda

is a suicide survivor and has used that experience to turn other

peoples lives around.  You can visit her at her website.

Yolanda Shanks

Warm Blessings,

Nikki

I received a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to
write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The
opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance
with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

 



Bible Study Sunday

Hello Everyone. I am about to embark on a Summer Bible Study with
Good Morning Girls. I have been involved with them for the last two
studies. (winter and spring sessions of the Luke study) I have enjoyed the
studies so much that I started a Facebook Group so that I can share God's word
with  others. My faith has grown and I am inspired by what I have learned so much
so that I want to pass it onto others. If you are a blog reader please feel free to click
the facebook group link and ask for an invite. You won't be turned away.


What I love about GMG is the format of the study. The studies are taken
right from God's word. Each week you are given a bible verse to read on
a reading plan. Then you have a verse that you will SOAP. What Soaping
means is that you will write in a scripture journal about your thoughts on
the verse. GMG provide a study guide to help you with this or you can

use a simple notebook. I thought at first when I saw this that WOW that's a
lot of writing but I'll give it a try. As I wrote each word from the bible I really
pondered God's word and it just meant more to me. I highly recommend
studying God's word in this way. So how do you SOAP?? You might be
asking. Well, Soap is an Acronym for what you will put  In your scripture
journal. Remember This is your space so make it what you want it to be.


S- Write out the Scripture
O- Write your observations about what you read and just wrote
A- Write How you will apply this to your life
P- Write your prayer or just simply pray over your thoughts.


Now that you know what Soaping is let me tell you about this
Summers Session. It will be a little different this time in that we are going to be
reading a book called ..............


Anything The Prayer that Unlocked My God and My Soul by Jennie Allen




Along with the reading of the book we will be reading bible a verse just like
before and soaping verses from God's word. Another words the book won't take us
out of His true purpose. You can purchase Jennies Book at the link provided
above on Amazon or other retailers.






If you are interested in joining in the study then join my Facebook Group

and I'll help you get started. If you don't want to join a group but are interested

to see what it's all about . I will be posting my weeks thoughts here on my Blog

on Sunday's. I'd advice checking In Sunday evenings as sometimes the weeks are
busy for me. So far I have read a little of Chapter 1 and already I am saying to
myself Yes, that was me too. I can't wait to get started. Hope to see some of you
there. If you do decided to join in on the Study Do it today because we start Monday.

Warm Blessings,

Nikki

Weekly Finds

Pre K Reading through the Alphabet is a free curriculum based

on the Montessori approach, Handwriting without tears and

And word study for the advanced preschooler. Could be used

for a kindergartener as well. You might want to look

around This Reading Mama's website. A lot of good resources.



Want to read more about homeschooling. You might want to stop
by the Hearts of Home weekly blog hop. Articles different each
week . It's like getting your own personal teacher time.




Warm Blessings,

Nikki

Random 5

1. Memorial day weekend wasn't what I had hoped it would be. No one
made plans and at the last minute we decided to have a picnic here at our
house. Since it was last minute it ended up being my parents and us. It also
was to chilly to sit out on the porch. Every year we typically go to Caledonia
state park but since we would have to travel through Gettysburg and they were
having a big celebration, we thought it best to stay this direction.  Not the big
bang start I wanted to the beginning of Summer.



 

2. Even through the temps were rather chilly we did manage to go to the
playground for our first session for the year. The kids had a great time.
Spirit had on his funny sweatshirt. The other kids giggled and chased him
around saying he was a monster. Soon they were playing a good guys
bad guys game. I'm not sure of the rules but there were about 25 kids playing.

3. Later in the week it got really hot so hot we got out our air conditioner.
Its supposed to be cool next week. Go figure.


4.  We have an art show to night for Superboy  This is his first and he
is so excited to be able to share his art with everyone. 

5. This is my spring bulletin board at church. I finally got a picture of
it . Now I have to think of a summer one.


Warm Blessings,

Nikki

My favorite memories when I was a child was going to the
beach with my family. My cousins, grandparents and my immediate
family would go and take up 3 hotel rooms, usually preplanned beside one
another. This was the best time for me. I have so many fond memories of
playing in the ocean with my brother and cousins. I remember walking the
boardwalk at night eating Thrashers French fries. All of those  memories contain my grandpa who passed on a few years ago. I remember him so strong
and courageous. He used to go out past the break and then swim back and forth.
I was in awe at 7 at how well he could swim and what bravery it took for him to do
that. I also knew he was human. We went on the big pirate ship ride. I was so afraid
during that ride. He worried about me so much that he became physically ill
after the ride was over, All the while my brother and I played on the porch laughing as
if it had never happened. Summer reminds me of family vacations and that time we
had with my extended family. I wish my kids had more of that but my cousins don't
include my family. It is sad really. Still I hope to help them create memories for
them that they can look back on one day and smile.


Warm Blessings,


Nikki

It is the last day of the 31 day blog challenge. !!!!!
31 day Blog challenge

Letting Go

Day 30, Thursday: React to this term: Letting Go

                 Wow , I can hardly believe that tomorrow is the last day of the blog every day in May challenge. This month has gone by so quickly. Our summer break is right there in front of us for the taking. We have worked so hard this year with our School time. It will be so nice to take an informal approach to our days. I can hardly wait to see what we will get into as the days warm up. It's the time when we get to "Let it all go". We get to put aside long study days, Concentrating on our work and spending hours on end working through our lessons. Maybe the break is more for me. The kids don't work hours on end but when you have multiple grade levels that vary greatly, well it becomes a long day of schooling. I can look back on our school days and know that we did the best that we could. We challenged ourselves. I can think about what worked well and what didn't but in the end. I will let it all go and enjoy the summer months. I always let it hang on me and it feels like the school year just goes on and one. I don't enjoy myself that way. Yes, I still will do some planning and organizing as usual but I'm going to let the year that went by be just that gone and in the past. We will move forward from our last day and begin to create new memories. I love the newness of that. The beginning and the end. The feeling of starting fresh. That is what we are going to do start fresh and enjoy our summer. We have had so much upheaval the last few years that , that was not possible. I'm ready to just be with my kids. I want them to say at the end of that time. Guess what we did this summer!!!



                                                                                 Warm Blessings,
                                                                                          Nikki