Heavenly Homeschooling

Animal Handprints!!

2012-01-16T08:10:00.000-08:00

Read in the Bible about how God created all the animals, and how he created us.
Then make a list of all the animals you (and the kids) can think of.
Trace their hands and let them make two of the animals on the list from the hand prints.
Then let them color their "animals".
Very cute and fun craft!

Psalm 23

2012-01-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

Last week we did a lesson on Psalm 23, we talked about how a shepherd loves and takes care of his sheep, just like Jesus loves and takes care of us! We had fun coloring a lamb and gluing cotton balls on a lamb. I love lessons about the Bible! Here are some pictures of our lambs...

Christmas Craft!

2012-01-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

This reindeer Christmas craft was lots of fun!!
You just outline the kids hands, then decorate them like reindeer!!
TOO CUTE!! :)

Leaf Prints! :)

2011-11-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

You may remember making these as a kid. You just put the leaves under the paper, and then rub the crayons over the top of the paper. The leaf prints will show through. Kids love this activity!! It's a great way to teach colors, and talk about leaves!! :)

Gluing Squares

2011-10-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

Today we learned about squares, the colors pink & green, and practiced gluing skills by gluing squares to a white piece of paper. I used a glue stick and put glue on the back of the squares, then handed them to my preschooler. While she stuck them to the paper, we talked about the color of the paper, the shape of the squares, how the squares were big & little, and then counted how many squares were on the paper. It's amazing how many things you can learn with just one activity!! You can turn anything into a learning experience!! :)

Coloring

2011-09-16T12:19:00.001-07:00

There is just something about a piece of paper and a box of crayons!! I've always loved to color, and my little girl loves it just as much. She's a very active little girl, and there is not much she will sit and work on for a long period of time. But she will sit and color for the longest time. Here is a couple of the pictures she's colored in our preschool lessons.....

This one is from a lesson we did on Jonah, and colored this picture of a whale.... :)

My Homeschool Notebook

2011-08-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

As I said before, we decided to go with www.HandsOnHomeschooling.com for our preschool curriculum. So far it has been awesome. It's very simple easy lessons that can be altered to fit your children. We have really enjoyed our first week.

Here is my notebook.....

Here is the inside, it's divided very nicely into months, and also includes an introduction, planning section, and an overview of what the children will be learning this year.....

Each day has a page with the lessons on it. It's divided into different learning areas, and is very simple and easy to understand. The curriculum starts in September. Since we start in August, I'm just going to review and go over some lessons twice to draw out the first month. Then we will also be taking off a week or so in October to welcome our new baby. :)

Our first week is over...

2011-08-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

Our first week went really well. We learned about colors, numbers, counting, circles, sorting, and various other activities. We also had a worksheet to help learn to draw straight lines. One thing I've noticed this week is that Candyce is doing much better with the colors "orange" and "blue", and she's starting to get "red" as well!! I can't believe how much they pick up in just one week!! I'm super excited to see how next week goes. :)

Here is our worksheet for this week....

We drew the lines together, then she got to color the balls. We also went over what each ball is called. :)

1st day of Pre-K!! :)

2011-08-02T13:44:00.001-07:00

Our first day went great!! We practiced drawing straight lines, colors, sorting, and counting!! We have a set of the "counting bears" with matching color cups. They work really well teaching colors and counting. We also started our "Hands on Homeschool" today. :)

Just a few weeks!!! :)

2011-07-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Just a few more weeks till we start our preschool lessons!! Our curriculum arrived and it looks like it's going to be so much fun. Lots of hands on activities and cute crafts. I've also been busy looking up other crafts and activities to go along with our lessons. I can't wait to start posting updates about our school year!! Hope everyone is having lots of fun planning and getting ready for the new school year. :)

Free Preschool Printables!!

2011-06-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

I've been doing lots of searching for preschool ideas and activities, and came across this website. They have lots of free printables for Preschool! They even have some really easy file folder games...

http://www.preschoolprintables.com/

Curriculum Ordered!! :)

2011-06-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

I got our 2 year old Preschool curriculum ordered today! Can't wait to start preschool with my sweet baby girl in August. :)

Preschool Curriculum! :)

2011-06-16T08:26:00.001-07:00

After praying and searching through different curriculum, the preschool curriculum that I've decided to use for our little girl is www.handsonhomeschooling.com. This is a simple curriculum that teaches colors, shapes, etc... and has a monthly Bible verse to learn. I was planning on waiting another year or so to start her schooling, but she already knows how to count to 10, sing her ABCs, and the color yellow. She is so curious and loves to learn new things, so I figured I'd take advantage of it!! I'm planning on doing 5-10 minute "lessons" a few times a day, along with the learning activities we already to. She constantly amazes me with how smart she is, and how quickly she picks up on things. I just love watching her grow and learn! :)

Valentine's Mailbox Craft

2009-02-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

This is the Valentine's Mailboxes that I made with the kids this year. Normally we use shoe boxes, but it's hard to find enough shoe boxes, and parents don't like to go buy a new pair of shoes just to get the box! So this year I found this craft and thought it was adorable!!! They turned out so cute, and they already had slits in the top for putting the valentines in!! The kids had so much fun coloring the pieces and seeing what it looked like when they were done. Plus parents don't mind paying 1.00 for a box of tissues. :)

You can find the directions and printable template at Mouse Box Craft for Valentine's Cards. (This website has all kinds of neat crafts and activities for children.)

**The only thing that I did differently from the instructions is that I glued the mice to card stock (instead of cardboard) it is easier to cut out. Card stock is thicker paper that you can purchase at any office supply store.

Sheep Craft

2008-09-13T21:08:00.001-07:00

Whew! The first month of school is over and the kids have done so much! We did something this week in Bible that the kids loved, so I thought I'd share the idea with you. A lot of you have probably heard of this craft, but for those that haven't here it is...

We are learning about David the shepherd and how Jesus is our shepherd. So I had the kids draw a large sheep on a piece of construction paper (I drew the sheep for the younger kids that don't know how to draw good yet). Then I had a big bag of cotton balls (you can usually find these at the dollar stores) and I let the kids glue them all over the body of the sheep. While they were gluing on the cotton balls I read Psalm 23 (which most of them can quote already), told them neat facts about sheep, and then talked to them about how Jesus is our shepherd. They had lots of fun doing this, and it was a neat way of teaching about how Jesus is our shepherd!

1st Grade!!! (Homeschool update)

2008-08-25T10:53:00.001-07:00

Wow, it seems like not so long ago that we were starting the 1st day of Kindergarten! No here we are in the 4th week of 1st grade for 2 of my students, and the 4th week of kindergarten for my new student (which is actually one of my 1st grader's little brother). I am amazed at how much the kids learned last year, and how much they have already learned in just a month of this year. When we finished up last year the kids were reading small sentences composed mostly of 2 and 3 letter words. Today they are reading the directions in their text books all by themselves!!! Wow!! I'm amazed at how fast they learn. I'm looking forward to posting many lesson plans, crafts, and ideas on this blog this year.

Cheapest Prices for Kindergarten Graduation

2008-05-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

I have searched and searched and this website has the cheapest prices that I have found for kindergarten graduation products! I thought I'd share the link....

Rhyme University: Preschool, Kindergarten Graduation Caps, Gowns and Tassels

Our Kindergarten Graduation Song

2008-05-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

I finally decided on a song for graduation! The kids already know the first two verses, and it is soooo cute. I found little black top hats for them to wear while they sing this song, and I can't wait to see how it turns out!! :)

First Grade, First Grade

(Sing to the tune of New York, New York. It ends with a kickline.)

Start spreading the news.
We're leaving today.
We want to be a part of it,
First Grade, First Grade.

We're ready to go.
We've worked very hard.
We want to be a part of it,
First Grade, First Grade.

We know our ABCs and 123s so well.
We've worked at sounding out words
And stories to tell.
Just ask us to rhyme.

We'll say "tens" and "pens".
We've learned to share and get along
With all our friends.

So now we've made it here,
We'll make it anywhere.
We're on our way
First Grade, First Grade.

A child's imagination

2008-03-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.... one of my favorite parts of being around children is listning to their conversations. Here is one that I heard at lunch today...

Boy 1: "Hey yall, did you know I've been to the desert?"

Boy 2: "Really!? That's cool!"

Boy 1: "Yeah, there are lots of tractors at the desert"

Boy 2: "Nuh uh! There are not tractors at the desert!"

Boy 1; "YES there are!!"

Boy 3: "Hey, were there volcanos at the desert?"

Boy 1: "No!"

Boy 3: Well, there is suppossed to be volcanos at the desert!"

Boy 1 & 2: "NO there's not!!"

Boy 3: "Uh huh!!"

Boy 1: "Nuh uh!!"

Girl 1: "This is dumb, stop fighting about the desert!!! Teacher, can I have more juice??"

Oh, the wisdom of little girls!! LOL!! :)

And the winner is....

2007-11-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

Picture # 4 with 8 votes!! (colored by my youngest boy)

Picture # 3 had 3 votes. (colored by my oldest boy)

Picture # 1 had 2 votes. (colored by my youngest girl)

and Picture # 2 had 0 votes. (colored by my oldest girl)

(Who said girls can do everything better than boys? LOL!!)

Thank You!! to everyone that voted.

(As always I'm giving all the kids a small prize for participating, and the winner a special prize)

The main goal of this contest was that the kids try harder to

color INSIDE the lines. I think they are doing pretty good with it!

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Keep God 1st!!

Coloring Contest!!

2007-11-13T14:58:00.000-08:00

The kids that I babysit wanted to have a Coloring Contest, but I didn't want anyone here to be the "judge" since no one wanted to choose between the pictures. But still the kids wanted to have a winner.... So, the kids all picked a picture and colored away..... and now I'm going to post the pictures here and let yall decide!!

The rules are....

Leave your "choice" in a comment,

You can only pick ONE picture!! (Please don't say "all of them" or pick more than one.)

And I will post ALL the comments when the contest is over. (So that no one else's answers influence your choice.)

The contest will be over on Thursday Morning.

And I will let yall know which picture won. :)

(The number for the picture is ABOVE the picture)

Picture #1

Picture #2

Picture #3

Picture #4

Blogger Friend School #8 "Dirty Laundry"

2007-11-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

Here is this week's assignment....

Part A - Share about your family’s laundry. Where is it kept? Who does it? How does your family sort it? Do you wash by hand? Hang clothes on the clothesline? Make your own laundry soap? How often do you do laundry? How many loads each day/week? Indoor laundry room, in the garage, or laundry mat? Even more fun…share a picture!

Part B - Do you have an area in your life that you know that the Lord is tugging at some heart strings that needs to be cleaned up? Have a testimony of your past struggle(s) that might help another homeschooling mom? Share a piece of your heart (dirty laundry) that you are seeking a good washing or how it got cleaned up. Sharing with one another is a great way to have your post feel human and real.

Part C - FIND a scripture this week that pertains to this assignment to help you with your laundry and share it this week.

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Part A: My parents have a HUGE laundry room, it is a large room in our basement. I used to do all the laundry for our family. However, since I started full time college for my Bacholers Degree, my mom has been doing most of the Laundry, and I just help her with it. We do have a washer & dryer.... I couldn't even imagine having to wash clothes by hand!! We do laundry EVERY day. If we didn't we'd have dirty laundry everywhere!! There are 4 of us living here, but you'd think that there were 40 people living here if you saw how much laundry we do every week!! :) My fiance and I just bought a house together (which we won't live in until we are married) and our laundry room is very cute! There is a little window over the washer, and a little shelf for detergent and things!.... Yeah, I get excited over the little things!! :)

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Part B: I don't know that I have any "dirty laundry" in my life right now. I try to take care of things as the Lord shows me, and not hold on to things that shouldn't be in my life. I have had lots of things over the 8 years that I have been saved, that the Lord has "cleaned up" in my life. And I am so thankful that He's still working on me!! :)

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Part C: When I am doing ANY household chore, I always remember this verse... "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men." Col. 3:23. I try to remember that this is what God wants me doing, therefore this is my "ministry" (so to speak). So, whatever I do around the house, I'm really doing it for the Lord and not for men!!

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Keep God 1st!!

Blogger Friend School #7 ~ Salvation Pumpkin

2007-10-31T05:26:00.001-07:00

THIS WEEK WE ARE TO SHARE SOMETHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PUMPKINS. SO HERE IS AN ACTIVITY THAT MY FAMILY DOES EVERY YEAR FOR HALLELUJAH DAY!!

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~~Our family doesn’t do Halloween, trick-or-treating, or anything to do with the worldly holiday of Halloween. But we do let the kids dress up as Bible characters (or other costumes that are not scary or evil) and we have a Hallelujah Party (playing games, making cookies, reading the Bible to the kids) in place of what the world has for Halloween. We call this day "Hallelujah Day!"

I heard someone say that “Standing AGAINST evil simply means standing FOR Christ.” Therefore if we are going to stand against this worldly holiday then I believe we should replace it with something to teach the kids about Jesus.

Since we don’t observe Halloween as the world does, we also don’t make “Jack-O-Lanterns”. I have been thinking and praying for some time now about something to replace this worldly tradition. I saw a craft kind of like this one, but I added some of the scriptures and questions, to make it more Christ centered.

The kids I teach are from 2 years - 5 years (and my sister is 10). I also did this presentation for a group of adults and children at our church last year. so it is an activity that is good for all ages. You might want to change the questions and make them easier or harder, depending on what ages the children are that you are teaching. But do ask lots of questions to get them thinking! I have found that it is a lot more fun to get the kids involved in projects than just to have them sit and listen. Just have fun and teach the Word of God at the same time!!!

Salvation Pumpkin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Things you will need:

1 Medium to Large Pumpkin (Works best with the taller ones since the cross is tall)

A King James Bible (To read the scriptures)

A candle (To put inside of the pumpkin)

A knife (to carve the cross)

Newspaper (to cover the surface you will be working on, or do this activity outside)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1. Cut off the top of the Pumpkin (just as you would for a Jack-O-Lantern)

Let the children help you clean out all the gooey insides.

Talk to the children about how the stuff you are pulling out of the pumpkins like sin that is in the heart of an unsaved person.

When Jesus saves us He cleans all the sin away, just as we are doing to the pumpkin.

* * * *

2. Cut a large Cross out of the side of the Pumpkin.(Just like you would cut a face on a Jack-O-Lantern)

Talk to the kids about Calvary, Tell them about how Jesus died on a Cross so that we could be saved and go to Heaven! Read Romans 5:8

* * * *

3. After you are done cleaning out the pumpkin and carving the crosstalk to the kids about how it was just a pumpkin, but now it is something beautiful!

Talk to them about when a person gets saved they are a new creature in Christ.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 from the Bible

What does it mean to be a new creature in Christ?What are some of the things that change after a person gets saved?

* * * *

4. Light a candle inside the pumpkin and turn off the lights.

Read Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 5:14-16, & 2 Corinthians 4:6 from the Bible

Talk to the kids about how after we get saved our “light” should shine for Jesus.

What are some ways that our light can shine for Jesus for the world to see?

How is the light that shines through our pumpkin like our light that should shine for Jesus?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sing: “This Little Light of Mine” (with younger children)

******************************************************************

The Lord gave me this about 3 or 4 years ago, and we do this activity every year. When I prayed about doing this, I hoped that the Lord would let others use it for His honor and glory. So, I hope that some of you can use this activity!! If you try it please let me know how it goes!!

2007-10-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

"Don't worry that children never listen to you.

Worry that they are always watching you."

— Robert Fulghum

Classroom Conversation

2007-10-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

There was an interesting Kindergarten Conversation in my class today. I posted the story on my other blog. Click the link below to read about it...

http://jessicasjournalforjesus.blogspot.com/2007/10/classroom-conversation.html

Blogger Friend School Assignment #5 "Say it in Signs"

2007-10-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Link to this week's assignment: http://www.traininghearts.com/blog/?p=525

This week we are to go to http://www.imagechef.com/ and create some fun pictures using the title to our blog. This was LOTS of fun for me, since I LOVE imagechef.com!!

Here are my pictures....

One of my FAVORITE sayings...

2007-09-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it isn't very "teacherly" (which isn't even a word)... But if you asked my students what Miss. Jessica's favorite saying is, you might just get this answer...

"Quit your whining!"

LOL!! They know I'm kidding, but they also know how I hate whining! :(

I just want the kids to learn to complain without talking out of their little noses! :)

So I found this picture http://www.imagechef.com/

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!!

Keep God 1st!!

Blog Contest...

2007-09-27T16:04:00.001-07:00

I found this contest while "Blog surfing" LOL! If that is a word. Hehehe!! :)

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Here is the link if you'd like to join the fun... Suzy's Scribbles - Guess the number of horses in the jar and win a free book!#c7

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Yall have a good Thursday. I'm going to try and post more on here. (I've been real busy at my other blog, with questions and pictures of our house!)

~ ~ ~

Keep God 1st!!

Blogger Friend School - #4 Panning For Gold

2007-09-26T04:15:00.000-07:00

The internet offers a lot of treasures! It may not be in the form of gold, although I'm sure some could find some on the internet - probably on ebay! Being a blogger Friend is all about sharing our treaseures. The assignment this week is to share your internet treasures. Below is a list featuring things that homeschooling moms might be looking for : information, support, ideas, or actual items that pertain to our lives. Each one of us holds some or all of these treasures that need to be shared. Take this list and add your "golden" treasured sites so that we may all share the wealth.

~A website that you visit everyday

Julie's Jewels

Pieces Of My Heart

~ First place you look for a book to buy

eBay

(First place I look for ANYTHING to buy!)

~Favorite Homeschool Support area

~:Training Hearts:~

~ Homeschool Site Full of information that you use regularly

Let's HomeSchool: Free Homeschool Curriculum Resources

~Site that you buy your new curriculum from

Alpha Omega Publications

~Site that you buy your used curriculum from

eBay

~Site that offers frugal tips to save money

Living On A Dime - Free Recipes, Money Saving Tips, Debt Free Living

~A site that provides good wholesome recipes

Blogger's Recipes

~An information site that shows you "how to"

Preschool Education: Discover The Fun In Learning

~A Homeschool Family Website that you purchase from to support them

(I'm sorry, I can't put a link here because I don't know any, but hopefully I will find a few

through this assignment)

~A Charity website that you support

(Again, I don't know of any)

~Favorite Graphic site to get graphics for your blogs or other things

Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing

~A site that offers an educational calendar listing important historical events and also to keep

you informed of upcoming events (ex. fire safety week)

~:Training Hearts:~

~Site that offers Freebies

Bloggy Giveaways

~A blog to read that is always full of humor

~~Courtney's Contemplations and a Keeper in Training~~

~A Blog to read that is always full of useful information

Tims Treasures

A blog to visit because it is eye appealing and easy to ready

The 2 Sister's Blog

~A Blog that you read because it inspires you to be a better homeschooling teacher.

Organizational Determination

~A Site that you would allow your children to visit

(I would let children visit any of the sites that I visit. None of them are not OK for kids)

~List any other sites that you would like to share that have provided you with a wealth of

golden information.

Momof9's Place ~ Delight thyself also in the LORD

Thimble Thoughts

~~~Apples of Gold~~~~

From my perspective...

Gayle's Preschool Rainbow - Activity Central

Neuroscience For Kids - Home

I know there are a lot of links here... but there are soooo many good websites, that it is hard to

pick just a few! There are still many that I could have listed.... but I didn't want to overwhelm

everyone! LOL!! I hope to find a lot of "gold" on everyone else's assignments!!

Keep God 1st!!

Blogger Friend School - #3 Blogging ABC's

2007-09-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

.
I just signed up to be a part of a Blogger Homework assignment for Homeschool teachers. This is actually Last Week's asignment, but I really liked it, so I thought I'd go ahead and do it now...

THE ASSIGNMENT:

Part 1: Using the FIRST letter of the alphabet, describe yourself, or things that are important to you. The hard part: use ONLY one word per letter!

Part 2: Share a scripture that is upon your heart this week.

Arts

BUSY

Children

Devoted

Excited

Fun

God

Happiness

Imaginative

Jessica

Kindergarten

Love

Momma

Nice

Outgoing

Prioities

Quiet

Ronnie

Sister

Talking

Understand

Visiting

Waiting

Xtra

Yardsales

Zzzzzz!

A verse that has boon on my heart a lot lately is...
"I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number." Job 5:8-9

Still here...

2007-09-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am still here!! This past week there was no school here (We are on semi-year round school, because we are using the public school schedule, since a few of my students' families like to travel when school is out, this is easier for them, plus it gives me a welcomed break!!) So I guess I have been on "break" from my homeschool blog as well! But, Lord willing, I will have some neat things to post next week, so visit here next week!! :)

Oh, I do have one GREAT thing that happend today!! I got to teach one of my Kindergardeners to ride a bike with no training wheels!! He was riding the bicycle with training wheels when I had the idea "He is old enough to start learning to ride without them!" I went and got the bike that has no training wheels, and within about 15 minutes he was riding by himself!! I couldn't believe it. It was so neat to be able to help him, and see his face when he jumped off the bike and said "Miss Jessica, I DID IT!!" ...These moments are what make teaching so wonderful!! :)

Hope you all have a good weekend!!

Keep God 1st!!

What's that Noise?

2007-09-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

This week (and next week), my class is learning about the 5 senses (Sight, Hearing, Taste, Smell, and Touch). I have found a LOT of activities and crafts to go with this theme... so I will be posting some of them on here over the next week. Here is an activity teaching about hearing that the kids love...

Materials:

Anything that you can make noise with!

Directions:

1.) Have children close their eyes and sit with their backs facing you (so they don't peek!).

2.) Instruct the kids that you are going to make a sound, and they have to try and guess what the sound is.

3.) Make a sound, and let the kids guess. After they guess, let them look, and make the sound so that they can see what was making it.

4.) Keep playing until you feel the children are getting bored of the game. (With older kids you can do quite a few, but with very young ones they may get tired easily!)

Some
Ideas for Sounds are:
Shake coins together
Clap hands

Dial numbers on a touch tone phone
Clap chalkboard erasers together

Play a note on a piano
Tap a pencil or pen on a desk
Close a book

Pour liquid into a glass
Crumple up paper
Stomp on the floor

Take a bite of a cracker (or anything that is crunchy)
Rip some paper
Click a stapler
Bounce a ball

There are so many sounds that you could think of to make, be creative!!

Also, if you are teaching more than one child, another good idea is to have the kids take turns making the sounds and have the other kids guess.

This activity can be done with any age group.

Even the older kids enjoy this activity.

Funny....

2007-09-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

I got these in an email and I just HAD to share them with yall. I'm SURE all of you mothers and teachers have heard things like this from kids before!!

LOT'S WIFE
The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My Mummy looked back once, while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"

GOOD SAMARITAN
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then, she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?" A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I'd throw up."

DID NOAH FISH?
A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ?" "No," replied David. "How could he, with just two worms?"

A Neat Article...

2007-09-02T20:40:00.001-07:00

I am doing a "5 senses Theme" for the kids next week, so I was looking up some information about the 5 senses. I found this really neat article about taste and the tongue, there were some facts here that I had never heard before, so I thought I'd share them with yall!!

Stick Out Your Tongue and Say Aah!

Keep God 1st!!

Safety Tips for using Arts and Crafts Supplies

2007-08-30T06:51:00.001-07:00

*NOTE: These tips were taken from an article on the Preschool Education website.. www.PreschoolEducation.com

Art and craft activities are two of the most common activities found in educational and child care settings. Activities like painting, drawing, or working with clay introduce children to basic art concepts. They also promote exploration, creativity, and expression of emotion.

While art and craft activities may differ in some ways, they do have one thing in common - both may use materials that could pose a serious health threat to children and adults. Some types of paint, glue, model materials, and solvents may contain substances that have been shown to produce cancer, organ and tissue damage, mental retardation, and other serious health problems. Anyone who offers art activities to young children needs to be aware of these potential hazards.

Many art materials have been designed and tested for adults. Unfortunately, children's bodies may be more sensitive to these substances, and they might use these materials in ways that adults don't (e.g., putting things in their mouths).

Children tend to be active and curious. They have less well-developed fine motor skills and often do not understand the potential danger presented by an activity. As a result, children may spill supplies, or get them on themselves or others. This can increase the risk of harmful exposure. Children may also put their fingers in their mouths, or suck their thumbs after having their hands in the materials. While this is more common in children under five, nail-biting continues well into the school years. (And sometimes even into adulthood.)

Children's bodies are not as strong or as fully developed as adult bodies. Therefore, they are more sensitive to poisonous substances, like lead, especially if eaten. Children also tend to breathe faster than adults and often breathe through their mouths instead of their noses. As a result, they might breathe in more of a poisonous substance than an adult would. Their air passages also tend to be narrower than adults' which make them more sensitive to irritation by chemicals.

Because children may be especially sensitive to the effects of art and craft materials, providers should carefully examine the materials provided. Listed below are ways to reduce the risks to children...

~Use only art products designed specifically for children.

~Avoid art materials with artificial fruit or food scents that may tempt children to eat them (or other materials nearby!).

~Always provide close supervision, no matter what the child's age.

~Provide clear instructions on the proper use and clean-up of art materials before children begin the project.

~Pre-mix powdered paints, glues or model materials. Wipe or wet-mop the floor rather than sweeping. This reduces the chance of children breathing in dangerous chemicals.

~Separate eating areas from work areas. Store materials in original containers, not food or drink containers. (Arts and Crafts material that is stored in food containers can be mistaken for "edible" to small children!)

~Limit the amount of materials given to any one child, so that they cannot eat quantities large enough to harm them. This is especially important for children under six years old.

~Strictly enforce hand-washing after activities. Substitute other projects for finger painting projects when children have open cuts or sores.

Ice Cube Trays for Paint!

2007-08-30T06:21:00.000-07:00

This is an idea that my mom came up with. I let the kids paint about 3 times a week. I had been using paper plates, or small bowls to put the pain into. But Momma suggested that I use Ice Cube trays. So I picked up some at the store (they are very inexpensive, in fact I think I got 3 for 1.00). They are working out GREAT for the paint! I can put several different colors, and they stay seperated! We have also used the trays to talk about mixing colors, and what "new" color you can make using two colors. Just thought I would pass this tip on to everyone!

Hope you are having a great week!
Keep God 1st!

Wood Crafts (Treasure Chest)

2007-08-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

Kids LOVE to paint, and build things. So any time you can find an activity or craft that involves both you've got a great project! I found this craft kit at a store (I think I got it at Big Lots several years ago). It included EVERYthing to make a little treasure chest! The wood the nails, the paint, even the paint brush! The only thing it didn't come with was a hammer! LOL! As soon as I got everything out the kids were so EXCITED! They began asking questions about what we were making, which led to a discussion between the children about what they "thought" it might be. (By the way, I LOVE to listen to children's conversations! Sometimes I just have to chuckle, and sometimes they teach ME some things about life!) Anyway, I finally told them that we would be making a "Treasure Chest" for the classroom.

Sanding the wood pieces.

Painting the wood pieces.

Letting the pieces dry.

Still drying! :)

Hammering it all together!

The finished Treasure Chest!

"Recommended Books" List

2007-08-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

I am going to start a List of Books in the sidebar of this page!! I am going to do one for Preschool - Early Elementary, one for Elementary, one for Middle School, one for High School - Adult, and one for Teachers/Parents ("about" Homeschooling). I will be adding books to these list as I think of them, or as I find out about good ones. If you have any suggestions please let me know!!

Just a note...

2007-08-17T17:48:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to let yall know that I was able to add a picture to my "Green Eggs and Ham" Post.

Watermelon Slice from Paper Plate ~Craft~

2007-08-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

The first two weeks of school we did a "Watermelon Theme". This was our bulletin board. The kids made these "Watermelon slices" out of paper plates. Here is how....

Watermelon Slice from Paper Plate Craft

Materials Needed:
Cheap Paper Plates (Make sure you get the ones that are NOT coated)
Black Marker (I used a sharpie)
Green Crayon
Red Crayon
Scissors

Directions:
1.) Cut Paper Plate in half
2.) Use Marker to trace between where the red and green will meet
3.) Use marker to draw "seeds"
*Note: Children can do steps 1 - 3 if old enough
4.) Instruct child on what part of "watermelon" should be red, and what part should be green
5.) Have child color watermelon

My kids LOVED doing this craft... I think probably because I used something that they made to decorate our bulletin board.
(I had it decorated for the first day of school with die-cuts)

My Tree and I

2007-08-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

I found this idea in a book that I have, and I liked it so much that I just had to post it!! Kids LOVE to grow things. It doesn't matter if it is in a baggie, a pot, or a jar. They love to be able to say "I grew that!" But I especially like this idea, because years from now they will still be able to see the tree and say "I planted that!!"

Materials:
Tree Seedling (Local Plant Nursery)
Measurning Tape
Camera
Small Scrapbook

Directions:
Go to the Plant Nursery and have your child (or children) pick out a small fast growing tree (usually someone that works there can tell you which ones grow fast!). Plant the seedling in a special place in your yard. Take a photo of you and your child planting the tree for the scrapbook. Also take a photo of your child standing by the tree. Measure the seedling, and your child and place in the scrapbook along with the date. Every year on the tree's "birthday" take another photo and more measurements for the scrapbook. Continue entering photos and measurements every year. Compare Growth and changes with your child!

Green Eggs And Ham

2007-08-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

Do you all remember the book Green Eggs Amd Ham?? Well I have found that most kids LOVE that book. At the begining of this week my kids asked me if there was really a such thing as Green eggs? Well I told them that yes I'm sure you could make green eggs. (Which brought back to my memory that when my sister was very little, my brother and I made Green Eggs for her, after we had read her the book Green Eggs and Ham.) So I thought that I would make Green eggs for the kids. I honestly thought that NONE of the kids would eat the green eggs. But they did.

Yesterday before lunch I sat the kids down and read the book to them again. (They didn't mind that we had just read it Monday..... they would have me read it 10 times a day if I would!) Anyway, after I read the story I sat them down for lunch and they LOVED the Green eggs and HAMburger. LOL!! Yeah, I didn't make Ham, because the kids don't like it, so we had HAMburger instead!! :)

Anyway, I just scrambled some eggs just as I normally would, but I put three drops of green food coloring in them while they were still liquid.

It went so well with the kids that I thought I'd share the Idea with yall. I have pictures, but for some reason, I can't get any photos to load on here! (I am going to try and get Kris to help me with that, when she gets beck from camp!)

I hope you all had a good week!! I have several other things that we did this week that I want to post.... but I need pictures.... so that will have to wait!!

Keep God 1st!!

Curriculum Reviews: (By: Me!)

2007-08-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

The curriculum that I use is Alpha Omega. Over the years we have tried several different curriculums. And this is the one that has worked the best for us. There are several good curriculums, however for various reasons Alpha Omega just works out the best for us. I thought I’d give sort of a “Review” from my perspective of the curriculums. I will say however that I know people that use each of these curriculums and LOVE them, so you really just have to figure out what works best for your family.

I will go ahead and say that these reviews will probably sound bias, Because of the fact that I like Alpha Omega so much. But please don’t think that I am trying to say that Alpha Omega is “better” than any other curriculum. I think that all three of the following curriculums are great curriculums. Alpha Omega works best for me, but that doesn’t mean it will work best for you and your children. The only thing I can do is tell you why the other curriculums did not work for us, and why Alpha Omega does.

ABeka
ABeka is one of the best curriculums. However when we used ABeka it seemed like the teacher had more “work” than the student. And by that, I mean that there is a lot of work involved in planning, teaching, and grading. I believe that ABeka would be great if you have a LOT of time to plan and grade…. But as for me, I don’t have a lot of “extra” time on my hands!! Not to mention, I would rather spen more time teaching, and less time planning and grading. ABeka also has a program where you can order their work on DVD, and there is an actual classroom with a teacher. My brother and I did this for one year when we were in High School. We really enjoyed the fact that there was actually other students answering questions, and that there was a teacher on the videos. However with schoolwork and homework…. We ended up doing school more hours a day than is required or desired!! Over all ABeka is probably one of the BEST curriculums available, it is just very time consuming. Another good thing about this curriculum…. It is KJV only!!

AlphaOmega
One of the biggest reasons that I like Alpha Omega is that each subject is divided into 10 workbooks, so there is never any Large Textbooks. This works out really well when the children need to take their work with them!! The curriculum comes with a Teacher’s Book that has a lesson plan for each day, and extended activities (which are activity ideas that you can use, or you can make up your own activities to do with the kids.) Alpha Omega also has a program called "Switched On Schoolhouse" that is completely on computer. This is the program that my sister is using, and the one that I used when I was in high school. I loved it, and I believe that it works well with older students... Middle School and High School. This curriculum is also KJV only!!

PACE:
I have heard a lot of good things about PACE curriculum, However this is one of the curriculums that we haven’t used. People have told me that it is similar to Alpha Omega (in that there are workbooks, instead of large Textbooks). Like I said I have never used this curriculum, however I would assume that it is KJV only, since the people that I know that use it believe in KJV only.

These are the three curriculums that most everyone I know uses. I know that there are other curriculums, but I just thought I’d write about the most widely used ones among people that I know.

If any of you know of other good curriculums that are KJV and are good curriculums please leave me a comment, I‘d love to know about other Curriculum!!

Katy-Anne asked me this question: “Do you use a set curriculum for home school or do you make a lot of it up yourself? ”

I do use all the subjects that Alpha Omega offers. Science, LA, Math, History, and Bible. However I add a LOT of things to the curriculum. Especially "Hands On" activities. I have found that kids learn much better when you are “doing” things, as opposed to just talking, reading, or writing. So the answer is “Yes” I do use the curriculum, and “Yes“ I do make a lot of it up myself.

I would also like to say that for Reading and Phonics I use HookedonPhonics It is a little expensive, but it is an AMAZING program. My mom bought the one that we have for my sister when she was in kindergarten, and she is 12 now…. So we have an older version, and it is still GREAT!! I’m sure it is even better now. Even thought this isn’t actually a “curriculum”, I thought I would still include information about it here, since I use it as a part of my curriculum. (I have actually started kids on Hooked on Phonics as early as 2, depending on how mature the child is. It is never too early to introduce them to letters!!)

I know this was a lot of information, and I hope that it helped someone. Or at least let you know about a few of the Curriculum Opitons.

Keep God 1st!

New Blog

2007-08-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

I am really looking forward to doing this new Blog!! Some of the ideas that I have for posts are…. A List of Favorite Books, Lesson Plans that I have made, Lesson Plans that others have made that I like, Crafts, Activities, Kids Recipes, Web Page Links about Home schooling, etc… If any of you think of ideas for this blog, or things you might like me to post on, let me know. I would love suggestions!! I also hope that everyone will post comments with your home school tips, ideas, and anything else that you think would be helpful to home schooling parents or teachers!!