Miracle Math

Math is anything but pleasant to my distractible darlings. They can easily compute, but the extra boring processes of writing and thinking when they would rather be outside playing is torture challenging to them and me.

Miraculously, I discovered math on a dry erase board. We sit together on the couch and finish our lessons in record time--as long as they can mark and erase themselves. So far that's working great--except when I gave them a test the other day, they acted like they had never seen a math worksheet. So today, they did their actual math lesson with their miracle markers.

Apparently to them, it's not really math if it's done with a dry erase marker (of their favorite color, of course).

I slipped their worksheet into a sheet protector, thus giving them a dry erase surface. They snuggled on the couch, happy to get their work done. Dry erase=no whine!

All the doodles disappear with a paper towel. Of course I don't have a record of what they have done, but that's okay because it's actually getting done. Besides, I'm only keeping tests as a sample of what they accomplished.
This sheet-protector/dry-erase-marker-system works entertains toddlers and preschoolers, too. When the girls were younger, I'd slide various coloring pages and tracing worksheets (you know letters, numbers, etc) into sheet protectors. Instead of giving them use of a permanent dry erase pen, I'd give them a washable crayon. Voila! Instant no-mess, reusable pages!

Happy learning, y'all!

Fall Festival

Yesterday our church hosted its annual fall festival with its first ever kids talent show. Some kids song, some tumbled, some danced and some twirled!




My girls dressed as birds and twirled to Rockin Robin. Their costumes were courtesy of every.single.piece of fabric stashed in our house and my little ol' Kenmore machine.



Homeschooling provides us with extra time to pursue the interests our kids have. They chose the music and choreographed their own routine. They even helped with the costuming. I'm so thankful that we could take a week to focus on the creative side of kids.

As for the fall festival, we had so much fun with our friends! Thanks First Baptist for doing a fabulous job!

Stepping on my soapbox...

In just a few short hours, the streets will be decked to the hilt with laughing kiddos raking in the sugar. Churches and other venues with be filled with all the fun surrounding these fall festivities. Though there is debate about Christians celebrating a pagan holiday, I firmly believe that every family has to make their unique decision of how to celebrate this cultural carnival of candy and costumes.

Jellybeans: Halloween '07:

As for my family, we enjoy dress-up! I don't personally morph into another character, but my girls sure do love it. Ever since they could say "pink" they have been one princess or another or any number of story book characters. Not a day has passed that they haven't pretended to be someone/something else.

And they are oh, so creative! Yesterday they stripped the sheets from their bed and transformed themselves into Nutcracker mice. Recently they stuffed a leotard with baby blankets and called themselves "nesting penguins in a rookery."

These silly kids enjoy this simplicity of childhood and allow their imaginations--and a few pieces of fabric--to take them places that are inaccessible to adults.

Spring and Winter Fairies: Halloween '05:

I'm excited that our church is hosting a fall festival where we can be around others who party like my girls. I've spent hours sewing the right costume for what they want to be this year. Yet I'm concerned for the number of Christians who use this fun day of dress-up to portray the darker side of reality.

Perplexing is the number of active Christians who use their blogs and Facebook statuses to sing their praises to the Lord...except for the days leading up to Halloween. On those days, they post pictures of themselves or their children spookily dressed as ghosts, vampires or dead people, display all sorts of creative, but ghoulish, crafts or they relay their tasty recipes for ghostly treats.

Please, consider what you, as a Christian, are communicating to an unsaved world! Never should a true Christian celebrate the disaster of death--Our Redeemer conquered the grave! We need to be purposeful in the way to live our life--every day. We should be focused on all things that are pure, trustworthy, holy. And our costumes, food concoctions, crafts and actions need to reflect our Savior, the Light of the world.

Don't get so carried away in the festivities that you find yourself unintentionally paying homage to evil. Anything dark and evil and hideous is very real. We as Christians fight a spiritual battle of good and evil every single day. Even if it is only for a night and all in the name of fun, don't trade your steadfast armor of God for the horrific armor of Satan.

I'm off my soapbox now.