by Donna | May 31, 2010
My PP/TFT (Positive Parenting and Training for Triumph) computer is infected with viruses, so I am going to need to take another detour from preschoolers until I get that computer back. That’s okay. With Father’s Day approaching, I wanted to share a neat thing that we did for my dad’s seventieth birthday two years ago. It would make an ideal gift/idea for fathers and grandfathers alike for Father’s Day. I am pasting the article that Dennis Rainey’s FamilyLife ministry put at their website about our special gift to my dad–and the link below will direct you to a picture of it as well (and the article at their site).
Honoring those in authority is something that we have tried hard to instill in our children. Respect and honor for their grandparents is simply the beginning of that. Our children love their grandparents–and the feeling is completely mutual. Why? Obviously, they love the kids because they are their grandparents, but additionally, they appreciate and enjoy an amount of love, respect, and attention that they see few of their peers receiving. Teach your children to honor, serve, love, respect, uplift, encourage, and help their grandparents. It is truly the beginning of teaching our kids the character qualities of loyalty and honor.
Seventy Things We Love About Grandpa
by Mary May Larmoyeux
Donna Reish wanted to make her father’s seventieth birthday extra special. “We knew that his daughters and nine grandchildren were the most important things to him,” she says, “so we centered the day around spending time together.”
Donna’s twenty-one-year-old daughter, Cami, came up with the idea of making a list of 70 reasons the grandchildren loved their grandfather. Each grandchild was asked to jot down why they loved Grandpa—specific things he had done with or for them.
“A month before Dad’s seventieth birthday,” Donna says, “[we] had a wonderful surprise birthday party for Dad.” When he returned from a trip to the store, he was greeted by his grandchildren, daughters and sons-in-law. He was completely surprised.
But the most wonderful surprise was the last gift opened. In the middle of a framed collage with pictures of the grandkids all around the outside was the list. Cami read the list out loud as she sat next to her grandfather. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. “As each reason was read,” Donna says, “we all had little flashbacks in our minds and hearts of Dad and that child. It was truly moving.”
Today, Seventy Things We Love About Grandpa, proudly hangs on Grandpa’s wall. “I am sure that when my step-mom goes to the grocery store or runs errands,” Donna says, “Dad stands beneath it and reads and cries again. This was, by far, the most moving, celebratory, affirming gift I have ever given to anyone.”
70 Things We Love About GrandpaOne for Each Year!!!
Grandpa, I Love It When….
1. You do special things for us.
2. You make us food we love.
3. You let us watch our favorite shows on your TV.
4. You make us seashells in tomato juice.
5. You take us fishing.
6. You take us to McDonalds.
7. You take us to Silver Town.
8. You read with us.
9. You take us to Wal-mart.
10. You watch football games on TV with us..
11. You read with us when we were learning to read.
12. You take us to Red Lobster.
13. You go to watch our basketball games.
14. You spend time with us.
15. You support us in our ministry opportunities.
16. You save comics out of the paper for us.
17. You let us play with your “noise makers.”
18. You play Phase 10 with us.
19. You make butter bread for us.
20. You watched us in Speech and Debate.
21. You make summer sausages for us.
22. You always give us hugs.
23. You always have kisses for us.
24. You make Christmas special for us.
25. You have special nameplates on your Christmas tree for us.
26. You gave us a “Sharing Box” full of goodies each Christmas.
27. You make our birthdays special.
28. You pass out Christmas gifts at Christmas time.
29. You go to the movies with us.
30. You go and watch the Rocket games with us.
31. You went on trips to Florida with us.
32. You try to “surprise” us.
33. You have sugared cereal at your house for breakfast.
34. You talk to us.
35. You have cookouts at your house.
36. You cooked out on your grill for us.
37. You watch TV sports with us.
38. You play Euchre with us.
39. You play games with us.
40. You played kickball with us.
41. You held us when we were little babies.
42. You are never too busy for us.
43. You were there when Joshua and Lisa got engaged.
44. You taught us to love baseball.
45. You gave us coins to start our coin collection.
46. You give us Legos every year.
47. You took us to the water park.
48. You were snowed in with us.
49. You let us play in the field by your old trailer.
50. You took us to the Blueberry Festival.
51. You took us to the Street Fair.
52. You took us to Bearcreek Farms.
53. You took us to the zoo.
54. You have cookies jars at your house.
55. You let us sleep on your couch at your house.
56. You tell stories about when you were younger.
57. You take us to the Ritz Movie Theatre.
58. You go to all our graduations.
59. You bought us American Girl dolls.
60. You make us your homemade chili.
61. You go watch our plays.
62. You went to our homeschool Expo’s.
63. You talk “sports” with us.
64. You take time for your “every day granddaughter.”
65. You make us smile.
66. You have a funny laugh.
67. You are sweet to us.
68. You give us special snacks to take on our way back to North Carolina.
69. You make us feel special.
70. You are the BEST GRANDPA EVER!
Picture and full article at FamilyLife site: https://www.familylife.com/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dnJHKLNnFoG&b=3577217&content_id={DD388856-331E-4D96-AF9A-16D69EF92994}¬oc=1
by Donna | May 27, 2010
A “faith” book that I have used with all seven of my children—for over a dozen years now—is a “Bible” in story form that is not a picture book but is more of a Bible “cliff notes,” so to speak. It is called “The Story of Stories: The Bible in Narrative Form” by Karen C. Hinckley.
I read it to my older children many years ago, and this winter, the boys and I added it to our morning reading routine. It is 352 pages long and is easy, clear reading. Think of putting the Bible into “story form, “ summarizing it, etc. That is what this book is all about.
While I wouldn’t substitute this book for the Bible, my kids and I have enjoyed the overview of the Bible, the reminding of the stories, etc. that we have shared in this book.
Additionally, we have done something unique this time around. We have read a part of “Story of Stories,” then listened to the audio version of the Bible that correlates with that reading. In this way, it is taking a long time to get through “Story,” but it has been interesting to read this and then listen to the real thing as we do our chores, etc.
I recommend this book for family reading with kids ages twelve and up, especially. It is short enough that about sixty fifteen minute sessions is enough to read the entire book aloud. Check it out at the link below!
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Stories-Bible-Narrative-Form/dp/0891096256/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274739953&sr=1-2-spell
by Donna | May 26, 2010
One of our all-time favorite morning read aloud books (our devotion time together) is a little-known book called In His Hands. It is incredible and wonderful.
“In His Hands—A Family Devotional Book” is a yearly devotional with entries of one page each. Every entry begins with a Scripture then has a four to six-paragraph explanation that goes along with that verse. The paragraphs all have to do with science or history—animals, rainbows, inventions, nature, scientific theories, plants, trees, people, and more. It is filled with little-known facts about all of these things—and each one is tied into a Scripture that makes you scratch your head and say, “I never knew that! What a Creator!”
The book is set up in daily devotionals of four to six paragraphs each. Each entry begins with a Scripture then has amazing facts about an animal, bird, insect, etc. and then applies that to a spiritual truth. The entries can be read aloud in five to seven minutes—perfect quick devotional for before school or bedtime.
My boys and I just love this book and often read two or three entries in a given morning. We are learning more about science than any science textbook could teach us—because it is tied to Scripture and the Lord in such a way and has such interesting tidbits of information. “In His Hands” is written by James A. and Priscilla Tucker and was published in 1999 by the Institute of Outdoor Ministry, Inc. (The Tuckers have other outdoor materials, object lesson books, and periodicals as well.)
Unfortunately, my search for “In His Hands” has led me to find that it is no longer being published. You can find it used, however, and I encourage you to do so. If you come up empty handed in that search, the Tuckers have written another devotional that I just received in the mail that is extremely similar to “In His Hands.” It is called “Nature Quest” and is set up much like the one I described above. (Some if the entries are even the same as “In His Hands,” so I think this would be equally as good and useful.)
Here is part of a review of “Nature Quest”:
“Whether or not you consider yourself a nature-lover, experiencing any of these 366 devotionals will give you a new perspective on the world of nature. Each story is primarily a portrayal of some element of nature and how incredible it is with a small but necessary religious application at the end. The author uses God’s natural world to draw the conclusions, rather than other authors who attempt to push their own conclusions on the reader. An excellent read, and good luck trying to read one per day!”
This can be purchased from Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Quest-James-Tucker/dp/0828008655/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274738832&sr=1-1
by Donna | May 25, 2010
Nearly twenty years ago we went to our state’s homeschool convention and met someone who would forever change our lives—and help us in our children’s “faith” teaching more than we could imagine. The person I am describing is a man named Ken Ham. The ministry he began and continues to operate is Answers in Genesis.
We went to every session of his that weekend, took furious notes, and spent as much as our little budget would allow at his booth. We drove home at the end of that conference more excited than ever about teaching our children about God, the Bible, faith, character, and more.
When we got home, Ray did something that would become a yearly tradition for us—he went in at eleven o’clock, woke the kids up, and shared what we had learned that weekend. (I can’t believe I actually tried to talk him out of waking them now when I look back on what this little act did in terms of love for learning and much, much more!)
He pulled out book after book (mostly picture books at that time) that we had purchased from Answers in Genesis, showed the kids the pictures, told them what Mr. Ham had said about this or that. Excitement for school, devotions, learning, and family time was at an all time high.
One of the books that we purchased that weekend (not by Ken Ham, but still great, nonetheless) has become a family favorite—and is an ideal book for early teens and up. It is called “Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation,” and it is beautiful, informative, and interesting.
From the website:
“Experience an awesome journey of discovery! This Unique treasury of historic and scientific knowledge puts life-changing keys in your hands to understand our world and its amazing past. 240 pages of beautifully designed photography and artwork amplify the engaging text. This book will help you discover the scientific accuracy of the Bible; unveil the fallacies of evolution; and build unshakeable confidence in God’s Word. Designed to help families build a trustworthy Biblical worldview, it introduces a vast treasure of faith-building resources. One of the most user-friendly and comprehensive introductory books ever published on the subject of Biblical creation.”
And it truly is! It can be confusing to look through creation resources. What is good for a certain age? What is a good introductory type book? This book is an amazing starting point. The insets and sidebars are helpful—reminiscent of an Usborne or Kingfisher book. It doesn’t give too much detail that a new “creation reader” would find confusing—but it does give tons of helpful info.
And at $28 for a hardcover, full color, beautiful book, it is an awesome deal!
The link that follows will get you to the author’s site where you can actually see pages of the book. There is also an interactive cd-rom that I am drooling over right now. We do not have the cd, but sure want it!
This is the perfect “faith” building devotional/read aloud for families with kids ages ten to eighteen. You will love it—and so will your kids! (I should do a commercial for this book! LOL!)
https://www.creationresource.org/Shopping_cart/books/Book_Pages/unlocking_mysteries.htm
by Donna | May 24, 2010
Nearly twenty years ago we went to our state’s homeschool convention and met someone who would forever change our lives—and help us in our children’s “faith” teaching more than we could imagine. The person I am describing is a man named Ken Ham. The ministry he began and continues to operate is Answers in Genesis.
We went to every session of his that weekend, took furious notes, and spent as much as our little budget would allow at his booth. We drove home at the end of that conference more excited than ever about teaching our children about God, the Bible, faith, character, and more.
When we got home, Ray did something that would become a yearly tradition for us—he went in at eleven o’clock, woke the kids up, and shared what we had learned that weekend. (I can’t believe I actually tried to talk him out of waking them now when I look back on what this little act did in terms of love for learning and much, much more!)
He pulled out book after book (mostly picture books at that time) that we had purchased from Answers in Genesis, showed the kids the pictures, told them what Mr. Ham had said about this or that. Excitement for school, devotions, learning, and family time was at an all time high.
One of the books that we purchased that weekend (not by Ken Ham, but still great, nonetheless) has become a family favorite—and is an ideal book for early teens and up. It is called “Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation,” and it is beautiful, informative, and interesting.
From the website:
“Experience an awesome journey of discovery! This Unique treasury of historic and scientific knowledge puts life-changing keys in your hands to understand our world and its amazing past. 240 pages of beautifully designed photography and artwork amplify the engaging text. This book will help you discover the scientific accuracy of the Bible; unveil the fallacies of evolution; and build unshakeable confidence in God’s Word. Designed to help families build a trustworthy Biblical worldview, it introduces a vast treasure of faith-building resources. One of the most user-friendly and comprehensive introductory books ever published on the subject of Biblical creation.”
And it truly is! It can be confusing to look through creation resources. What is good for a certain age? What is a good introductory type book? This book is an amazing starting point. The insets and sidebars are helpful—reminiscent of an Usborne or Kingfisher book. It doesn’t give too much detail that a new “creation reader” would find confusing—but it does give tons of helpful info.
And at $28 for a hardcover, full color, beautiful book, it is an awesome deal!
The link that follows will get you to the author’s site where you can actually see pages of the book. There is also an interactive cd-rom that I am drooling over right now. We do not have the cd, but sure want it!
This is the perfect “faith” building devotional/read aloud for families with kids ages ten to eighteen. You will love it—and so will your kids! (I should do a commercial for this book! LOL!)
https://www.creationresource.org/Shopping_cart/books/Book_Pages/unlocking_mysteries.htm
by Donna | May 24, 2010
In the lower end of this age range, I continue with some of the suggestions from previous days. However, in the upper end of this age range, I try to move into discipleship type of books that we read aloud together. I will give you some ideas below.
1. Bible
a.The Bible itself! We like to read aloud from Proverbs oftentimes in the mornings. If you do not feel like you know what to read from the Bible, of course, you can look up specific stories in the index and just read Bible stories. Reading the Gospels is always a good choice for preteens—giving meaning to the whole idea of “What Would Jesus Do?”
b. Family Bible Library—I reviewed this book earlier in the year (and suggested it for the upper end of of the three to six age group). My ten to twelve year olds still really enjoyed this set of books. It is so different than the typical “Bible story book” as it is ten volumes—so the stories are much more detailed in here than they are in other picture book types of Bible stories. If you are looking for a story book series for your ten to twelve year olds to read and learn Bible stories himself, this series can’t be beat either. https://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/2010/02/day-fifty-nine-think-of-yourself-as.html
c. Bible studies—at this age, I like to have my kids do Bible studies themselves in addition to our reading together. I used Kay Arthur Bible studies for my olders (and various homeschool Bible books for my youngers). https://www.a1books.com/HOW-STUDY-YOUR-BIBLE-KIDS/0736903623/catalog
2. Picture books by Christian authors have character, Bible, and faith message. As I said in the preschool lists, I love using picture books to teach many things to my children—faith and Bible, counting, alphabet, science, history/geography, relationships, character, and more. My tweens love the picture books below (that really read more like chapter books with pictures—they are lengthy books that we read like we do chapter books—a little at a time):
a. “Dangerous Journey” (Illustrated Pilgrim’s Progress)–
https://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/(S(aoiw1bmbgbpoql45npwgmbeb))/product/Dangerous-Journey-Book,5475,224.aspx
b. “Tales of the Kingdom,” “Tales of the Resistance,” and “Tales of the Restoration” by Karen Burton Maines—If your children enjoy allegories and you want to do “faith” books that are exciting and interesting stories but not full length chapter books, you will love these! My kids do! https://www.sundaysolutions.com/talesproducts.html
3. Creation Science Books—I have talked a lot about the importance of teaching true creation—and the blessing that Answers in Genesis has been to our family. At this age, however, the creation science books are perfect. The kids are old enough to sit through longer ones (with more text on each page, but still some pictures). We loved animal and dinosaur books especially.
a. Answers in Genesis also has an amazing search engine that lets you search by age group. This is especially helpful in choosing creation science book because you do not want to get one with too much text for a four year old but too little text for a ten year old. The link that follows is for twelve to fourteen year olds. If youa re new to reading creation science books to your children, start with the hardcover picture books at this link—they are amazing! https://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/catalog/1214-Years-Old,186.aspx
b. Animal picture books—We love reading animal creation science books. I have found that they span a large age range because everybody loves learning tidbits about animals! Try this one—but also look at ones at the Answers in Genesis collection. “The Bible Discovery Collection Bible Animals”—by Bruce Barton, James Galvin, Michael Kendrick, Daryl Lucas, David Veerman, Neil Wilson (looks out of print, but some on Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Animals-Discovery-Collection/dp/084231038X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273891237&sr=1-3
Some faith-building read aloud ideas for teens starting tomorrow! Then we’ll wrap up Jonathan’s Journal. THEN spend at least a month on helping your kids in the summer–whether your children are homeschooled, public, or private. Lots of help coming your way! smile…
