Dec. 9, 2009 - Ornaments
Friday we are having a Happy Birthday Jesus party with our homeschool group. The kids will be making 2 Christmas ornaments at the party. Here are the samples that my kiddos and I made yesterday.
Angel Ornament
The directions to make the angel above are here:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/craft_angel_clip.html
(I used a little piece of silver pipe cleaner for the halo on my version.)
Candy Cane Ornament
Here is what is written on the Candy Cane one.
The Candy Cane
“J” is for Jesus the one and only son of God whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. He came as an act of love to save us from our sins.
The white base color of the candy cane reminds us that he was pure and completely without sin.
The red stripes remind us of the blood He shed to save us from our sins.
The candy is bent into a cane to remind us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Turn it over and it becomes a "J" for Jesus!
A simple piece of candy, yet it is so much more. A reminder of our Lord and Saviour!
:^)
Happy Homeschooling,
Jamin
Dec. 8, 2009 - Tightwad Tuesday Tightwad Tess
I found this cute and very useful tightwad resource and wanted to pass it on.
Tightwad Tess web page: http://www.tightwadtess.com/
Tightwad Tess Blog: http://tightwadtess.blogspot.com/
Dec. 8, 2009 - Our New Schoolroom
Well after a little over 8 weeks in the new house we are pretty much unpacked. The downstairs is done and we are living in every inch of it! So I thought I would share with you our latest and greatest schoolroom!
This is the main sitting area in the schoolroom. I look forward to many hours of couch time here with my littles reading our Sonlight!
This is my favorite new addition to the schoolroom. I LOVE this painting which I wanted to buy 2 years ago for our other house but I didn't have room for it. A friend had bought it 2 years ago but no longer had room for it so I managed to talk her out of it. :^) On the shelf below the picture are souvenirs from our travels all over the USA. We have had a lot of fun putting it together and look forward to adding a lot more trinkets in the future.
Here is our wall of beloved books and our school table.
The big open space in the middle of the room is my favorite space! Lots of room to get down on the floor and work on things. A true blessing!
And if we need even more space we can spread into the entry way too. The whole space is 18' X 18'. It is wonderful! I still can't believe it is ours!
While I am showing the schoolroom I might as well show you the rest of the downstairs too. This is the family room.
And the family room from the other direction.
This is the dining area and the kitchen. (Laundry room and pantry is off the kitchen through the door by the fridge. The hall leads back to the schoolroom.)
As you can see we have all our treasures unpacked and on display. I guess you can tell I LOVE STUFF! LOL (Except moving it! YIKES! That is a job!)
You can see pictures of our last 2 schoolrooms HERE.
Happy Homeschooling,
Jamin
Dec. 7, 2009 - Christmas Products
Dec. 6, 2009 - Celebrating Advent
Anticipating His coming, Expectation. Preparing our hearts. That is what Advent is all about. In our family we read scripture each day ( at least we try to), and recount the events that lead up to the saviors birth. This year we are doing a complete study of Jesus the Messiah by Cindy Zeigler. Our hearts are focused on the reason for the celebration, family, and friends. Gifts and glitz are secondary.
I have found a collection of other bloggers entries and web pages on Advent. Some good words of encouragement and wisdom creative ideas and fun.
http://www.teachingmom.com/features/advent.html I use this calendar every year. This site is full of ideas.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/my4sweetums/747115/
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2009/12/what-advent-is-really-all-about.html
http://familycorner.blogspot.com/2009/11/advent-wreath.html
http://lilirishlass.blogspot.com/2009/12/unconvential-advent-wreath.html Oh so simple and beautiful!
http://jamespurejoy.blogspot.com/2009/12/childs-advent-wreath-tutorial.html Wish I had thought of this one when mine were toddlers! Cute!
http://kiddley.com/2006/11/22/fill-your-advent-with-activities/ Love this idea.
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/xmas/advent.html
http://www.kidscraftweekly.com/advent_issue.html
Dec. 6, 2009 - Prayer Journal
During this busy season there is one area of our life that needs to stay consistant: Our time with the Lord. I stumbled across this Squido Lens the other day and just fell in love with it! This gal really has a great lens on how to keep a prayer journal. Check it out. http://www.squidoo.com/prayerjournalorganizer This would be a great gift to create for yourself and your family.
Dec. 6, 2009 - Find Room 219...Pass this on!
Here is something really good. Randy Forbes is our Congressman here in southeastern Virginia. He is a great Christian man. If you YouTube him you will find many good speeches he has made about taking back our Nation and doing the right things under God.
The website is www.findroom219.com
Dec. 6, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up
From the Heart:
So grateful for family and celebrations that bring us together. Christmas is my favorite and we celebrate the whole month! Its not the gifts but the time invested in honoring Jesus, spending time with friends and family, the preparing for the one day. I think it is a lot like the Lord preparing for the bride groom…the joy and anticipation, the beauty.
In the School Room:
We are working hard to stay on track during this busy season. I did slack off a bit and reassign some of the work . The gals are studying the Nutcracker for literature and music this month. We are also taking a break in Art. Finding it difficult to be motivated with all the other creative things we are already doing. We have been making pomanders . You can learn about them here: http://www.make-stuff.com/kids/pomander.html We made our last pomanders 20 years ago. I wanted to show our daughter in law how to make them. I sent them home with an old one made by my son when he was 3 and a new one made by his bride.
On the Mission Field:
So much happening here. In November we did 125 Thanksgiving Baskets for our food pantry clients. We saw a great increase in clients in the past three weeks. We are still going out weekly to minister with the homeless. Yesterday our senior high youth group made hot meals and came out to minister for the first time. It was cold and rainy. They did an awesome job! Two of the homeless that we minister to were elderly. One 63 the other 72. One of them has been on the street for ten years. I just cannot imagine family allowing their loved ones to be out there. The clothing closet has been very very busy. Folks are in need and it is such a blessing to see the needs met in simple ways.
In the Literary Scene:
Jesus the Messiah by Cindy Ziegler, A Woman’s Heart , by Beth Moore
I want to leave you with a poem written by one of the homeless that we minister to:
The Concrete Jungle
A Helping hand to a homeless person,
Weather your know it or not goes a long way.
The groups of churches that give up their precious time,
Has given someone a place to rest and lay.
Not everyone can freely open their hearts.
As well as opening up the doors to their home.
I’m hoping my words give you an insight
To what I’m trying to reflect in this poem.
I have seen homelessness from the inside looking out,
Y9our have seen homelessness from the outside looking in.
Survival on the streets is a day to day war.
A vicious battle that someday they will win.
Your churches have been a safe haven for them,
Because countless lives have been lost on these mean streets.
The shelter is there for those who are in need,
And it’s an experience no one wants to repeat.
I speak for those who sincerely do appreciate,
Those who open their hearts as well as their doors.
God will bless your for all you have done,
For your kindness our Lord does adore
From those of us who have graced your halls,
Much love and happiness you do graciously bring
May God Bless your and keep you
Forever under His wing…. By LTM ( homeless person)
Dec. 4, 2009 - Thursday Talkin About Teenagers
Spend time with them; enjoy them; listen to them; and love them.
They are the most incredible people, these emerging adults,
and they can become the best friends you'll ever have."
~Diana Waring, Reaping the Harvest. The Bounty of Abundant-Life Homeschooling~
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Simply write a positive post about something (or things) that your homeschooling teenager has done which impressed you this week. Keep it focused on good/encouraging/growth-maturity-related things you've observed about them; lessons they've learned, or that you've learned through them.
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Link back to http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/plans4you/ in your post somewhere, so your readers will know where to go to join Thursday TAT.
I thought I would start this meme with many of the positive things my two teens have done this past month. ( no prompting from the parents) While this may seem small it is indeed a step in the growing up process.
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DD1 Vacuumed my bedroom. Shampooed her bedroom carpet. Vacuumed the living room. Dusted.
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DD2 is my organizer. Often I will find the pots and pan cupboard completely organized. Also the silverwear drawer.
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Both gals have kept their rooms really clean and organized, fed their pets, and spent a great deal of time with their birds.
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We are in and out alot during the week. Both gals have done well to keep up with their studies, do house work, babysitting jobs, and often have lunch ready for us. Both also help to teach kids church and the oldest plays piano for the sunday morning service. Learning how to balance all of this is so important and I think they are both doing a great job.
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And last but not least I am thankful that both gals love to help decorate. It has been wonderful to see them take charge this year with the fall and christmas decorations. They really enjoy doing it! ( you can see the fruits of their labor in the below post) I am reminded how I use to plan each of the 25 days before Christmas so they would have a memory. Now they are planning!
Dec. 1, 2009 - A, B, C, D, & F Too Hard for Parents?
Apparently the Spokane School system thinks letter grades are the cause of ongoing problems with communicating how a child is doing in their subjects. Numbers on the other hand make everything clear. Read the article to find out how.
I have nothing against numbers, and I have nothing in favor of letters--as grades, but the problem the Spokane schools are hoping to solve won't be cured because of their preference for numbers over letters. They could do the exact same report card using the letter system. Nor will telling parents how their children are doing after the term help. Parents need to know how their children are doing during the term. Unfortunately many teachers never communicate that at all and leave it to the report card to do their "dirty" work for them.
Just a few weeks ago I spoke with a mom whose son had been placed in a new school. She thought her son was doing well. She had signed up to be a substitute teacher's aide and one day she was called in to help in the remedial math class. She was shocked to find her son in it. At first she thought he'd lost his way or something, but he soon let her know that this was his math class. It was a rough day for her as she waited for the day to end to find out the answers as to why her son was in this special class and why hadn't she or her husband ever been told?
While the parent should always be the one to keep tabs on their children and not leave it up to the teachers to relay how a student is doing, parents have been conditioned to believe that they have put their children in safe hands and that until they are notified, by report card, everything is fine and dandy.
Communication among parents and teachers is bound to get worse, not better, no matter what grading system is used as long as parents continue to blindly follow the blind.
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
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