Morning Meditation

I love the tiles floors in our classroom. They have proved so useful this year! I use them in many ways but one way is to teach the kids to be still. For some time I taught English to students in China virtually. One of my students (11 years old) told me a technique her father used to teach her to study. He would have her sit quietly for a time appropriate to her age. When the time was up she got a treat. I started doing this with my kids at the beginning of the day. 

My children are instructed to sit in the square. No hands or feet outside the square, no talking, no playing, be a statue. SJ closes her eyes during this time to tune out her brother and will often face away from him. KJ is wiggly (which is appropriate for 4) however, he can go the entire time without talking. The time is between 2 and 4 minutes depending on our morning.

 After meditation the receive a prize. 

The objective is to teach them to be still on demand. As homeschoolers most of our day is spent up and about they are all over the classroom, the house and eventually outside. Compared to their counterparts in public school they move a lot. On Sundays at church they are in children's church so they are able to sit still for the lesson and pay attention without any problems. 

Meditation is a good practice the Bible tells us to "Meditate on the Word of God day and night." Joshua 1:8 it also says to, "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Math Families

If it seems like we are all over the place when it comes to math we are. I follow SJ's interest and try not to discourage her by the order in which I think she should learn. The way I see it addition and multiplication are similar so are subtraction and division. So while she is hitting the ground running I am still trying to insure there are no learning gaps. So we have been talking quite a bit about math families. 

This was a pretty easy concept to introduce because shes learned about word families. This concept was picked up really quickly because as my oldest child SJ likes to be in control. The ability for her to catch her mistake has been invaluable to her.

When I walk by her before she has had a chance to finish and check her work she immediately covers it, not wanting me to correct her before shes reviewed it. I'm really enjoying the responsibility she seems to be developing. I want her to take pride in her work and do well and that seems to be the case...at least when it comes to math.

Bead Multiplication

Its no secret that my oldest is a STEM girl. She loves math so I am always looking for ways to foster and grow this love. We discovered this activity when she wanted to do math but not in her math book. I keep beads on hand for the kids. In this case I wrote various multiplication problems on SJ's white board. She then used the beads to show what each problem looked like with the beads, Once she successfully answered the question on the board and with the beads she could move to the next problem. At one point both younger kids needed me so she answered all the questions and waited for me to check her work. 

This was a fun activity that allowed her to be creative as well as practice her classification skills. When starting this activity it is important that the student understand their one's and two's multiplication facts. These are to be understood but don't have to be memorized. Once the student understands the task you are only limited by the amount of materials you have on hand. 

My five year old is very familiar with this activity but recently my four year old has shown he can show the multiplication problems he sees with the beads as well. This is why I homeschool. I love seeing what my children gravitate toward while its happening then discovering how I can help them be great!

Shower Curtain Book Nook

I have been obsessed with all these cute book nooks and teepees. So I'd been thinking of a way to make it work for me and my kiddos. I found it! Shower curtains! Why should shower curtains be restricted to the suddy, steamy messy room that houses the commode. No! I will liberate the shower curtain! Free it from its prison and present it as an offering to my messy kids!

Its water resistant fabric makes it easy to clean and the hooks make for easy take 

down as I re-model in the future. 

Really though this was the easiest, quickest nook ever and they love it!

Cup Games for Kids

This past weekend I had the pleasure of helping my sister host a baby shower. We had some cups left over and in the blur of exhaustion set the cups down on the floor by the front door. Days later (don't judge me) I finally picked up the cups. Did I mention we have a dog, a various curious dog who I am sure put her nose in the cups. So what was I to do with these paper cups? Games!

I took the cups and put letters and numbers on them. I told the kids it was game day and I set the game rules they had a blast!

For the Math Game we used our Base Ten blocks and put the appropriate tens and ones inside the cup to make the number.

As the kids filled the cup I would stack them. They loved seeing the stack grow as a mark of their accomplishments.

We then flipped the cups over and used the letters to make words. Once the kids discovered a word I would write it on the white board. My kids are motivated by praise and a sense of accomplishment so seeing there progress is important for them.

I hope you and your kids enjoy these cup games!

Touching God

I am a mother of three little beauties who are currently are 5, 3 and 9 months. I am with them most of the time since I work from home. There may be 4 out of the 24 hours of the day that I am not touched by one of them and that's being generous. They want to cuddle, sit on my lap as I read, or crawl into my bed in the middle of the night. Sometimes they touch me for NO REASON AT ALL.

What if one day I told my three, "You can't touch me, only daddy can. If you want to touch me, touch daddy. If you want my guidance, direction, or affirmation, ask daddy. He will ask me and get back to you. If you want to know the plans I have for you ASK. YOUR. DADDY." Our relationship would be weak based only on daddies availability and filtered only through daddies understanding. God forbid something happen to daddy, they would no longer hear my heart, or know my will. The snippets of filtered understanding they got before would cease to exist.

Now imagine it the other way around. What if my littles ONLY wanted daddy. What if they preferred to ask him to ask me what they should do? What if rather than get a hug directly from me they asked daddy to ask me for proof of my love? What if they became comfortable with this arrangement and only touched me in passing because they were near their daddy. I would be HEARTBROKEN.

By now you get where I am going with this, I'm sure. If you are in a place where your relationship with God is dependent on another person you have to question the legitimacy of your faith. If you can only touch God through they remnant crumbs of another's personal encounter I am here to tell you there is more.

God wants you to touch Him (Matthew 11:28). In fact He became flesh, and became a sacrifice unto Himself so that you could go directly to Him (John 1:14). You want guidance and direction? Ask Him (Psalm 119:105). If you need affirmation. You are the apple of His eye!( Psalm 139:14) You want an encounter with Him. Seek Him (Matthew 7:7).

Enough stuffing your face with scraps of anointing from the tables of our teachers encounters. Enough being satisfied with Sunday and Wednesday meat and milk. Enough with starving yourself though out the week, then leaving God's presence unsatisfied!

The morsels are not for you! They are bites to whet the appetite of the unbeliever. The word you hear on Sunday morning should be confirmation of what God has been telling you throughout the week. How else will you know for sure that you are hearing from God through the mouth of your teacher? We have to take responsibility for our faith (Philippians 2:12). We have to stand up in our own lives least our faith be based on another.

Here's the best part! He never tires of our touch! He doesn't mind our dirty hands! In fact He says if we seek Him, He will answer! Oh, how He loves us! I encourage you, spend more time with Him, sneak away for moments in His presence. You will be blessed.