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Goal Sheet for Mom

Posted by on October 29, 2011 1 Comment

If you’ve ever struggled to get out of bed and get your day moving in the general direction of productivity, then you’ll be able to relate to this. I was talking with a very close friend this morning and we were both bemoaning how we had wasted some precious morning hours to lack of planning. Be it exhaustion or kid-craziness or {dare I admit my own…} laziness, we found ourselves staring at an 11:00 clock not believing that time had crept so close to lunch!

This conversation brought to mind something that happened several months ago: another friend of mine had asked me to create a goal sheet to help with her planning. In a flash, my memory snapped back to the idea of charting each day and waking up with a general idea of what needed to get done. Of course I am not an advocate for rigid inflexibility! However I am an advocate for maintaining a home that I can be comfortable in without tripping over piles of laundry.

Though that has been known to happen. On occasion.

So my weekend gift to you is this chart for FREE. I’m posting a generic version for you to DOWNLOAD HERE and use starting this week Monday. I hope you’ll stop back and leave a comment to let me know if you’ve found it helpful!

  • Your name goes on the blue “_______’s” line, with the date following.
  • In the three boxes labeled with “School” and “Chores”, write the name of each of your kids in each box. Hopefully this will help with your schooling goals or general learning goals for the day. Of course some of you already use a teacher’s planner, but I know some homeschool moms who don’t. Perhaps listing a few activities would make the day run more smoothly? [I'd love your input here, moms!]
  • In the “Personal Quiet Time” box, write down either what you’ll be reading, who you’re praying for, or what you feel God is teaching you.
  • 3-hole punch these and keep them in a binder for a great accounting of your time and how God’s working in your home!


How do you plan your days? What have you found to be an effective tool?

 

 

 

Filed Under: Bible Time, Chores/Tasks, Discipline, goal-setting, Idea Lists, Lists, Meal Planning | Tagged: Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Kid Blogging + Literacy?

Posted by on July 22, 2011 2 Comments

How can blogs help your kids with writing and demonstrating comprehension?

Tonight after reading our devotions in Don’t Mess With Moses, Marty Nystrom’s poem about Moses parting the Red Sea ended with the question: “How’d he do that? Look in Exodus 14:15-22.”

I passed our Bible to my son who opened to the passage and read it; we discussed the story together and then ended with a few selections from The Awesome Book of Bible Answers.

Then, as though possessed by angelic forces, this child asked if he could take the Bible and read through it. Entirely.

After I picked myself up off the floor, I shot a surprised look over the rim of my glasses and sputtered, “Honey, if you read the entire Bible I’ll pay you $100.”

At which point I was shot a surprised look over the tops of small heads by my husband. “Let me clarify that offer a little,” he added. “If you start reading and write what you learned after each chapter, we’ll pay you the $100.”

>>ENTER: Kids’ Blogs.<<

Kids’ Blogs is a wonderful, sneaky way to get your kids writing. We registered each of our kids on this website about a year ago as a way to encourage them to practice typing and work on their writing. It’s free and it’s totally secure–a must-have for any child online.

I told our son [and daughter, who by then wanted in on the deal] that he could blog after each evening’s reading as an easy way to record his thoughts. It will allow them to familiarize themselves with spell-check, typing, composition, coming up with a title, and most importantly, demonstrating what they learned from the Bible that day.

For his dad and me, it’s an easy way to check for understanding and determine whether or not real reading is taking place.

Imagine the treasure we’ll have if he really completes this feat–pages and pages of his thoughts on God’s Word forever saved for us to look back on and revisit.

Why not let your kids try blogging this summer?

Have you considered allowing your kids to blog in a secure, safe setting? Why or why not?

 

 

 

Filed Under: Bible Time, Blogging, Character Training, Checking for Understanding, Comprehension Strategies, Family Devotions, Teaching Literary/English Terms, Teaching Reading, Teaching Scripture | Tagged: Tagged With: , , , , ,

Bible Answers Devotional

Posted by on July 6, 2011 1 Comment

If your kids have questions, this book has some answers! I unearthed this treasure from a bargain book table and have been reading a few “questions” to each day as part of our devotions. Our kids have found them to be relevant, short and sweet, and perfectly to-the-point. The pages include cartoon sketches to illustrate the message, along with a Bible verse at the bottom that can be simply read, used as a reference tool for further study, or for memory work.

The Awesome Book of Bible Answers for Kids, by Josh McDowell and Kevin Johnson is a wonderful compilation of questions that every kid [and grown-up!] asks. The table of contents is divided up thematically with a series of Q & A under each theme:

  • Questions about God

  • Questions about Sin
  • Questions about Forgiveness
  • Questions about God’s Love
  • Questions about Prayer
  • Questions about Jesus
  • Questions about The Holy Spirit
  • Questions about The Devil
  • Questions about The Bible
  • Questions about Different Religions
  • Questions about Right and Wrong
  • Questions about The Future
  • Questions about Church
  • Questions about Death and Heaven

The entire book houses 77 questions and answers along with a learning and conversation guide for parents, an index of Bible verses, and an index of topics. If you’ve ever felt like you wanted to dive into a place that opens the door for questioning and turning to the Bible for answers, this book is the perfect gateway.

What have you been reading for your family devotions lately?

 

 

Filed Under: Bible Time, Checking for Understanding, Communication, Discussion Ideas, Family Devotions, Family Night, Spiritual Formation, Teaching Scripture, Treasuring Your Kids | Tagged: Tagged With: , ,

Don’t Mess With Moses!

Posted by on July 4, 2011 3 Comments

What could be better than fun Bible rhymes that teach the stories we all love? Marty Nystrom, author and worship-leader has hit a home run with this terrific collection of silly poems entitled Don’t Mess With Moses!

Last month I was privileged to attend a Christian Writer’s Conference where Marty was our worship leader [author of the classic As the Deer]. He artfully incorporated some of his clever poems into our worship time, and as soon as he started reading I knew they’d be a hit with our kids!

This summer I’ve been trying to be diligent to do devotions consistently with our kids, and this has been a wonderful part of those moments. The kids love to sit down and hear how the Tower of Babel can be made funny, and the illustrations are a wonderful, whimsical compliment to the text.

One of the features that I appreciate about Marty’s book is that he ends a majority of his poems with a phrase like, “Read more about God’s promise to Noah in Genesis 9:8-17.” This has made a continuation of our study feel natural and interesting to our kids.

Here’s an example of part of Flying Colors, pg 60-61:

When the flood was finally over

and all the earth was dry,

God made a brilliant banner,

and he flew it in the sky.

 

An iridescent crescent,

with a stylish striped design

of colors more fluorescent

than a giant neon sign

…

God Stretched this streamer in the sky,

up high where I could see,

so I could be reminded

of his promises to me.

 

Filed Under: Bible Time, Family Devotions, Teaching Scripture | Tagged: Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Heart Issues

Posted by on May 16, 2011 1 Comment

Several years ago I was struggling through some issues that left me feeling pushed back on my heels and unprepared emotionally. In the midst of those trials, I never really knew how I should respond: was it right to defend myself? Should I keep quiet? Would it be okay to engage in the conversation?

When I shared the details with my dear friend [and personal counselor] Lyndsey, she walked me through ways that Christ dealt with various circumstances and offered an idea that has stuck with me. With gentleness and love she said, “Jane, why don’t you spend some time in The Word and pick out one or two verses that deal with this struggle. Memorize them, then write them on a small piece of paper and keep it in your pocket. When you’re in the thick of it, reach in and feel that piece of paper and say the verse in your head. Pray that verse and pray that God would give you wisdom for your next steps.”

Genius, right? [that's why they pay her the big bucks ...err...why she'll have many jewels in her crown, I mean.]

I believe this same principle can be applied to our instructing our kids. This past week we picked up my daughter and her neighbor-friend from Sunday School class only to find their faces sagging in sadness. They explained that another little girl was unkind to them both; they replayed all the scenes for us, complete with the bucket-dipping conversations their Barbie dolls had. “What to do?” we wondered. “How to teach?”

It was perfect timing when my friend reminded me of For Instruction in Righteousness, by Pam Forster. It is a spiral bound reference guide that offers Bible verses in topical lists. For example, if  you are dealing with anger in your heart or home, several verses are listed pertaining to anger. What about jealousy or tattling? Several more verses are listed for each of those issues. And for our situation, how do you deal with someone who has treated you poorly?

This same friend, my most wonderful neighbor, was gracious enough to have spent some time with our girls working through the Sunday-School-Barbie-doll-episode. My little one came home so encouraged and eager to know a verse that could help her!

To bring the application full-circle and back to “God’s-Word-In-Your-Pocket”, today after school my daughter and I are going to choose one verse from the section on dealing with injustice, write it on a piece of paper, work to commit it to memory, and then nestle it safely away in her pocket. My neighbor, instead of stashing a verse in her daughter’s pocket, has decided to have her write helpful verses in a journal so that she can work on them at home. Some of you may find that you could choose a verse from the 2 or 3 most challenging topics and work on them as a family, creating a chart or flash cards for your kids.

Whether you write them out, type them up, draw them, act them out, or pray them together at dinnertime, I am convinced that reinforcing the practicality and application of God’s Word is a powerful tool that will help them navigate the minefield of the heart for years to come. Don’t you agree?

 

Filed Under: Bible Application, Bible Time, Character Training, Discipline, Discussion Ideas, Motherhood, Spiritual Formation, Teaching Scripture, Training Children | Tagged: Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

White Boards+Blooms

Posted by on May 11, 2011 Leave a Comment

When I was in college, feverishly working to graduate in four years and keep my loans down to the price of a small palace, I decided on an education major. Dr. Wessman, my intro professor, hammered home the basics of theory and practice, cutting our teeth on names that I, sadly, can now barely recall.

One concept that did manage to cement itself was Bloom’s Taxonomy, a ladder-like way of conceptualizing a student’s [or your child's] depth of understanding. The higher up the “ladder” you climb, the more difficult and abstract the questions become, demanding greater critical thinking and evaluation skills.

We have found these questions to be really handy to have on hand—or at least to have a few tucked away in the brain for family discussions. You can see a great list of examples HERE. One way that we employ this technique is by using whiteboards while we read stories or do family devotions.  For example:

While Reading or After Reading Books:

  • Stop at a critical turning point in the story. Ask your kids to make a prediction about the next events or the culmination of the story. Have them draw this in picture form on their white board and then explain it.
  • To occupy little ones during chapter books, ask them to draw a picture of the main character based on the description given by the author. Have them point out key distinguishing characteristics of this character.
  • As a character struggles with important choices, ask your kids, “What would you do?” Have them do their best to write a sentence on their boards and then explain their choice. This opens up a natural teaching opportunity for you, especially if the choices invite you to explain your morals.
  • Refer to THIS LINK again for other question starters.

While doing Family Devotions:

  • Ask your child to draw the landscape described in the Bible Story. Are you wandering in the desert? Laying palms at the feet of Jesus as he approaches Jerusalem? At the parting of the Red Sea? Give praise for extra details.
  • Have your kids imagine they are spectators to the story. What would they be feeling? Is this a scary time? Exciting? Uncertain? Have them draw their own face to represent the emotion conveyed in the story.
  • Divide your white board into 4 quadrants. Ask your child to focus on the main character and draw or write 4 other stories or words that can be attributed to that character. For example, if you’re reading about Moses, you might draw a picture of the burning bush, Moses as a baby in the basket, parting the Red Sea, etc. If you’re reading about Jesus and have older kids, using words to describe his character can also be powerful: loving, Savior, servant, rabbi, etc.
  • Again, refer here for further question starters and allow your kids to draw or express answers in words.

What creative ways do you use to help your kids dig deeper into their reading?

[photo credit]

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Filed Under: Bible Time, Checking for Understanding, Communication, Comprehension Strategies, Discussion Ideas, Teaching Reading, Using Whiteboards | Tagged: Tagged With: , , , ,