When Learning Comes Alive

Every year around this time, I find myself getting the homeschool blahs.  Stuck in a rut, bored, and oh, so tired.  Whether or not you too are on a homeschooling endeavor, I'm certain you can relate.  Wintertime (even one as mild as this one has been!!), can do that to you. 

And, every year around this time, I start reevaluating my goals and methods, trying to determine what must stay and what must GO.  After all, change can be good, right?  It's one of God's most wonderful blessings to us.  The freedom to problem solve and to infuse change into our routines every so often. 

As an educator, I absolutely thrill to the idea that learning can come alive to my children.  History stories that leap off the pages of stale textbooks, science experiments that make us stand in wonder of our Creator God, and even Latin lessons that cause us to better understand and appreciate our mother tongue.  The backbone of the education that we have strived to give our children is inherently classical, yet with a flare of an eclectic mixture of fun thrown in.

Here is a look at some of the ways we've attempted to make learning come alive to our kids the past few weeks, despite the wintertime blahs.....



A sick day doesn't necessarily equal no school!  Here the kids are creating their own inventions after reading about famous inventors of the 1800 and 1900's.





Jackson, busy working on his "invention" also. :)

 

The finished product - a robotic dog for kids who are allergic to dogs.  Can you tell what they are hoping for??



Jackson, fishing for ABC's.





Breaking out the shaving cream to work on our memory work.  So fun!





Practicing skip counting....



And letters...for little ones. :)

And this is what happens when you turn your back for a minute to unload the dishawasher while the kids are happily oocupied finger painting with shaving cream. :)

Took a little break to play in the snow.  Not much of it this year.....have to take advantage while we can!

Edible fractions....

Sophia wants to be just like the big kids!



History comes to life....here are my kids wrangling up some cattle and building a fort out of sticks in our backyard.  Can't believe this February weather!!



Laura Ingalls Wilder

And a random cowboy. :)

Taking a little break for some reading.  Currently, a couple titles we're reading are, The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder and a biography of Gladys Aylward.

Here we are at the Valley Forge Visitors Center on President's Day.



Yeah, it sounded great in theory, but in reality it was super-crowded and the kids were more interested in stick-fighting. Oh well. :)

 


In CC this year, the kids are learning about the periodic table. Here are the first twelve elements.  Red jimmies = protons, blue jimmies = electrons, and the chocolate chips = neutrons.  Super fun...and yummy. :)







Some of us helped more than others. :)

 



 

So, there you have it!  A handful of things to balance out the monotony of a normal school day.  This week?  We're heading to the city to see the Philadelphia orchestra!!  Love learning right alongside of my kids!

Kirsten

What's On My Nightstand These Days

Getting back into school these past couple weeks since the holidays finished up has been difficult.  I can sense that ever-too-familiar critical and overbearing spirit of the flesh creeping up.  It does this every once in awhile.  Forgets its place.  And I succumb.  Again.  Trying to remember how to live in the moment of grace.  It's a lesson I've learned thousands of times before, yet still I find myself forgetting.  So often I wish this sanctification process would be a once and done thing.  Oh, how easy that would make things!!  But no, it is a daily need to lay all things at the cross.  Day after day.  Moment after moment.  Gathering up my daily manna from heaven. 

Oh, "quiet times" are still there.  Nicely and neatly packaged up - relegated to their own place in the day.  Not to be re-visited until the next morning.  But is this the way He intended it to be?  A small chunk of my day dedicated to Him, while all the other thousands of moments rush by without so much as a second glance?  Don't each of those moments belong to Him also?  Moments where I feel frustration towards my children.  Moments where I feel over-worked and under-appreciated.  Moments where I allow myself and my emotions to take precedence to truth.

As I've wrestled with the flesh this week, I've been so thankful for this book right now by Ann Voskamp.



If you haven't read it yet, I'd certainly recommend picking up a copy.  It is causing me to pause a little bit more.  To search for Him in the midst of ordinary life.  To literally count my blessings....One Thousand Gifts.  To quit trying to rush through life.....for now....this week.  A lesson being learned, yet again. 

This is what I am praying for this week....a thankful heart.  One that exudes grace, and beauty, and Him.  I'm praying for eyes that will recognize the Creator in every created thing.  Praying for a desire to glorify Him in my home.  With my kids.  With my husband.  In my attitudes.  In my heart. 

I'll leave you with this quote I came across this week.....

"Yes, give them God's law. Teach it to them and tell them God commands obedience. But before you are done, give them grace and explain again the beautiful story of Christ's keeping it for them. Jesus Christ is the only one who ever deserved to hear, "You are good", but He relinquished His right relationship with the law and His Father and suffered as a lawbreaker. This is the message we all need to hear, and it is the only message that will transform our hearts."

 -Elyse Fitzpatrick, Give Them Grace

Praying for grace. Kirsten



A Look at What's on my Nightstand These Days...

Last weekend just begged of me to start a new book.  It snowed.  Yup, snowed!  I know it is only the very beginning of November and the leaves are still on the trees and all, but it snowed just the same.  About 5-6 inches!  Isn't God so amazingly creative AND powerful to make both leaves AND snow fall at the same time???

So, what did I do?  I cuddled up next to the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and I started this book:

Order your FREE copy HERE

 

K.P. Yohannan, the author of No Longer a Slumdog, is the founder and director of Gospel for Asia, a non-profit organization that reaches out to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the slums of India.  It is sure to make you think.  Check out their website if you are looking for any Christmas gift ideas apart from the norm this holiday season.  So many awesome things to choose from!!!

Up next on my nightstand???  This book:

I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS ONE!!!  I have been literally waiting since the author, Katie Davis, first announced on her blog that she was writing a book.  Katie's blog was what first inspired us to adopt.  It was her stories and her pictures that caused me to fall on my knees and beg of God to use me in some way.  The book takes place in Uganda and is about Katie's real-life testimony of leaving her middle-class, suburban life to serve orphans halfway across the world.  50% of the proceeds from the sale of this book, go to help fund her ministry, Amazima.

One more to share with you.....



This book, taking place in China, is all about the underground church.  Although names and dates are fictitious, the story itself is compiled of stories that have happened at one time or another.  (And speaking of nightstands, this particular one is still on mine and is a library book that is now way over-due. :)

So, there you have it.  A couple more books to pique your interest.  Hope you are having a wonderful Saturday afternoon!



Kirsten

Our School Year at a Glance

Last week I wrote about giving my plans over to God as I begin to prepare for the upcoming school year.  Certainly making plans and trusting in God go hand-in-hand.  We plan, with all the wisdom and creativity that He has given us, but in the end, we hold those plans loosely to see what He will do with them.  Over the past few years I have heard the term, "holding your plans up to God with open hands instead of clenched fists".  So, as I've been planning, I've been praying also.  Praying that God will give me direction....and wisdom.  Praying that the curriculum will not be an idol, but simply a means to an end.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
~Proverbs 16:9

Here is a look at some of my plans for this school year.  No curriculum is perfect.  It is all just that....curriculum.  Some of it will work well for us, and others won't.  And so as we go, we will tweak and change and muddle through.  What matters most is the heart in which it is taught in.  Oh my, don't I need a reminder of that these days!??!!

We've structured our entire year around Classical Conversations, the national homeschool organization that we are a part of.  CC strives to teach students classically through memorization.  On class days, our kids will be learning new grammar in the subject areas of English, Latin, History, Science, Math, Geography, Bible, Art and Music.  Our kids will be doing art projects, science experiments and an oral presentation each week.  It is truly the highlight of their week!  For those fellow CCer's - check out this blog.  It has been SO helpful in my lesson planning for the year.

BIBLE:

The kids will be memorizing John 1:1-7 and then learning to translate it in Latin this year.  That should be interesting!

ALSO....



LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!  Combines art and bible.  Read through the Proverbs with your kids and they illustrate as you go.  Also available:  Psalms, Acts, Letters of Paul and Life of Jesus.

 

MATH: 

We're using Abeka books again this year for math.  My kids seem to like them (the books are real colorful and fun) - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

A couple of websites I am planning to use to supplement are:

Math Drills

and

Khan Academy

We're also a HUGE fan of Justin at Mathtacular!!

LANGUAGE ARTS:

For those students from 3rd-6th grade, Classical Conversations has an intense Language Arts and Math program called Essentials.  For the first time this year, my daughter will be taking their Essentials class. The Language Arts program uses a combination of The Essentials of the English Language Guidebook and Andrew Pudewa's Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW).  So, so, so, sooooo good!!!

For my beginning readers, we have used this book:

Joseph just finished it up and will be going on to "real" books.

For handwriting, we have always liked A Reason For Writing.  Kaya will be continuing on in cursive, while Joseph finishes up his mastery in printing.

SCIENCE:


Real Science 4 Kids: Chemistry Level I

AND

So, I was trying to figure out how to teach chemistry to elementary students.  Enter, Cooking and Science.  And, it can only (to my knowledge) be found at http://shpublishing.com/.  Truly one of the nicest family-run curriculum companies to work with!


AND

We're studying human anatomy this year in our Classical Conversations community.  Looking forward to using this resource!


AND

 I'm excited by the reviews on this book and am hoping it will be a great resource for years to come.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

This year in Classical Conversations we will be studying US History.  Abeka books has a myriad of sources that we are using to supplement our memory work in both history and geography.

We'll also be working on memorizing a timeline of the world using Veritas Press' Timeline Cards.

A couple of websites that I have been introduced to also as supplements:

Paper Toys

and

FREE Audiobooks on Librivox

In the past we have used....



and LOVED it!  But unfortunately, they do not offer an American History volume yet.  Maybe someday! :)



FINE ARTS:

AND

 

AND

PRESCHOOL:

And, finally, Jackson is starting preschool at home this year!!!  I found this website with FREE printables for preschoolers.  It is AWESOME!  I was able to print off all kinds of their "preschool packs" in Star Wars and Peter Pan and Disney Cars.  Plenty to keep little hands busy.  I'm also intrigued by a book called, Preschool in a Bag, but I have yet to get my hands on a copy. :)

At this point, we have field trips penciled in, lessons plans written out, and objectives submitted to the local school district.  We're almost there!!!

Now, for me, the planning is the fun part.  I am a geek in the sense that I LOVE lesson planning.  BY FAR, my most favorite assignments in college involved lesson planning.  It's all fun and creative and in my mind it always plays out PERFECTLY.  The hard part though, is the reality.  When science experiments flop, and the baby poops on the floor during reading time, and my three-year-old clogs the toilet while I'm trying to teach math (don't ask - as you can see we have A LOT of bathroom issues here. :)  When life takes over and I'm left to pick up the pieces of my beautiful lesson plan gone awry.  Praying for a lot of GRACE this year!!

So, here's to a new year beginning.  It sure couldn't come soon enough!!



Kirsten



My Reading List

Over the past several months I have posted excerpts from a few of the books that I have been reading.  Some of you have asked me to share those with you.  Here is a look at the books that have impacted me the most this year:



 

 

 

 

 

And just for fun....

 

Here's a peak at what's on my nightstand right now....



A memoir.  One couple's journey from infertility to adoption.



and



One courageous woman's personal  look at the HIV/AIDS crisis in Ethiopia.



And no reading list could be complete without my two all-time favorite novels.....

 

and

 

Summer's not over.  Grab a book and sit poolside.  Happy Reading!

Kirsten

Radical

I have been pondering this post by Ann Voskamp this week because it is right where my heart has been for some time.  Those of you who follow either Ann Voskamp or Katie Davis are in for a treat as these two worlds collide!  For those of you who don't, make sure to hop on over to their blogs - they are awesome!!

So what does a radical life for Christ look like?   As Ann posed the question, "Is it even possible to be a radical Christ-follower — and own a mini-van, have more than one bathroom, order clothes from Land’s End, and lay your head down on a pillow when He had none? "  Obviously, we know that it is - and I do!!  But I can't help to echo the question - What then are we supposed to do?? 

As believers, how are we to "go into all the world" when we are wives and mothers with responsibilities HERE!!??!  How are we then ~ how am I then~ to impact this world for Christ?  I believe it is possible, but it will take a radical abandonment to Jesus.  Proximity, after all, isn't always as important as what we do once we're there.  Yes, some of us will be called to go, but others of us will be called to stay.  Not to stay simply to enjoy the benefits of the American Dream however. 

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted much, much more will be asked."

~Luke 12:48



Haven't we been given all we have to turn around and use it for His glory anyway?  Our fancy houses and beautiful cars, our designer clothes and lavish lifestyles.  Even those, who do not have much by American standards, if they have a roof over their heads at night, a means of transportation (including public), clothes and food, they are among the top 10% of the wealthiest people in the world.  I'm fairly certain, that if you are reading (or in my case, typing) this post on a computer, that we qualify. :)  I haven't been blessed simply for my own purposes, but to instead glorify Him, the Creator of all things.  To give like the poor widow in Mark 12, instead of out of a surplus of what is leftover.  That is the kind of heart I desire.  The kind of heart I am praying for.  A heart that is overflowed with love from above, so much so that it DESIRES to give away. 

So what does this look like in suburban America?  Perhaps it is taking a meal to a family in need.  Perhaps it is giving away "stuff" that is simply taking over our houses.  Maybe it is taking another child into your home. Maybe, just maybe, it is freeing up your expenses and living on less, so that we have more to give.  To the widow...to the orphan....to the shut-in....to the single mother of three kids....to the least of these....for His glory.....to spread His fame.

What if as Christians, we lived like THAT, instead of working to gather as much stuff for ourselves?  What if we lived as if none of it were ours anyway?  What if we acquired, only to give it away?  What kind of impact could we make globally?  What if....

In David Platt's book, Radical (HIGHLY recommend this book), he writes,

"The way we use our money is a barometer of our present spiritual condition.  Our neglect of the poor illustrates much about where our hearts lie.  The mark of Christ followers is that their hearts are in heaven and their treasures are spent there."


"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
~Matthew 6:21 

My husband and I have much soul-searching to do this week.  How do we fit into this global mission?  How does God want to use our resources for His glory?  What is He asking us to do for His name?  I challenge you to ask those same questions of God.  What if we all, not only asked those kinds of questions, but then DID what God showed us to do within our own sphere of influence?  What if we, as Christians, chose to live radically, instead of comfortably, even if we weren't the ones necessarily called to physically "GO"?

What if......

Kirsten

Parenting is not for the Faint-of-Heart

So, I've spent the last hour, roughly, sitting at my dining room table, just thinking.  My house is relatively quiet (well, as quiet as a house with four young kids gets!!) and the kids are busily playing downstairs.  And, yet,

Here.  I.  Sit. 

Not because there is nothing to do.  Upstairs, there is a musty stench that hits you when you reach the hallway.  I'm not sure if it is the three loads of dirty laundry that await me or the bathroom that desperately needs to be scrubbed.  There is a sink of dirty dishes in the kitchen and toys strewn around the house.  I haven't even peeked in the basement for fear that the kids will see me and then quiet time will be over.  We only got through about half of our schoolwork for the day before we (I) needed a break.  I have a mountain of projects to get done around the house before our home visit next week and some more paperwork to complete.  And yet, the silence beckons me.  To come.  To sit.  To do nothing.

Being a parent is hard.  Even when our day is through and the kids are all tucked into their beds, there is still much to be done.  A checklist to complete.  In some ways though, the checklist feels like the easy part.

Clean the toilets.  Check.
Make dinner.  Check. 
Give the kids baths.  Check.

What complicates my checklist though, is trying to balance it in the midst of relationships.  Making dinner looks a lot different with one kid hanging on me, another trying to show me the project she just made and two others fighting it out over a toy (can you guess who's who??!).  Yes, the checklist itself is the easy part...trying to complete it with diligence and grace, all the while loving on my four littles is what complicates things a bit. How often though, do I allow my "checklist" to come in the way of these relationships that I so value?

Isn't it the same way with God?  I have MY agenda.  I have MY plans.  I have MY checklist.  And in some ways, it would be a lot simpler.  This relationship thingy is what complicates matters!  Trying to do all that I need to do, while I am extending the love of Jesus to those around me and maintaining a relationship with God.  Yet, that is where the problem lies.

Too many I's and MY's and not enough of Him. 

David Platt, in the book, Radical, states:

"Instead of imagining all the things we can accomplish, we ask God to do what only He can accomplish.  Yes, we work, we plan, we organize, and we create, but we do it all while we fast, while we pray, and while we constantly confess our need for the provision of God.  Instead of dependence on ourselves, we express radical desperation for the power of His Spirit."

Learning to surrrender my plans is hard, however, settling for a life apart from His resources and His Spirit is even harder.  Because, in the end, when I don't depend on God and try to do things in my own strength, I am nothing more than a Pharisee, trying to do good by my works.  I am holding onto the law, holding onto what is comfortable, and forgetting about the relationship.

In Luke 10 we find the all too familiar story of the two sisters, Mary and Martha, as they anxiously await the arrival of Jesus to their home.  Martha, is busy in the kitchen....cleaning, cooking, baking....she's got her checklist!  Mary, on the other hand, is sitting at the feet of Jesus.  She has put aside her "to-do list" and is invested in the relationship.  And what does Jesus say of her?

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen the better part." 

 ~Luke 10:42

 

So I'm gonna give it another try today.  I'm gonna give myself permission to enjoy my kids amidst the clutter and chaos.  I may not have the luxury of abandoning my checklist altogether, but I will press into Him and attempt my chores in His strength, all the while investing in the relationships around me. 

The laundry can wait. :) 



Kirsten

Faith vs. Works

Last weekend I had the privilege of going to a one-day conference out in Lancaster put on by Hope for Orphans with a couple of other women from my church.  I've been silent in blog-world this week, as I've been really processing alot of what I heard. 

Did you know??  The Bible mentions caring for the poor and oppressed 21 HUNDRED times in scripture?  2,100 times!!!  Now, I knew God had (has!) a heart for the hurting.  Many people do.  But God doesn't simply stop there.  He has a heart for those who hurt.....and then He DOES something about it!  Over and over throughout scripture, we see a God who heals the sick, provides food for the hungry, comforts the hurting.  His love extends out and reaches actual, physical needs.

What exactly is this relationship between our salvation and our works?  We know that we are NOT saved by our works.  It is simply a free gift that God gives us.  There is NOTHING we can DO to receive salvation.  No matter how good we are.  God loves us, not because of what we've done, but because of who He is.  That being said, the Bible says that "Faith without works is dead." (James 2:26).  Clearly works is important too!

So how do the two reconcile? 

According to Tim Keller, in his book, The Prodigal God, :

"Religion operates on the principle of  'I obey - therefore I am accepted by God.'  The basic operating principle of the gospel, however,  is 'I am accepted by God - therefore, I obey.'" 

We obey God's commands and strive to live like Jesus, not out of fear or guilt, or because we want to earn favor with God, but because we are loved eternally by our Creator.  "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19).  He therefore, becomes the source of our love.  And it is because of Him, that we love in the first place.

The more I have grown in my relationship with God, the more I DESIRE to do the things He commands.  The more His heart, becomes my heart (or at least that is my hope!!! :)  The more you have become aware of God's overwhelming love for you, how has it compelled you to love others??  Because according to God's Word, it should!!!   As we grow in Him, we should be compelled to not only "love" others in theory, but to put that love into action.  We are called to love like Jesus, in word AND in deed. The two should go hand in hand.

When we began this crazy adoption journey, everyone who had gone before us told us that God would provide.  They all said that the money would just be there.  And. It. Has.   But that money has not just appeared out of thin air.  It has been because of people (like many of YOU!!), who have matched your deeds to your words.  It has been because God has blessed us tremendously with brothers and sisters in Christ who DESIRE to put their faith into action. 

For proof, take a look at our fundraising thermometer to the right!  It just keeps creeping up!  Just the other week, it was at $8,000.  Today, we have raised a total of $10,000.  Every penny, exactly and perfectly when it was needed.  Not a moment before.  Who knew??!!?  Well, it turns out, God did. :)

We are truly blessed.  Thank you for loving on orphans, and in the process, loving on us!

"Dear children, let us stop loving with words or lips alone, but let us love with actions and in truth."

1 John 3:18

Kirsten