Christmas Angels

We just finished up making bags for sixteen local Angel Tree children, the most our mission has ever done.  We use donations from local people and look for toys and clothes when they are 75% off so we can buy for as many kids as possible.  I am always one of the first to the Angel Tree to make sure I can get kids with the sizes of clothing I have. 

All my girls helped out.  The older ones sorted and hauled clothes and toys.  The little ones especially liked me telling them the childrens' names and what toys they like so they could pick out their presents.  We love this time of year.  I don't know if Salvation Army Angel Trees are national or not, but if you have them in your area, I would recommend you try it as a family.  You will be as blessed as the child you pick.

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Easy Way to Learn Ten Commandments

 

When I wanted to teach the children at our mission the ten commandments, I looked high and low for an easy way to do it.  Most of the kids we worked with were unchurched, and I needed to make it relevant and fun for them to learn.  I stumbled across a way to remember the commandments with the number, and then I tweaked it for my own use.  Definitely go over the traditional wording for the commandments with the kids, but then use these for easier understanding and remembering.

 

Now almost all of the kids at the mission can say their ten commandments, even my four year old.  Hopefully this will help other kids too!

 

1.)  God is number one.

 

2.) Two gods are not okay.

 

3.) Be careful with God's three names.  (God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit)

 

4.) Worship and rest is what Sunday is for.

 

5.) Honor your mom and dad to stay five alive.

 

6.) Don't put anyone six feet under.

 

7.) Keep your marriage promise seven days a week.

 

8.) Don't steal like the apple Aladdin ate.

 

9.) Don't lie and say you're nine if you're not.

 

10.) Don't put anybody else's stuff on your top ten list.

 

 

 (Photo at top from redthreadmagazine.com.)

 

 



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Free Homeschool Curriculum

Have you ever searched for free homeschool curriculum online after the kids have gone to bed, hoping for a miracle.  Well, I have and a couple of years ago I found Easy Peasy Homeschool.  This website is a godsend for families who need curriculum for several different grades and have little money to spend.  Of course it is great for everyone else too. 

Elective subjects include PE, music, art, and Bible.  Then of course the meat and potato subjects are there too.  History, Science, and Bible can be done by different levels of learners together.  They study the same thing but in different ways.  Many levels actually have the daily lesson with links to whatever videos or online books that are needed.  The kids can do much of it on their own, which is great because independent learning is our ultimate goal.  Check it out!  You won't be sorry!

https://allinonehomeschool.com/

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Best High School Homeschool Website

http://www.shmoop.com/

 

Have you ever Shmooped?  You may be asking if this is a new dance move or something, but no, Shmoop is a website that offers some wonderful things for high school homeschoolers. 

Kids can prepare for the SAT for free or pay $30 for an awesome yearly membership to a SAT program that pre-tests , post-tests, and gives them exactly the review they need.  The best thing is it makes everything very amusing and fun.

We also love to watch the short Schmoop videos of classic books or Shakespearean plays.  My girls watch these on their own time, they love them so much.  The videos are so sarcastic and humorous, they help you to remember the plot of the story.  These are especially great if you read something that alludes to a classical work and you want your child to have some knowledge of it, but you don't have time to read it just now.

Schmoop also offers a free Driver's Education program that prepares your student for the test in your state.  It is fun and snarky, so you will get no complaints about it being boring.

There are lots of other great things on Shmoop.  Try it today.  Your kids will thank you.  By the way I am in no way affiliated with or payed by Shmoop.  These are my own real feelings about this website.

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Teaching Good Character

Need some ideas for teaching character traits to your young ones?  If you're like me, you might be noticing that your little ones have trouble obeying or sharing at times.  I started thinking about why I home school and realized that the biggest reason is to raise Godly children who will grow into adults others want to be around.   Yet many times, those ideals get lost in the shuffle of teaching them how to read, write, and count, and I completely ignore the little behavior problems.  

This school year, I've decided to purposely teach character traits to my four and six year old.  We do a Bible story, a Bible verse, read a Children's book, and some kind of fun craft or game to reinforce the weekly character trait.  Sometimes we even find a cute song on Youtube that goes along with it.  We have stayed on obedience for several weeks because I feel it is one of the most important traits, for safety and sanity.

This website gives great free lesson plans and printables for character trait teaching.  They even have an overview you can print out  and easily see what to do each day.  You can always pick and choose the traits your child especially needs to work on.

http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/character.html

This website offers lots of wonderful character training tools for free.  It is a great resource for Bible stories, verses, and games that go with each trait.

http://www.kidsofintegrity.com/

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