Plowing & Planting

Plowing & Planting

Our school year is off to a wonderful start.  Not the "we've already finished our entire first semester" sort of start that I dream of, but a wonderful start regardless.  My favorite part of our school day has always been Bible time.  We start each school day together in the living room praying together, singing together, and reading God's Word.  It is a precious time that reminds me of the real reason we homeschool.  The rest of the school day may be semi-organized chaos, but these first few minutes are always a wonderful time together.

This year, our focus has been on wisdom and choosing wisely.  We have been talking about, praying about, and singing about choosing what is best and having wisdom.  Naturally, our Bible reading has centered around the book of Proverbs.  Each passage admonishes us to use wisdom in our lives and challenges us in a new area of our lives.  III John v.4 says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."  It has been my great joy to see the kids not only listening to God's Word, but applying the truth in their lives.

For our literature reading we have been reading through the Little House series.  I fully anticipated much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the boys on this front.  However, I have been pleasantly surprised.  All of the kids have enjoyed reading about Laura and Mary and their experience on the prairie and beyond.  

Our Bible reading and our literature reading collided today and taught us an important lesson.  I hope that our lesson will bless and encourage you as well.

Proverbs 20:4 - The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

There have been a few verses in our study of Proverbs that were obvious in the way they apply to the children.  Proverbs 10:1b, "A wise son maketh a glad father." Proverbs 7:1, "My son, keep my words."  Proverbs is full of excellent lessons for each of us and Solomon speaks specifically to young people throughout the book.  Still, the kids weren't exactly seeing how a sluggard plowing (or not plowing rather) applied to them.  That's where our literature reading came in.  We talked about what they had learned from the Little House series about plowing and harvest.  Then I asked them, "how does this verse apply to us?"  Yes, I received a few very confused looks and some humorous answers as well.  "Reason of cold" - it's cold in Alaska!  Harvest, like cutting the lettuce in the garden?  Sluggard?  What's a sluggard?  (yes, I've explained this term many times by chapter 20)

This is the part of our Bible time that has become so very precious to me.  The time when I'm able to show these precious ones that God has entrusted to us how that he can teach them something 'just for them' from a verse that doesn't seem to be 'for them' at all.  

You see, this is the time of their lives that is the plowing time.  Just like spring time is the time to turn the soil and prepare the ground for seeds, these early years of our children's lives are the time to be preparing their hearts and their character for that day that surely will come - a day of harvest.  Is this plowing always fun and exciting?  No, it is hard work.  It is not a work for sluggards.  Plowing takes planning and hard work and faithfulness.  

The sluggard says, "it's too cold."  I may say, "I'm so tired."  The kids may say, "I want to go play."  Then, when the harvest comes; will we have nothing?

It is a work that we choose to do together.  I have to work to plow and plant the seeds of truth in them and they have to work hard as well.  Yes, there are days when it is exhausting and discouraging.  Yes, there are days when the kids don't want to put in the work and I don't either.  Still, there is a harvest that is coming and it is my heart's desire that their harvest will be a life honoring to the Lord.  Of course, I want each of them to be that homeschool prodigy that you read about that graduates college at 15.  I want them to love school, score above average on everything, love music, develop their talents, and excel at everything.  I want all those great things for each of them.  (Okay, the graduating college at 15 seems rather unlikely)  However, the harvest that I am looking forward to having in that great day of harvest is five children who are so much like my Savior that I can see Christ in every part of their lives.  Yes, that is the harvest that I look forward to, pray for, and work towards.  

Today is not that harvest day.  Some days I wish it were because the plowing and planting is exhausting and I'm ready for some rest.  Other days I'm thankful it's not quite here because I'm sure that my harvest will not even come close to resembling what I'm trying to grow.  Still, the harvest day is coming and it's closer every day so let this simple truth be an encouragement to you today.  It's worth it!  Some days may feel like your work is in vain, but don't give up.  Don't make an excuse and put aside this important work of plowing and planting for another time or for someone else.  God's Word tell us in Proverbs 31:25 that we "shall rejoice in time to come."  I cling to that.  It's a promise from my God who can not lie.  So today I choose to plow the little field where God has put me and pray for the harvest that God will make up for my failures and give the increase.

FACES

I'm not a fan of copying music lyrics; however, this song relates to my next post and I hope that it will be a blessing to you.  The third verse is specifically related to what I'll be writing about.  If you'd like to have the first or second verses as well, please let me know and I will post them.  If you would prefer to have the sheet music it is available for purchase and download from musicnotes.com.
Faces - words and music by Rodney Griffin.

Faces

Though you did not see the yield,

You were faithful to plow the field.

At other times, you helped Me plant the seed.

No matter how small the task,

you did just as I asked.

And, thanks to you,

these souls have been set free.

Then He showed me the faces of the ones who'd come because of me.

So many faces that my life had led to Calvary.

All those years I thought nobody saw as I labored in lowly places.  

That's when Jesus smiled and showed me all the faces.

E-Books Again

I've posted before about the wonderful world of e-books.  Today, I wanted to revisit the topic and rave about a specific series from Carson Dellosa publishing.  This series includes six non-fiction reading and comprehension workbooks designed to improve reading comprehension and reading skill in students 4th grade and up.  It is designed with a 4th grade reading level, but content that is appropriate for 4th grade through adult so it is especially helpful for students in upper grades who are struggling. 

Each 64-page book includes more than 20 high-interest non-fiction reading passages as well as review questions in a variety of formats.  The review questions help develop student comprehension and vocabulary with fill in the blank, multiple choice, true or false, as well as short answer writing practice and comprehension questions in standardized test format. 

These e-books are only $3.99 each from Carson Dellosa and are so easy to download to your computer and print.  I love these for reading assignments for Joshua.  He is beginning to really appreciate reading fiction, but has always preferred non-fiction.  These books are just perfect for him.

Many curriculums offer reading and comprehension drills, but they are generally sold as consumables and can be expensive.  These e-books are excellent because they can be used over and over for one low price.  I love the convenience of e-books especially when it comes to printable workbook pages. 

Other great Carson Dellosa e-books to check into are the Summer Bridge Books.  These are classic best sellers for Carson Dellosa now available in e-book format for easy printing.  They are wonderful to keep students learning throughout the summer in a fun way.

Legos Legos Legos

Yes, we are a Lego-Loving house.

Well, most of us are.  Most of the time.  There are those moments, in the middle of the night, when I finally find that 'missing' lego.  Not good.  My lack of grace is quite evident in those moments.  How can one tiny lego piece topple a full grown adult?  Someday I'll set up a video camera and figure it out.

Of course we love all the basic lego sets.  The kids enjoy building lego cars and lego airplanes, and cities and all that great stuff.  This is the first year we've ordered legos from lego education and we have been completely thrilled with all the items we've gotten. 
I wish I had good photos of Josh's cars and robots he's created.  They have really been spectacular.  I have enjoyed watching him build them.  Hudson loves creating his construction crew too.  We've explored simple machines, battery power, gears and motors and we're enjoying every minute of it.  I have some lego robotics sets too, if only our computer weren't so feeble, we would be able to build and program our own robots.  Oh well, maybe next year. 

If you've never tried Lego Education, check out their website.  They have great classroom kits as well as homeschool kits.  They are expensive, of course, but great products and they'll last a long time.

Movie Review

I don't normally do movie reviews - for numerous reasons.  I can't begin to count the number of times I saw an 'edited-for-tv' movie and recommended to a friend only to see the 'original' version at some point and have to apologize to all the people I recommended the movie to because of all the inappropriate content I conveniently didn't see the first time.  Of course, that doesn't happen as often anymore since the tv version of most movies is nearly as awful as the original version.  Okay, back to my original post . . .

If you are not aware, our house has been plagued with various forms of sickness (i.e. flu, bronchitis, colds, stomach bugs, ear infections, sinus infections, etc . . . ) since August when I attempted to get a head start on the school year.  We've been sick off and on (mostly on) since then.  This has made regular school work and schedules a bit unpredictable with some kids in bed, unplanned doctors appointments, and the like.  When our regular school activities are lost in the chaos, I enjoy snuggling with all the kids on the couch reading good books - actual literature and a few silly kids books too.  I also love finding movies that are educational.   
Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution (I, II, and III) is a series of videos that covers a host of fascinating facts about God's creation and a straightforward explanation of why they could have never evolved.  We watched them when they were available for streaming through Netflix, but they are available lots of places.  I highly recommend these.  Some of the naration is silly - which the kids enjoyed, and the photography isn't breathtakingly gorgeous like the BBC nature specials, but every bit of information glorifies our Great Creator.
On a side-note.  I went to college with Dr. Martin's twin daughters, Maryn and Taryn.  It was really interesting to listen to him speak on the videos.

"I Am Not Your Servant"

Sometimes motherhood is wonderful.  Sometimes not so much.  We all know that nothing in life is perfect.  Still, nothing points out how completely 'un-perfect' we are like seeing your worst faults lived out in front of you in your children.  You know what I mean.  That character flaw that you've worked so hard to overcome (or at least hide) in your life.  For some of us (at least for me) that includes a long list of rough edges God's been working on smoothing for a very long time.  Often, these tend to be the greatest points of contention between a parent and child.  Seeing your sins walk around the house really makes them difficult to avoid.   As a compassionate mother, my heart is grieved to think of the struggle this child will have if this area of their life reamins unchanged.  As an adult, I know the difficult path that lies ahead and so I pray that God would change me and help me as I seek to guide them. 

As you can imagine, life in our house can sometimes be chaotic.  With five little ones, now ranging from 6-9 years of age, things can be crazy.  Getting ready to go anywhere is always wild.  Meals are great examples of moderately controlled chaos for us.  It was in the midst of one of these meal times that I learned a great lesson in life and motherhood and humility.  Lunch is generally very rushed for us.  We either need to finish quickly so we can get back to school or we need to hurry through lunch to get to the rest of the mile-long to-do list for the afternoon.  Either way, it is wild.  There is that quiet moment of prayer when we thank The Lord for our food (yes, all five of the kids insist on praying), but that tends to be the only quiet moment.  I set each plate down for each child and they begin their lunch, by the time I set a plate before the second child, the first is now thirsty and asking for a drink.  Because of my lack of spacial awareness, in attempting to make plates and fill glasses at the same time, accidents sometimes happen.  At one such time I very brilliantly said to the children, "Can't you get a drink for yourself.  I am not your servant." 

It was in that moment that the Holy Spirit impressed a great truth to me.  It was as if God asked me, "You're not their servant?  Why not?  Don't you want them to be servants?  Didn't I command you to be a servant to all?"  I'd like to say that I instantly realized my error and corrected my attitude, but that isn't exactly what happened.  One of those rough edges I was telling you about came up again at this moment (the self-justifying).  "But, Lord, they need to learn to do things for themselves.  I can't do everything.  I'm tired.  I'm frustrated.  They are capable of doing something around here."  That sounds good, doesn't it?  And putting into my argument true statements made me feel better about my attitude.  I felt justified.  Still, as the Spirit of God worked on my heart, I realized a greater truth.  The world needs great workers and great leaders, but greater than that, it needs great servants.  Yes, Lord, I want to be a servant.  My prideful flesh rejects servanthood, but what is motherhood but serving?  Yes, Lord,  I want to raise little servants for You and the best way to do that is to be an example for them.  "Lord, help me today to be a servant and to have a servant's heart.  Help me to model for my children what being a servant really means."

"And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.  For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

Mark 10:44-45



Hands On!

I love a classroom with plenty of variety; don't you?  I enjoy adding review games, fun projects, silly songs, group activities, anything to our day to make it a little more fun and keep us all on our toes.  Of course, school can't all be fun and games.  I do have to have a couple of papers to submit for our work samples and I do need to be able to grade a few things to submit for our progress reports.  I know, I know, but anytime I can add some variety to our school day is a fun day for all of us.  I have really enjoyed using our measurement centers from Lakeshore Learning with the kids this year.  These centers include lots of fun hands-on activities for measuring length, weight, and volume.  The activites are for preschool through 2nd grade, but I added some extra information to each lesson to make it applicable for Joy and Josh (3rd & 4th grade) too.

When we studied (a.k.a. played with) the length measurement center, Josh and Joy would make estimations about each activity using standard and metric measurement.  The would also make predictions and then compare the final results with their prediction to see how they did.  It was a great way to make an activity geared toward the little ones apply for all of us.

Today, we measured volume (played in the water during class).  Josh and Joy predicted outcomes based on measurements and estimations.  Since we are measuring the volume of different measuring cups it was also a good chance to review fractions.  We talked about how containers of different shapes can vary in their volume.  Things that look very different can sometimes have similar capacity.  It is also a great chance to review these important math vocabulary terms with the older kids.  I love having multiple grades all together and enjoying our hands on learning!