March 16, 2007 by KellyH.

We’re heading out to the zoo this afternoon. Our time is limited, so we may return next week. Today we’re going to concentrate on two things:

1. Animals that live on mountains
2. Using a compass

I love going to the zoo, as do my children. We make it a point to buy the yearly zoo pass so we don’t have to keep paying every time we visit. With a family of seven, visiting the zoo twice costs more than the yearly pass! This pass also comes in handy when we travel, which isn’t as often as it once was. Just to give you an example of the zoos we’ve visited:

• Milwaukee Zoo
• Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
• Wichita Zoo
• Dallas/Ft. Worth Zoo
• Garden City Zoo
• Tulsa Zoo

There is often so much to see and do at the zoo, you just can’t do it all justice in one day! Contact your local zoo to see if they offer a yearly pass, then do the math. Pay once, then plan mini-getaways throughout the year and spend some quality time with your children!

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February 22, 2007 by KellyH.

In chapter 8 or Volume 5, we’re studying the concepts of stewardship. I’m having a hard time giving practical applications/examples for each of the concepts. I’m also struggling with defining some of them, as they seem to be the same concept. Take #3 and #12 for example.

#3) Knowledge of the Investment

#12) Knowledge of the Rules

I’m not sure I understand the “rules” to begin with, but it seems both of these come down to knowledge of what you’re getting yourself into when you become a steward.

And what about #5 (Willing to Take a Calculated Risk) and #13 (Preparation for the Unexpected). When we calculate our risks, we are preparing for the unexpected… at least, I am!

And #14 (Faithfulness in Continuane over Time) and #15 (Faithfulness to the Goal Given) seem pretty close as well.

It seems to me that this whole lesson could have been tightened-up a bit. I would have never thought to use some of those Bible verses as examples for stewardship myself. But, then again, I’m not quite as knowledgeable of the Bible as the author of Weaver.

I’d love to hear others’ thoughts on this chapter. How did you handle it? What teaching tips can you give me? Leave a comment and let us know!

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February 22, 2007 by KellyH.

A few years ago, I saw fabric that had a map of the USA imprinted on it. Each state lists the capital and has a picture of the state bird and state flower. There was a key/list off to the side of the map, listing the names of the birds and flowers.

I wasted no time in buying this map panel! I also bought some solid red fabric to back it, and created a small “quilt” simply by adding some batting between the fabrics and machine-sewing straight lines, horizontally and vertically, about an inch apart, with “invisible” thread. (I used red thread in the bobbin, though.)

About a year later, a panel with the map of the world came out, so I bought that, too, along with blue material for the backing. This map was trickier to machine-quilt as the lattitude and longitude lines were already printed on the map and they are not straight, which threw me off at times.

Both maps are cherished by my two youngest children. They’re going to come in handy in a few weeks when we cover map skills once again. I also have a game called State to State, which has magnetic pieces making up the USA. I’ll bring that out to help my third-grader memorize where the states go, and what their names are. Chances are, my first-grader will whiz through this and learn it right along with his sister!

One resource that I’ve had for a few years but haven’t used yet is the book States & Capitals, by Twin Sisters Productions. I’ll have to pull some of the games and activities out of that book. I’ll also have to see if I can find the music for Turkey in the Straw–that’s the tune they use for “singing” the states in Volume 5, chapter 9.

We’ve got two weeks left of our current chapter, but I’m already starting to plan for the next one–a 30-day chapter! Those long chapters seem to need the extra planning.

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February 22, 2007 by KellyH.

We’re working our way through Chapter 8 of Volume 5. We’ve finished the main parables of Jesus and now we’re working on the stewardship section. There are 23 concepts about stewardship that are being taught over a 15-day period. Today we studied the third concept, Knowledge of the Investment. The Bible examples used by the author were the parable of the new patch on an old garment and the new wine in old wineskins.

To be honest, I’ve never thought of those parables as teaching about stewardship. To me they are teaching that we need to put away our old, earthly thoughts and focus on Christ now that we’re believers. I thought they were teaching us that we shouldn’t try to mix Christianity with Pagan rituals.

In trying to teach the lesson, I had to look at these parables with a fresh eye. I have not changed my mind about the point Jesus was trying to make, but I’ve gained a new appreciation for His choice of words. He chose activities that His audience could relate to–do I do that when trying to get my point across?

Because I’m teaching a wide range of ages (6-16) I often wonder if I’m losing the interest of some of my children while I try to explain something to others. It’s challenging, but I know I need to reach each of them where they’re at, and then challenge them in their thinking so they will grow to the next level of understanding.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of this unit works out, not only for my children, but for my own Bible understanding as well.

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