Studying the Bible with Children

We are about to finish up our third year homeschooling our children! I can't believe how fast it's gone.  I still feel like I am trying to figure out much about this enormous responsibility.  I feel that home educating has taught me as much, if not more, than I've taught my sweet children!  One aspect of our time together that has been very precious to me is pursuing our faith in our savior and Lord Jesus.  Of all the experiences that have taught me about God, I can say that teaching my children about Him has settled my heart into a place of peace like none other.  I feel that I truly have grown as a person through our studies together and that many great conversations have been birthed from making Bible study and faith discussions a big part of our day.

You do not have to homeschool to add this beautiful experience into your lives.  Church can provide a great help to parents, but I encourage you to find a time to devote to pursuing your faith together at home.  You honestly don't have to understand or know much of anything about the Word of God.  This is an adventure you all can take together.  You are good enough, right where you are, to teach and conversate with your children about the Christian faith.

Because we are at home, we spend about 20-30 minutes after breakfast on our bible curriculum and reading from children's bibles.  I basically read aloud to them and then we may talk about what I read.  I do not script it out, if questions or comments arise, we discuss them after I have finished reading.  If they don't have questions, that's okay too.  I also allow them to color or draw as I read if they want to, because little minds often retain more information when they are allowed to do other quiet activities while being read to.  I just ask them to be quiet while I am reading and to ask questions or make comments when I'm done.  They do not have to repeat what I told them, this can create pressure and make the experience less enjoyable.  I encourage a relaxed approach, not traditional school style where they have to sit still and be drilled, this will just frustrate everyone.  I may know a thing or two about doing this a little wrong.  But now, I feel we have developed a peaceful place and routine that has become our favorite part of our learning routine.

If your children go to a public or private school, this may be a great routine to start after dinner.  We used to do this after dinner, but for us, our afternoon schedules didn't provide a consistent time and it was put last instead of first, often not happening at all.  I think it's wonderful when Dads can do a dinner devotion.  We enjoyed it when it worked, but Jason's afternoon work schedule is never routine, so I had to adjust our day so the kids were seeing us put Him first instead of fitting it in when it was convenient.  Every family will look different, maybe a longer weekend session would work best for yours.  In a world where it's really easy to fill every last minute with something, I really encourage you to search your schedule and carve out some time to implement this into your family's journey.  Everyone will benefit!

Not sure where to start?  There are numerous choices, it's actually overwhelming when you start trying to find the right one.  I encourage you not to let that stop you from picking something!  It's good enough to just start with something, maybe it's just reading the Word, maybe you have something already collecting dust on your bookshelf, that will work.  You will find out quickly if you need to change the pace.  I found that something geared towards my children's ages has worked best.  Right now, my kids are 10, 7, and 5.  Here is what we use:

1.  Apologia's "Who is God?"  This is the first book in the "What We Believe" series.  We have really enjoyed it and it has made teaching the basics of a Christian worldview to my children very simple.  I usually read one segment at a time, not the whole lesson, because my littles attention span is still fairly short!  I bought the main book and the coloring book.  They offer a student journal, junior student journal, and audio CD as well.  I have considered the student journal, but I think we may do those as they get older.

2.  The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Oh how I love this! It is perfect for any age, but if you have really young children, this is just the best.  I often read this on my own!  The illustrations are simply beautiful.  I usually read one chapter right after we finish "Who is God."  We started at the beginning and are still working our way through the Old Testament stories.

3.  The Child's Story Bible by Catherine F. Vos

Last but definitely not least! This has been a very recent addition to our Bible time.  It was recommended by a trusted homeschool mentor, and I am so glad I now know about this gem!  I'm also reading this on my own time and it is hard to put down!  If you struggle with reading the Word, like I do, consider this one strongly.  We are starting with the New Testament in this one because I still have little ears listening and some of the Old Testament stories may be harder for them to understand.

Whatever you choose, I hope it blesses and strengthens your faith as much as it has mine.  In a world where it's really convenient to put the Word last, may we see that putting Him first will bring peace, hope, and unity within our precious families.

30 Days of Thankfulness Days 1 & 2

Several people on Facebook are posting 30 days of Thankfulness. Well I am gonna blog ours, yes ours because I have already made calendars for each of my family members to write something on each day. So yeah, uh, top that. Totally kidding. Anyway, yesterday and today:

Me: my wonderful husband. He is a crazy man who makes life really fun and he is the best husband and father I could ever ask for.

Most handsome dork EVER! ;)



And today was my babies, hmmm, shocked aren't ya? :D

Noah: yesterday: his new nerf basketball goal he got from his PAJCH pal Josh.
Today: his Mario costume.



Eli: yesterday: luigi
Today: going to Pa and Nanny's and the Library.

Ava: yesterday: Nap
Today: chocolate. And I swear that's exactly what she said, no prompting. She's my girl. :D

So I have to take back my words if you read the previous version of this post, lol.  Jason added his this morning. 

Jason:  Yesterday: Me, wonderful me. ;)  Today: The 30 Day of Thankful Calendars. Aww. 

Homeschool Fun

The past two weeks have been a bit crazy, with our trip to Boston and then me feeling like I was I was lost in space due to jetlag and a never ending sea sick experience.  We haven't been in the same routine and it was nice to sit down and have some fun school.  We did some work with shapes, big and small, opposites, and Noah practiced writing his first and last name.  Then we talked about the seasons and how today is the first day of Fall.  Noah asked when snow is coming and he was bummed that it's gonna be a while...I'm not.  I   guess that reminded him of hot chocolate because he asked if he could watch Dora and drink hot chocolate after school.  I feel like I'm talking like the Give a Mouse a Cookie books right now.
I have this craft book that you use the outline of the hand to make all these cute simple crafts.  I am going to save them for when they grow up and can see their different hand sizes.  I didn't get to do one with Ava today because she was asleep.  Next time I will just have to trace her hand before her nap.  Today we did a tree and used real leaves. 

  Aren't they so cute!

Everytime we get ready to read their Bible lesson, Noah is super ready and Eli always says, "I don't like Bible", just to hear me say, "you like your treat for listening like a big boy, don't you?"  He gives me a sly grin and says, "yeah, I guess."  Little stinker.  He is a rebellious little dude at times.  Today we read about God placing a rainbow in the sky as a promise to never flood the Earth again.  This reminded Noah of The Rainbow Song from the Cat in the Hat on PBS Kids.  It was precious and I captured the moment just for you...well, for me, but I'll share with you:

So Mr Entertainer Elijah went and got his guitar to play some Old McDonald:

what's a video of two little boys without the word "POOP" in it.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and HAPPY FALL!! I'm excited about all the fun fall activities to follow.   

Homeschool Funschool Update

Today we had our first meeting with PAJCH(Putnam and Jackson County Homeschoolers).  The kids had so much fun.  We walked since it was a nice day and all the way home Noah kept asking questions about going back.  All the children in the group seem really awesome.  I love homeschooled kids, they just have a sweet spirit about them.  They are paired up with an older kid called their PAJCH Pal, and I know they are going to love that.  Ava's pal was super sweet and stayed with her and played the whole time.  It was a great experience and I look forward to getting to know everyone and letting my kids see how fun homeschooling can be. 
It seems like the more we do homeschool, the more I become aware of how life is learning and seeing opportunities to teach not only when we sit at the table, but throughout the day.  Noah seems to pick up on it too and asks a lot of questions about various things we encounter each day.  Even though I had some nervous feelings and hesitation about the "unknown" at first, I am seeing that this is a good fit for our family.  I am seeing that I can do it and I enjoy it, alot actually.  It's made our time at home during the day seem more quality and not so mundane.  So lots of good things are happening and I am thankful to have the opportunity to teach my children. 

Homeschool Fun School Update

We've had fun the past couple weeks.  Two weeks ago we took a little spontaneous vacation to the Smokey Mountains.  We had a blast!   This is a picture from our hike to a beautiful waterfall. 

It rained on us half way to the top, but we made it with all three babes in tow without hardly any whining. :)

Fun school is still holding up to it's name.  We are still learning a lot about bees.  They are AMAZING little insects and I have learned so much too (like how the female bee is pretty much the backbone of the bee hive, doing all the work. lol).  Noah is doing amazing, he is super smart and eager to learn.  I love this season of life with him.  We made a craft out of bees, it is so neat!  We will work on a flower pot with egg shell flowers for the bee to eat nectar out of next week.
Noah is still doing really good in math.  We have done addition and subtraction and he just "gets" a lot of it without me even explaining it.  :)    We use beans and flash cards along with some pages from our curriculum books. 
I read a lot to them, I know that is a big part of learning right now.  I also love to read so it's fun for me too.  We've been going to the library every other week and checking out books, movies, and cd's.  They are really enjoying that and Ava thinks she owns the library and gets really mad at Mama when I don't let her run wild.  It reminds me so much of Noah.  When he was little, I braved the library a couple of times and decided it was too stressful.  And now I'm in there with 3 little ones and making it happen.  I put Ava in a stroller today, she wasn't too happy about that, but it made it easier for me to keep up with them. 
I also joined a homeschool group that will start meeting next week.  I went to a Mom's night this week and met all the other Moms and painted a really neat canvas.  I had a good time and look forward to taking the kids on Mondays to learn and play with the other kids and Moms.  It's really awesome because they meet literally less than a mile from our house.
So after a month of educating at home, we've had lots of fun and I'm learning a lot along the way.  Life is learning and embracing the moments to soak it all in. 

Homeschool Fun School Day 3

Today we ate breakfast and got started on fun school right away.  We woke up later than usual today so Ava wasn't ready for her nap. I sat her in her high chair while we read "The Greedy Bee" again.  She wanted the book so I had to stop mid-book to let her down because she was fussing so loud.  lol  So she went out on the deck and played.  The boys were very attentive during the book again.  Today I had Noah to narrate the book himself as he looked at the pictures.  Here is his version:
The Very Greedy Bee

narrated by Noah Seyer

The very greedy bee was eating the nectar from the blue flower. He was being very greedy and not sharing the nectar.

The very greedy bee took the ladybug's flower and he wouldn't share or let her rest on the leaf.

The very greedy bee found a lot of flower. Big flowers. He was excited. He said, "The flowers are all mine, and I can't tell anyone."

The greedy bee is jumping on the flowers and falling asleep. He got fatter and fatter and fatter. He fell asleep on the pink flower and snored.

He woke up and he couldn't fly because he was roly poly. He bumped when he tried to fly.

"I'm scared" said the greedy bee because there was a monster.

It wasn't a monster, it was fireflies! "Follow us" they said, and they helped him go home.

He was tired and he heard the waves from the water. He said, "I'm almost home." "But how do I get across?" he said. The tiny ants will help with a big leaf. "Get on" they said.

The greedy bee said, "I'm home!". The other bees said "where have you been?"

He was going to share all his honey.

The end.
 
 
We did a few more questions about things going on in the book and the lesson of the story.  Eli said "eat honey" was the lesson. lol  Noah said, "be nice and share."  Hopefully that lesson will speak to him when he is being greedy with his toys.  
 
By this time Ava was ready for her nap, so I gave Noah an activity page on "B" and Eli colored pictures that start with the letter "B".  He actually remembered that glove didn't start with "b" from yesterday!  
 
They took about a 15 minute break to play and watch "Word World" on la la la la, doink, PBS Kids.  
 
We came back to the table and read a little poem about fireflies.  We talked about how awesome it is that God gave us such a cool bug to enjoy.  Eli said "God gave them to bees because they get lost."  He is paying attention, yay!! 
 
We got out some dried beans to do math today.  Eli was launching beans all over the kitchen, so his lesson was to count how many beans he picked up off the floor.  Noah did awesome with his addition today.  He probably did about 15 sets of adding beans using the beans as spots on the puppies.  I think he really likes Math, he was super excited today about adding. :)
 
We did our Bible lesson today and they made sure to pay real close attention today.  Noah remembered from yesterday that God made the planets, hills, stars, and moon.  Eli remembered the moon and stars too.  Today we learned that next the Earth looked brown and bare so God made the trees and plants.  We talked about the fruits on the trees and bushes.  Eli said God made the blueberries all on his own. :)  Noah said he wanted some blueberries, so that made me remember there is a you-pick blueberry farm super close to us that we will have to visit soon.  They have the BEST blueberries and it will be a definite fun school adventure!
 
Today was fun.  I'm learning how to balance both boys and teach Eli at his level, even though he's more interested in being the class clown. lol  Marshmallows are working as bribery for him to listen when he gets rowdy.  He likes to pretend he doesn't know something as a game, so teaching him is going to be a whole new experience.  Noah is the ideal student, he is really excited to learn, listens very well, and tries his best with what assignment he is given.  I like having both of their personalities to teach, it keeps it interesting and fun.  I'm actually very proud of Eli for his interest in what we are learning and what he is retaining, he just needs to express his inner comedian quite often.  So this week was a great start to our year of homeschool.  I am going to try to post as much as I can in the future, but it may be weekly instead of daily.  I need to use Ava's nap time very wisely to keep up with all my Mama duties. :)  Have a great weekend!    

Day 2 Homeschool Fun School

Today we read the bee book again and the boys really love it.  Then we did some questions about things going on in the pictures of the book, like:  why are there dotted lines following the bee, who is the bee with the yellow crown on?  Then they asked for a spoon of honey from the bee hive pot.  lol 
I helped Noah learn to hold his pencil better because his hand looked uncomfortable and he complained with his thumb hurting.  So I watched a quick video on how to show them how to hold a pencil, lol, seems like it would be easy to show, but the video made it easier to explain, little trick method. lol  He wrote the letter "Bb" again today and I already saw improvement in just one day. :)  Eli scribbled again and said "done."
Then we did some pages out of a letter book where we colored the pictures that start with the "b" sound. 
For our math today, Eli did a Sesame Street page that explained first, next, and last.  And for Noah, we started some basic addition.  He seems to really understand math concepts well, so I wanted to give him a little challenge and he did great.  He had no trouble counting the puppy groups and adding them together. 
Our last lesson was reading from a children's Bible stories book.  They didn't pay much attention the first time because Eli was being silly, so I asked them questions and they didn't remember.  It was a super short story so they could have remembered, lol.  So I told them that if they pay attention and listen and can answer my questions, they get a treat.  Bible Bribery...maybe it will work for me too. lol  They paid attention the second time and had sweet answers this time, so they got some mini marshmellows. 
After Ava wakes up from her nap, we are going to go have some fun outside after lunch.  Today was fun, but Ava did not want to nap and Eli is back to full energy(he's recovering from a virus), so keeping him from distracting Noah is gonna be something to work on.  He kind of comes and goes, which is fine, I don't expect him to sit down, but I guess if he does get down, I will make him play in his room so Noah won't be as distracted.  I'm learning too. :) 

Homeschool Fun School Day 1

Today Noah started his first day of kindergarten......at home.  I am going to be his teacher and I am really excited!! Probably more excited than him because I have all the ideas for what I envision as "fun school" in my head.  I am a little nervous since I've never done this before, kind of comes along with unchartered waters in life, but I feel led to do it, so we are gonna follow that lead and have some learning fun!
So our school time is during Ava Mae's nap in the morning.  Today we started this really neat little curriculum called "Within These Pages."  The whole lesson plan is based around one book.  Our first book adventure is about bees.  We read the book, "The Very Greedy Bee" and talked about what bees eat to make honey.  Then I got my honey pot, (I loooove me some honey, so I have a cute beehive shaped cookie jar filled with honey) and we all ate a little spoon of honey.  This wasn't in the lesson plan, just an impromptu idea I had. :)  I think I might  be good at this teacher thing.  Then we did the letter "B" and Noah practiced writing upper and lowercase "B" and Eli scribbled on his manuscript paper and said "I'm done." lol  Then we took a break to go jump on the trampoline.  While we were outside, we went over to the honeysuckle bush and saw an actual bee eating nectar!! Woo hoo, how awesome, the living example right in front of our eyes.  Then I picked some flowers and Noah tasted the nectar.  Eli said, "Mom, I not eat that yucky stuff."  lol 
Then we came back in and did a few sheets out of a Sesame Street Math book.  That was our sitting lesson time for Day 1.  I wanted to keep it short and sweet so he would look forward to school tomorrow. :)
We ate lunch and then went outside to ride bicycles.  I think we'll be getting lots of P.E. credits this year!!