Storytime with Mrs. Holder ~ Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel ~ Pictures and Story by Virginia Lee Burton

{Dear Parents: In the illustration on the last page of this story, the character Mike Mulligan is smoking a pipe. There is mention of smoking a pipe in the text, but I skipped that line in my reading. This is just a little "heads-up" for those parents who may not want to share this story with their child due to this feature.}

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Social Studies Topics:

Technology Related Activities:

List Making and Sorting ~ Make a list of the types of technology described and/or shown throughout the pages of this story. {Your list may include: steam shovel, ship, sailboat, train, pick-up truck, bus, automobile, delivery truck, airplane, dump truck, bulldozer, cart, lawnmower, etc.} Cut your list apart and sort the types of technology into groups using headings such as: Technology Used in the Past, Technology Used by Me Today, Technology that Needs Fuel, Technology that Has Wheels, Technology that is Used for Transportation.

If your child is interested in the idea of the use of steam to power machinery, you may consider viewing this website:
How Steam Engines Work


Community Helpers Related Activities:

List Making ~ List making is a great way to record information. If your child is in kindergarten or grade one, then I encourage you to use a file folder (or something else that is permanent), entitle it "Community Helpers", and begin to record community helpers that your come across in literature, through discussion or in real life experiences. This list is an ongoing project that can be added to throughout the year. For this story, your list may include community helpers such as: constable, selectmen {similar to city council}, postman, telegraph boy, doctor, farmer, fireman, teacher, etc.

Other related links:
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel ~ Publisher's Website ~ Read more about Virginia Lee Burton, as well as find some printable activities to coincide with Mike Mulligan.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel - video - part 1
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel - video - part 2
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel - video - part 3


Be a Blessing
Discuss with your child how the encouragement of the crowd helped Mike and MaryAnne work faster and better.  Encourage your child to be an encouragement to others by cheering them on.  Try to think of specific examples when your child could cheer someone else on {i.e. when a younger sibling is drawing a picture or building something with blocks}.

Consider blessing some constructions workers in your neighbourhood.  How about taking them some coffee on a cool day? Maybe some muffins too?

Sometimes when surrounded by the walls of our homes, and up to our knees in laundry, with dishes from breakfast still sitting in the sink at noon, we can feel a bit overwhelmed - a little alone.  Thoughts of inadequacy and insecurity can invade our minds, convincing us that the homeschooling mom down the road has it all together, with children who are eager to learn and home routines that transpire like clock-work. 

It is on days like these when we need to allow ourselves to Stop.    Rest.     Reflect.

Sometimes a phone call to a fellow homeschooling mom, or an email to a godly mentor, can help put our anxieties into perspective.   Other times, an intentional appointment with Him over a cup of tea and His scripture can help to soothe the spirit.

I've found for myself, reading insights from veteran homeschooling moms has always been an encouragement.  

May I share a collection of insights with you here?:  Encouraging Articles by Jeannie Fulbright . 

A couple of personal favourite are:
How Long Should a Homeschool Day Be?
Quiet Time 101
Who's Character is Being Shaped Anyways?
Feeling Weak and Weary

May you be refreshed this week as you find rest in Him.

 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. 

Psalm 23: 2, 3  

Storytime with Mrs. Holder ~ A Chair for My Mother ~ Vera B. Williams

{Dear Families:  I would like your feed back on the quality of sound for the story reading.  Is it understandable, or is it too distorted for your child to enjoy the story?  If you have an extra moment, please send me a little email to let me know.  Thanks so much!}  

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Activities:

Fire Safety: The reference to the house fire within the story provides an excellent launching point to discuss fire safety with your child. Here are a few helpful links:

Fire Safety Archived Post
Burn Awareness ~ Some printable activities and videos to teach both burn awareness and fire safety.

Unit Study: A few years ago, I put together a unit study to correspond with A Chair for My Mother. The activities within the unit study address a variety of social studies learning outcomes. If desired, browse through and pick and choose activities that are of interest to you and your child. Here's the link: A Chair for My Mother Unit Study

Be a Blessing:

The family in this story consists of a little girl, her single mother and her grandmother.  When they face a hardship (a house fire), it seems that the entire community surrounds them with love. Can you and your child think of someone in your community that could use a little love surrounding? A mother with a new baby, a newly moved-in family, a lonely neighbour, an unloved one on the street? Can you think of a way to bless them?

The greatest gift of all is to become the blessing. ~ Ann Voskamp

Teaching Tip Tuesday ~ Helping the Children to Learn About Him

I figured out that snack time and mealtime is the best time to eat.  We fill our growling tummies, and then we feed our hungry souls.

 After swallowing down our daily bread, I pull down the reading from the shelf  and the children listen and nibble on pieces of the Bread of Life. 

Sometimes it's easy to let the Bible reading sift through the moments of the day. I would never forget to feed them a meal. How can I miss feeding them His Word? Wouldn't I be starving their little souls?

Oftentimes, I have been asked for suggestions for a Bible devotional to share with children.  Through my own readings and searching, here are three that have been working for our family.

The Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos is a 378 page book retelling the stories with in depth detail and accuracy. The actual scriptural reference is written at the beginning of each story passage which encourages reading directly from the Bible as well. My oldest daughter often asks me "to keep reading" when sharing from this book.

Leading Little Ones to God is an excellent resource to explain to your children some of the theological aspects of the Christian faith. Each devotion includes questions for discussion, a suggested scripture reading, lyrics from a related hymn and a prayer.

Our 24 Family Ways is a devotional written by Clay Clarkson outlining twenty-four biblical values and character traits to instill within the hearts of both children and parents. Each "family way" has a week of devotionals available to use, as well as a colouring page for the kids to enjoy. It is a very flexible resource with "no right way" to use format. To give an idea of the content of the "family ways", the first one is, "We love and obey our Lord, Jesus Christ, with wholehearted devotion", while the last is "We always tell the truth and do not practice deceitfulness of any kind".

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalm 1:1-3