On That Subject . . .

Speaking of renewal . . .

It is almost Thanksgiving and that means lots of things are going on.  It means lots of cooking and cleaning.  It means shopping at midnight (for us crazy people).  It means I'm spending hours on the piano learning the new Christmas music.  It means we're getting ready for company, well, this year it does and we are super-excited about that.  It also means something different in our house.  It means the classroom is transformed into a lovely dining room again - for the holidays.

We don't have lots of extra room around this place.  The house was nice and big when we moved in with a 2-year old and an infant.  Now that we have a 9-year old, a 7-year old, a 5-year old and two 4-year olds, space is limited.  Adding homeschool space is tricky so we move the dining table out to the garage and convert the dining room into school space for our fall semester and again, in the spring.  We enjoy have a dining room for our Holiday break and our summer break. 

To accomodate having no school space for the holidays, I plan out our school year to reach a specific goal before Thanksgiving (this year it was to finish day 100 before our break).  So, with our second quarter completely finished, we can enjoy a long holiday break and I can enjoy the holidays too instead of trying to stack the extra baking, gift-wrapping, and holiday events on top of our already busy school schedule.   Yes, we take from Thanksgiving until after New Year's for our Holiday break and it is wonderful.

It is also a great time for me to plan out our school activities for the upcoming semester.  I enjoy this time so much.  It is a time for 'teacher-renewal'.  I get to plan out everything we'll be doing for the rest of the year and collect the materials, and plan the activities, and prepare the students' books and papers in preparation for when we start school again.  I always begin our 3rd quarter feeling excited about what we're doing and the kids are always excited about going back to school too. 

During our long holiday break, we also celebrate our anniversary.  Who gets married 10 days before Christmas?  A teacher on her Christmas break.  Joey will be taking a week's vacation and be home to celebrate our anniversary and enjoy some Christmas and winter activities with all of us.  It will be a wonderful way to celebrate our 10 wonderful years of marriage, the blessing of being a family, and enjoy the celebration of our Lord's birth.  What a wonderful way to be renewed.  Much better than the spa weekend, right?  So for all of you weary teachers, mommies, homeschoolers, and frazzled Christmas planners. . . . Set aside some time this year to enjoy the season not just survive the season and renew yourself in the Lord (see previous post) so you can start the new year with anticipation and not exhaustion. 

Renewal

We hear the word a lot, renewal; we renew our subscriptions, we renew our contracts, we renew our license, we renew our memberships.  We are forever renewing things, things that generally cost money.  Yet, how often do we renew the important things in our life.  People renew their vows, but do they take the time and effort to actually renew their marriage or is it just the dress and flowers and cake that they are interested in.  We renew our commitment to our goals (i.e. New Year's Resolutions) like losing weight, exercising, being a better witness, studying more, etc . . . It is the discipline to reach our goals that is often lacking.

The Bible talks a lot about renewal; did you know that?

Psalm 51:10 - "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."  David asked the Lord to renew his spirit after he had sinned and lost his close relationship with the Lord.  God wants to renew us too.

Romans 12:2 - "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."  God makes a way for us to renew our minds so that we can better serve him and do the 'will of God.'

Isaiah 40:31 - "But they ethat wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  God will renew your strength.

Isaiah 40:31 is such an encouraging verse to me.  God promises to renew my strength.  Can I tell you one of the verse I don't like?  II Thessalonians 3:13 - "But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing."  Really?  That is just an impossible commandment.  "Be not weary."  Sure, that sounds great.  However, if you add together laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, cooking meals, paying bills, homeschooling, housework, church, teaching Sunday School, playing the piano, choir practice, and then, Oh Yes, I'm supposed to be a wife, a mother, and a good friend.  Really, just reading all of that makes me kind of weary.  What about you?  Are you weary?  Maybe you need some renewal.

I know what will do the trick.  A girls weekend.  I'll stick my husband with the kids and the housework and the cooking and the craziness.  I'll spend a day at the spa being pampered, after all I deserve it; then, I'll go shopping and out to eat with my friends.  Oh, it will be wonderful and I'll be completely renewed.  Sounds great, doesn't it?  The problem is that at the end you'll be much poorer and not really renewed.  The Bible says that He will renew our strength.  (Isa. 40:31)  That we can be transformed if we renew our minds. (Rom 12:2)  And that He, alone, can renew a right spirit in us.  (Ps. 50:10) 

Yes, the truth is that I am often weary.  There is more work than there are hours in the day.  Sometimes I feel like I'm doing all of my jobs poorly because I have so many things I'm trying to do at once.  But, I cling to the promises in Scripture that He will renew my strength, my mind, and my spirit.

AlphaTales

This year, I discovered that I can order directly from Scholastic's Teacher Store through our homeschool ordering system.  I went a little crazy to say the least.  Scholastic has such great books, especially their guided reading sets (see previous post), including fiction and non-fiction books.  I ordered several great sets for use in Language, Science, and Reading.  I have been immensely pleased with all of these books.  I ordered AlphaTales sets for my pre-K and K5 kiddos and they just love them. 

Scholastic's AlphaTales come in several formats.  You can get a set of 26 paperbacks, one book with all 26 stories in one, flashcards, audio cd, coordinated letter formation cards, etc . . . I purchased a set of 26 paperbacks and the audio cds plus I found another set of paperbacks on ebay for a great price.  I'm still trying to find a couple more sets of these books for a good price so each student can have their own copy.  (that's what I get for having 3 kiddos within 13 months of each other)

The children enjoy these books so much.  They are silly books that emphasize the sound of each letter.  The audio cd makes it even more fun with cute sound effects and expressive reading.  Whether we are having school or not, the three youngest enjoy listening to the books and following along.  Scholastic has lots more great books for emergent readers and beginning readers too.  The AlphaTales are definitely at the top of our list though.

Guided Reading

I love guided reading for all grade levels.  If you are unfamiliar with the term guided reading it is simply a child (or children) reading along with a teacher or parent.  Guided reading can be done with just a parent and child reading together with the parent helping the child with new or difficult words and the child reading as much as they are able to do on their own.  In a classroom setting guided reading is incorporated into several curriculum areas.  Kindergarten students will often have small reading groups based on their reading ability.  They will have guided reading time to read through their reading curriculum texts while other students work independently.  Older students will use guided reading for literature and other curriculum areas such as science or history textbooks. 

Guided reading is sometimes overlooked by classroom teachers and homeschoolers alike.  In the same way that it is faster and easier to do the household chores yourself rather than instructing a child to do it, it is simpler and easier for a teacher or homeschooler to read to students or have the students read silently themselves.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with reading portions of the text to a student or having the student be personally responsible for a specific portion of reading; however, reading aloud and in groups has multiple benefits for students. 

For the youngest students, preschoolers and kindergarteners, guided reading is an excellent way to develop reading skills.  Although they may not be ready or able to read along, preschoolers can learn the flow of language.  Following along from page to page, turning pages along with you and following the flow of the story, helps to develop an understanding of how the words flow from left to right, line to line, and page to page.  It also helps develop student skills of sitting still, following directions, following along.  Guided reading also helps pre-readers to feel they are a part of reading even if they can't read words yet. 

For beginning readers, guided reading allows them the ability to read books beyond their reading ability and gain confidence in reading.  Beginning readers can read books more advanced for them while receiving help through difficult words or passages.  They gain a sense of accomplishment from reading progressively more difficult books encouraging them along the way. 

For all reading levels, guided reading offers some excellent benefits.  Oral reading skill is one of the best benefits to guided reading.  Reading aloud and hearing others read aloud improves student confidence, oral expression, and language skill.  Before a child is ready to learn the rules of punctuation and grammar, they can hear it in the natural flow of oral reading.  Stops and pauses for commas and end punctuation, expression for questions and exclamatory sentences are all incorporated into oral reading well before a student is ready to learn the rules of punctuation.  Oral reading helps students develop expression in their reading and also helps students learn to follow along whether they are reading or not.

It has amazed me in recent years how many people, children and adults, are uncomfortable reading out loud in front of others.  Teaching Junior-age students in Sunday School, I am amazed at how many of the students struggle to read verses aloud in class.  Adults, too, are often leary of reading aloud.  Guided reading from early on throughout a student's education is an excellent way to improve confidence in oral reading, expression in reading, and overall student skills too.

So how do I use guided reading in our classroom?  I'm so glad you asked :)  I try to sprinkle it into our school day whenever possible.  I enjoy Abeka's Primary Bible Readers for grades 1-3.  Josh and Joy and I each have one.  I select passages from the Bible Readers for Josh and Joy to read out loud for Bible class that go along with the Bible lesson.  I have lots of fun literature books with 5 or 6 of each book so that each of my five little ones and I can each have a book.  The older students read, while everyone follows along.  For Josh and Joy, we read everything aloud, from silly fiction books to science and history and language books.  To be sure they are following along, I'll read for a while and then ask one of them to pick up where I left off.  This is a great way to be sure they are reading along.  (keeps them on their toes)  Of course, it is not necessary for every homeschooler to purchase multiples of each book in order to use guided reading instruction.  You can read with your child from a single copy of a book.  Guided reading allows the student and the teacher to both read and to practice oral reading skills along the

Eric Carle

November is Eric Carle month (at least in our classroom).  I enjoy Eric Carle books and they lend themselves so easily to classroom instruction and activities.  Of course, The Very Hungry Caterpillar teaches the life cycle of a butterfly very well, but it also is a fun way to teach counting and the days of the week.  On Monday, he eats 1 apple.  On Tuesday, he eats 2 pears. Well, you get the general idea.   Eric Carle books are available just about anywhere.  Over the years, I've collected them in multiple formats.  I have board books for the preschoolers, hardcover books for the older children, and a few classroom size big books for us to read together.  I purchased three Eric Carle bulletin board sets from Carson Dellosa this year (really wish I would have gotten the other one they have too).    I just love the bright, imaginative visuals of these bulletin board sets.  We have the Very Hungry Caterpillar set (although you can only see part of it in the photo).  We also have the Brown Bear, Brown Bear set and the Very Busy Spider set.  Our whole classroom is covered in Eric Carle artwork - yes, I love it!

The Brown Bear, Brown Bear set is a fun way to talk about colors.  We also talk about which animals have the correct colors and which do not.  I personally like the blue horse and the purple cat, but it is not their real colors.  We talk about what color they are supposed to be and what color they would make other animals if they could make them a different color.   We also talk about which animals go together: farm animals, forest animals, pets, etc . . . This book is also cute with to read with The Mixed-Up Chameleon because he changes colors and wants to be like other animals he sees. 

The Very Busy Spider lends itself very easily to lessons about time (telling time, elapsed time, morning and evening, etc . . . ).  The other set available from Carson Dellosa is Polar Bear, Polar Bear.  We have read this book along with the others this past week.  It is a fun introduction to sounds animals make.  Head to Toe is another good Eric Carle book that talks about animal movement which is a fun activity for little ones.  We all get up and do the different types of animal movement together.  With the older students, we work on adjectives that describe the animals and their movements, sounds, colors, etc . . . as we talk about each thing along with the books.

Kohl's frequently sells Eric Carle books and the coordinated plush toys too for $5.00 each.  The kids love the toys and I love the books and everyone is excited about reading.  Here is Bethany snuggling her Mixed-Up Chameleon.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar is my favorite plush toy, but we also have a ladybug and a polar bear. 

On  a side note . . . I just love fabric charts.  I know, they are too big for most homeschool spaces, but I just love the student interaction of these charts.  The chart hangs up like a regular pocket chart, but the front is a fabric that any velcro will stick to.  This chart, used to teach time, has the clocks pre-printed on it and comes with all the little manipulatives you need to teach time.  The kids love putting the parts of the clock on the chart where they go and moving the hands to show the correct time.  We also have fabric charts for fractions, the human body, a map of the world, etc . . . They are super-fun activities.

Thankful For Christmas

I love the Christmas story.  I love that God chose a young Jewish girl to work His perfect plan for the salvation of the world.  I love that God provided all the right events to fulfil centuries worth of prophecies in one birth.  I love that God chose to tell the shepherds first.  I love that God was so thrilled that He sent a birth announcement in the form of a multitude of heavenly host. I love it all. 

However, now that I am a mother, I look at the story differently.  When the snow covers the ground and the stores start playing Christmas music, I always think about Mary.  The uncertainty she must have felt.  The courage she had.  The dreams that she traded for God's perfect plan.  You know the dreams I mean.  If you are a woman, you should understand.  I know that the culture was completely different in that time and in that place, but I think the dreams of a young woman must have surely been somewhat similar to my own.  Mary probably dreamed about the man she would marry.  I don't know if she was in love with Joseph like love is portrayed in fairy tales.  You know, the knight in shining armor, the love songs, the flowers, things like that.  But I'm sure that she was planning for her future home with Joseph and daydreamed about what the wedding feast would be like. 

Unfortunately, I don't think she ever got to attend a wedding feast.  The Bible doesn't tell us for sure, and I haven't done enough research into Jewish tradition of that time, but I am fairly certain that she did not have much of a wedding celebration, if she had one at all.  You remember, Joseph had to decide if he was going to have her stoned or put away.  Her family and her community thought the worst of her.  I doubt her father wanted to invite all of his friends to celebrate his pregnant daughters marriage.  Instead, she probably went with Joseph to sign the marriage contract and quietly moved her things over to live with him.  No feast, no celebration, no real wedding.

I picture Mary and Joseph preparing for the birth.  I know they didn't have lots of money, but Joseph was a carpenter after all.  I picture him working on a cradle every evening after he finishes his other work.  I picture Mary working on little clothes for the baby as she is able to save up enough money.  I picture them together talking about what the angel had said to each of them.  I picture them growing together in their relationship with each other, adapting to the change in their relationship that this baby created.  I think Mary must have been moved by Joseph's willingness to help her in the birth of this child that was not his own.  I think Joseph must have been nervous at first about marrying this girl under such circumstances, but he must have seen in her the strength and the courage that she had through it all. 

When I think about it, it reminds me of how I was when I was expecting a baby.  Especially, when we found out we were expecting Josh.  I didn't have lots of extra money.  But I wanted him to have the best.  I found a crib and a cradle.  I sewed curtains and blankets, I saved up my money to buy cute little outfits and unecessary little toys.  I decorated his room and made sure the house was sparkling clean before his arrival.  I had my Mama fly in from Alaska to be there when he was born.  When the contractions started I called all of my family to tell them it was almost time.  After he was born, we had pictures taken and sent out birth announcements to everyone.  People from my church bought us gifts and brought us meals and asked to hold the baby.  We were showered with love, gifts, and congratulations.

It wasn't like that for Mary.  In spite of her planning, the birth of her first child did not happen the way she must have pictured it.  Her family was not there to help or encourage her.  If they had made preparations like I imagine they did, they weren't able to take those baby things with them to Bethlehem.  The cradle stayed behind in Nazereth, there was no way to carry it with them.  The little baby things I imagine Mary worked hard to make didn't get to go either.  It was just as God had planned, but it wasn't the dream Mary had always pictured growing up.  Her first baby wasn't born in a warm house.  His birth wasn't celebrated by her dearest family and friends.  She traded her dreams for God's great plan and trusted His plan for her life even when she didn't understand.

As a mother, I can't imagine what Mary endured on that trip to Bethlehem or how her heart must have longed for the birth of her first child to be as she had hoped it would be.  I can't imagine being so far away from family, being in an unfamiliar place, having not even the basics to clothe the little one.  I am so thankful. however, for her strength and willingness to trade her plans for God's.

I am thankful for the little things in my life.  The little onesies, the little shoes, the soft baby blankets, and the little bassinet that each of my children had when they were brand new.  My Savior didn't have those things.  Still, He loves me enough to provide them for me and for my children.  I'm thankful for warm, safe hospitals where my children were born even though my Savior was satisfied being born in a stable.  I'm thankful for little baby clothes even though my Savior was content with swaddling clothes.  I'm thankful for cute little birth announcements even though Christ's birth was never really celebrated as it should have been.  I'm thankful that God has allowed me to be a mother and how He uses it in my life to teach me more about Himself each day.

30 Things to Be Thankful For

I am thankful for my Saviour!

 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

-Romans 5:8

When I read this verse, I think, "While I was still disobedient, disrespectful, unkind,                 , (fill in the blank) God still loved me and Christ was still willing to die for me."

What an amazing God!  To look at me, at my worst, and to give Himself for me, what an amazing Saviour!  I would give my life for my husband - without a doubt.  For my children?  I wouldn't hesitate.  For you?  Maybe.  Depends on the circumstances.  However, sacrifice one of my children for you?  Not going to happen.  Not ever.  One of my children for someone who will reject that gift or, worse yet, mock that sacrifice?  Unthinkable.  Yet, that is what Christ did for me.  And for you.  I still do not completely understand all that He sacrificed for me or all the wealth that His salvation affords to me, but today I am thankful for that great gift, the gift of salvation, freely offered to all.

Giving Thanks vs. The Other Option

It is November and every November Facebook is flooded with daily posts of thankfulness.  I love it!  In general, my Facebook friends tend to be thankful and praise the Lord throughout the year.  Still, it is a blessing to read posts each day with new things to be thankful for each day.  This year, I decided it would be a good thing for me to do as well.  Unfortunately, I don't update my Facebook very frequently so I end up listing three or four things at once because I've missed a few days.  For my Facebook friends, I apologize.  Okay, Enough about Facebook.  Now, to the point of this post.

In Bible time this year we've been studying about Moses.  Unlike the rest of our core subjects, I am not moving very fast through our Bible curriculum.  We begin each year with ABeka's Salvation Series, which takes us about two weeks.  We are still praying for Hudson and Bethany and Brittany to trust Christ as their Savior and the Salvation Series is a wonderful way to present the simple plan of salvation to any age group.  Our first section in Bible this year was Moses and I've not made it very far.  We started with Moses in the basket and we are just now getting to Rephidim (where God gives water from a rock).  Bible is one of my favorite things to teach and the journey to the Promise Land can teach us so much. 

Josh and Joy (my two oldest) know the basics of the stories so I can delve into lots more of the practical applications with them.  These past few weeks we've been talking about Marah where God healed the bitter waters and how God provided Meat and Manna for the people and then Rephidim where God gives them water from the rock.  It is easy to teach these stories to the children and tell them all about how God's people complained and whined and fussed to Moses and how easily they forgot about God's great miracles and failed to trust God.  It is easy to talk about how they wanted to give up and go back to being slaves in Egypt rather than face the long journey to freedom and prosperity.  The practical applications of these stories are numerous, I could ramble on for days about these things and, boy, could I make God's people look bad in the process.

Then, I have to look at myself.  (That's the point of God's Word being like a mirror.) 

I think about how amazing it would have been to be a slave in Egypt and watch the plagues one by one.  I think about what a day that must have been when the people of Egypt released the children of Israel.  What a happy trip out of town that must have been!  Then, they faced their first test, at the Red Sea.  God showed them His great strength.  He showed them that they could trust Him, in everything.  When they saw the deliverence of God and they were safe on the other side and the Egyptian army was no longer an issue, they sang praises to God and cheered Moses for his great leadership.  It wasn't too long after that though that it started - the whining, complaining, the doubts and fears returned.  I like to tell myself that if I saw the waters of the sea part and stand up like pillars that I would never doubt God again.  Go ahead God, do something like that in my life and I'll never doubt again.  I'll never complain about my circumstances or wonder how You'll provide for my needs.  I'll trust You to provide if you'll just work a miracle like that in my life.

But He already has.

God has done as much in my life.  He delivered me from my bondage to sin.  He gave His Word to me that I could know Him better, so I could be encouraged when I am low, where I could be comforted when I am sad, where I could be filled with joy when I am sad, and where I can be empowered when I am weak.  I have been given direct access to the throne of God!  I have watched God provide.  I have seen Him answer my prayers even when I didn't really think He would.  And still, I doubt sometimes.  Still, I complain about my circumstances and problems even when I know better.  I doubt His power over my situations.  I doubt His provision for my needs.  Why?  Why do I doubt a God Who has proven Himself faithful in my life so many times and never failed me. 

The answer is simple - I am just like the Children of Israel.  I've seen great miracles, but at the first sign of trouble, I start to fear.  I complain to God.  I lack faith.  The Lord has taught me so much as I've taught the stories of Moses in school each day.  I am learning to rely on the Lord as the children of Israel should have done.  I've given my fears and uncertainty to the Lord - I don't need them anyway.  Trusting in the Lord is something we each must do daily, but thankfulness for what He's already provided helps me to continue to trust in Him.  Acknowledging the miracles I've already experienced will give me the courage to continue to trust my Savior each day.  So, I will be thankful.  Not just in November, but throughout the year, for the miracles in my life.  Besides, giving thank is so much better than the other option.