Would you like a Love verse to hang on your fridge this month? Or maybe to share in a Valentine's card? Print a copy from one of the links below:


An Artsy 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

1 Corinthians 13:1-14

Sally Clarkson shares a lovely way to instill love verses into the hearts of your children. Read her encouraging words here: All You Need is Love ...

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1 Corinthians 13 ~ The Greatest Gift

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Burn Awareness Week - February 6th to 12th, 2011

Burn Awareness Week occurs during the full second week of February. The following website provides easy lessons to do during the Burn Awareness Week, or during the weeks leading up to it: Burn Awareness Lessons .

For each grade level, four lesson plans are provided which include parent information, a short video clip and a follow-up work activity.

There is also a poster contest with generous prizes that your child may participate in once she has completed the 4 lessons. Entries for the poster contest must be postdated no later than Feb. 12th, 2011.  More information on the poster contest is available here: Poster Contest . 

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Last year, my oldest entered the poster contest and won an honourable mention prize.  A fireman came to our home to present her with her prize!  You can read about it here: We've Got Ourselves a Winner! 

Teaching Tip Tuesday - Poetry - Discovering Poetic Elements

The best description that I have found of poetry and it's poetic elements is here:

Poetry appeals to the reader's emotions. It often gives a sharp picture (mind's-eye image) of the subject. Poets use certain devices in their work including: repetition, rhythm, sometimes rhyme, personification, metaphoric language, alliteration (the repetitive consonant sounds in a line of poetry  - "silver slivers shine in the sun"), onomatopoeia, and hyperbole (exaggeration - "he climbed near the sun"). These literary devices can be found in prose too, but you expect a poet to make greater use of them. ~ Five in a Row, Volume 1 ~ Jane Claire Lambert

Lambert also suggests that the greatest way to teach children poetry, is to read to them poetry! As you read poetry to your child, keep in mind the poetic elements and make sure to point them out to your child as you come across them.  Focus on  one or two poetic elements and then gradually add more as your child shows confidence in identifying the previously learned elements.

Below are some poetry books that Lambert suggests for young children:

Now We are Six ~ A.A. Milne

When We Were Very Young ~ A.A. Milne

The World of Christopher Robin ~ A.A. Milne (This is a volume of the previous two titles combined.) 

Favourite Poems, Old and New ~ Edited. by Helen Ferris

Joyful Noise (Poems for Two Voices) ~ Paul Fleischman (recommended for grade 4 and higher)

Sing a Song of Popcorn ~ Edited by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers


Here are a couple of Christian Curriculums that have poetry books available:

Rod and Staff - Christian Poetry for Children and Adults

Christian Light Publications - Poetry


Here's a link to the Nursery Rhyme book that is recommended in the Accelerated Christian Education kindergarten program:

Christian Mother Goose Big Book



And here's a link to another classic:

Child's Garden of Verses


Poetry Writing Teaching Plan:
1. Expose your child to several poems that include the poetic element(s) that you want to focus on (i.e. rhyming and repetition).

2. Choose a general topic for your child to write a poem about, and ask your child to draw a picture to represent the topic (i.e. winter).

3. Ask your child to describe her picture while you record a list of what is dictated.  Encourage descriptive language, but don't worry if it is not given.

4. Depending on the age/ability of your child, ask for a first line of the poem .  (For the younger child, you may provide the first line of the poem.)  Encourage your child to refer to the descriptive list of her picture (step 3) to gather ideas.

5. Continue to work with your child to create the lines of the poem, and gently encourage the use of the poetic element(s) of focus.  If poetic element(s) don't present themselves easily in the initial writing of the poem, then wait until the poem is finished to look for places to insert them.  {For example, to insert alliteration into the poem, choose a line of imagery such as, "the moon is shining bright" and encourage your child to think of "b" words to describe the moon.  A line like this may be created,  "the brilliant moon beams bright".  To insert repetition, have your child choose to repeat the last line of the poem, or to repeat the first line of the poem at the end.}

Below are a couple of poems that were penned in my home.  The five-year old wrote her poem with a lot of input from me, while the seven-year old was surprisingly able to pen the poem almost independently.  Enjoy.



Final Teaching Tip:  When writing poetry, allow your younger child to dictate the words of the poem to you, while you act as the recorder.  Poetry is about word choice, not about the fine motor skill of writing.  By having you take on the physical task of writing, your child is able to focus more on her thoughts and creativity.

Life Journaling

Journal Entry #8

Topic: My Family

A Scripture To Maybe Choose: I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ~ Ephesians 1:16

{Gratitude and prayer, aren't they the strings that bind the family together? The two acts that make us love, and treasure, and hold onto each other? Can we daily wrap our family ties tighter with child spoken prayers for nana and papa, and grandma and grandpa, and aunts and uncles, and cousins near or far away? Can we secure the strings through prayer for each other, for the one who holds our hand beside us, our sister or brother, our daughter or son, our mama or daddy. And can we receive this gift, and give humble thanks?}

Journaling about one's family is so unique and personal, but below are a few ideas that may inspire ideas for you:

~ use family photographs or draw pictures of family members.
~ create a family tree - depending on the child's grade level, more or less branches (generations) can be added.
~ record a story or event of when family members experienced God.
~ include names and ages of family members.
~ write a prayer thanking God for your family.
~ choose a family member to celebrate and create an entire journal entry for him/her.

 

Need some thoughtful inspiration?

Simply Charlotte Mason.com has several free e-books available for download. Click on the titles below to link to your free e-book. Blessings.

Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, A Life


Smooth and Easy Days


Getting Started in Homeschooling

Teaching Tip Tuesday ~ Nature Study ~ Learning about the Creator from His Creation

We live in a rainy city - unbelievable rain, in fact.

Last November, we decided to measure the rainfall and the data was abundant.

When the clouds do decide to dry up, and the sun's rays begin to make an appearance, we go outside.

Our senses become alive as fresh oxygen fills our lungs and the world around us becomes our textbook.

We look for signs of animals - tracks, homes, food remnants, scat.

We listen with eyes closed tight for woodpecker drums and songbird calls or just the whisper of wind.

We feel the texture of moss growing rampant under our oak tree and we feel the roughness of the bark and the skeleton of it's leaves.

We breathe deep and smell greenness and moisture and life.

Nature study is such an awe inspiring way to learn and cover learning outcomes. I am actually convinced that nature study alone can fully meet the learning outcomes for both Life Science and Earth and Space Science for kindergarten to grade 4.

{The Physical Science topics (Properties of Materials [K], Force, Friction and Magnets [1], Solids, Liquids and Gases [2], Structures and Materials [3] and Light and Sound [4]) need to be covered using hands-on experiments which are perfect for those rainy days.}

Nature study is gentle learning that grows with you, layering upon itself as discovery after discovery is made.

Below are some of my favourite nature study resources, all of which I use with my four nature loving kids. Even baby Chloe likes to come along!

*** Links to the resources are available by clicking on the activated words (indicated by a colour change in text) or by clicking on the images at the top left hand column of this blog.

Recently I ordered this winter e-resource created by Barb from Handbook of Nature Study. Barb is a homeschooling mom and a nature enthusiast, and has an excellent collection of lessons and corresponding printables to use in nature study. It is highly recommended to have Anna Botsford Comstock's "Handbook of Nature Study" book to use as the "textbook" in correspondence with Barb's nature study activities.

I also enjoy using the Five in a Row digital nature studies throughout each season. Jane Claire Lambert has designed a nature unit for each of the four seasons incorporating nature study, poetry, music, art and literature into one beautiful package that can be used and reused throughout the years. These nature studies are not structured lesson plans, but rather information, ideas and printables that can be drawn from as interest leads. A very gentle and relaxed approach to nature study.

Recently I came across a UK website called Nature Detectives. This website has a collection of easy to implement activities and printables that would be excellent for "getting your galoshes wet" in nature study. I particularly like their nature "packs" of activities that can be emailed to you for free.

(If you are interested in ordering any of the online resources, email joy@ark.net with the resource's website link. She is able to order and pay for the e-resource and then email it to you.)

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork. ~ Psalm 19:1

Life Journaling

Journal Entry #7

Family Traditions is the theme for this journal entry.

Provide your child with a definition or an explanation of the meaning of "tradition" such as "the passing on of information, beliefs or values through practices or activities that are often done during a particular time or event". 

Because the Christmas season has just passed, my girls and I decided to journal about our Christmas traditions - some new and some old. We brainstormed and recorded a list of our traditions and then chose which traditions to emphasize in our individual journal entries. 

Traditions may include activities such as baking gingerbread, preparing homemade gifts for neighbours, or participating in advent celebrations.  Or they may include the sharing of values such as giving to the needy, the story of Christmas shared through music or books, or a special Christmas poem or scripture.

Traditions are an important part of being a family as they provide a sense of identity and belonging.  Your older child may choose to journal about the importance of traditions in her life or  about a favourite family tradition and what it means to her.

Taken from The Homeschool Minute

Written by ~ Debbie Strayer, Homeschool Consultant and guest columnist

Going back to homeschooling after the holidays is like starting a car after it has sat for a while in cold temperatures. You can do it the easy way, or you can do it the hard way (which may damage the car or not even work). As a veteran homeschooling mom, I recommend the easy way.

First, take warm water out to defrost the windshield. Pouring that water over the windshield a time or two definitely speeds up the process of being able to see where you are going. The homeschooling parallel is to bathe your return to school with prayer. Pray for grace for all involved, and then be sure to give grace to those you are around.

Next, start the car and allow it to warm up. The homeschooling equivalent is to start by reviewing work done before you stopped schooling. Again, mercy is the byword here. Gradually review each topic by looking over notes, activities, or texts, and play a few educational games. We usually took at least the first week to review and get our brains going--mine was rusty as well!

And last, turn on the heat. Warm up the inside of the car by speaking encouraging words to your children. We would often recount the successes we achieved before the break to remember that the Lord was with us then, that He still had a plan for us, and that He had not left us to do it on our own now. Resist the urge to start schooling in a rush. Remember, we reap what we sow, so start back to school by sowing grace, mercy, and encouragement. The harvest will be bountiful!

*** A repost from the archives that is a good read for me at this time of the year.