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Jesse Tree Advent Tradition
It’s not too late to start a simple Jesse Tree tradition with your family this Christmas season! I created this printable DIY Jesse tree ornaments/coloring book as a simple way to celebrate Advent. The Scripture passages and symbols correspond with a devotional by Dean Lambert Smith, called The Advent Jesse Tree: Devotions for Children and Adults to Prepare for the Coming of the Christ Child at Christmas. Though you don’t need the devotional to use these ornaments. You can simply read the Bible verses and You can find it here in my shop, if you’re interested! It comes with a black and white version for kids to color, as well…
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25 Days of Christmas Books for Kids and Families
This year I decided to start a new holiday book tradition. We already read Christmas books during this season, but this year I thought it would be fun to make the daily books selection a surprise. For the 25 days leading up to Christmas we will unwrap a book for our morning time. I’ve considered doing this in the past, but it always seemed overwhelming (and expensive!) to buy and wrap 25 books. It finally occurred to me that I don’t actually need to BUY 25 new books. We already have a nice collection of Christmas books, as it’s been my tradition since my oldest was little to buy a…
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Homeschool Bible Curriculum
As part of our daily routine, we do Bible reading, memorization, and family devotionals. This isn’t really connected to our homeschool, but just a part of our family life. I love to have many different resources, story Bibles, and such. Bibles & Devotionals Some of the devotionals we’ve tried, as well as Bibles that we love. The Beginner’s Bible: Timeless Children’s Stories – this is still a favorite with my kids. 101 Favorite Stories from the Bible – another great book of Bible stories The Jesus Storybook Bible – definitely a favorite Kids’ bible option NIV, Adventure Bible – a good option when kids are ready for a full Bible,…
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Books of the Bible – Bookmarks!
My kids have been working on learning the order of the books of the Bible. Part of this is learning to read the Table of Contents, and part is simply memorizing the order. There are lots of ways to do this, including games and songs. However, they love fun and colorful bookmarks, so I thought I’d make these Books of the Bible bookmarks! If you’re looking for a simple tool to help your kids (or for yourself!) find, learn, and memorize the books of the Bible, these bookmarks are just for you. Keep one of these bookmarks in your Bible for the next time you’re looking for a particular book.…
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Summer Nature Related Bible Memory Verses
Each week I incorporate Bible memory work into our homeschool. This year I thought it would be fun to select nature related verses that go with what we are studying in our nature curriculum. So I spent several hours brainstorming and looking up verses for every single week’s topic! Some correspond more loosely than others, but I tried to tie each into our theme in some way. We are using Exploring Nature with Children for our homeschool nature study curriculum. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s a great curriculum for studying nature with children! Now available as a set of beautiful posters, copywork, and cards for the complete year! This is a…
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Spring Nature Related Bible Memory Verses
Each week I incorporate Bible memory work into our homeschool. This year I thought it would be fun to select nature related verses that go with what we are studying in our nature curriculum. So I spent several hours brainstorming and looking up verses for every single week’s topic! Some correspond more loosely than others, but I tried to tie each into our theme in some way. We are using Exploring Nature with Children for our first grade homeschool nature study curriculum. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s a great curriculum for studying nature with children! Now available as a set of beautiful posters, copywork, and cards for the complete year! This…
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Winter Nature Related Bible Memory Verses
Each week I incorporate Bible memory work into our homeschool. This year I thought it would be fun to select nature related verses that go with what we are studying in our nature curriculum. So I spent several hours brainstorming and looking up verses for every single week’s topic! Some correspond more loosely than others, but I tried to tie each into our theme in some way. We are using Exploring Nature with Children for our first grade homeschool nature study curriculum. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s a great curriculum for studying nature with children! Now available as a set of beautiful posters, copywork, and cards for the complete year! This…
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Children’s Devotional How Great Is Our God
I was so thrilled to be blessed with a complimentary copy of Louie Giglio’s new children’s devotion about God and Science. As homeschoolers we are always looking for ways to incorporate great fact-filled learning with our faith. We already have his first devotional, and my kids LOVE the new one as much as the first. We read it as part of our morning basket time. Actually, I often have to go in search of it because my 8 year old tends to take it out of the basket to look at! ⠀ I really can’t blame her. This book is full of scientific facts, adorable illustrations, beautiful photographs and more,…
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Autumn Nature Study Bible Memory Verses
Each week I incorporate Bible memory work into our homeschool. We practice every day until it is memorized. It’s more challenging for my 7 year old, who has Down syndrome, because her auditory processing (short-term memory) is not as strong. This means I often have to repeat sections of the verse, sometimes just one or two words at a time, often many times. It can be tedious, but I believe it is so important that we hide God’s word in our hearts. Her long term memory is quite good, and she is so proud of the accomplishment when she has it memorized. I don’t stress out if there’s a verse…
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Down Syndrome Awareness Month – Inclusion
What’s the point of Down Syndrome Awareness Month? According to a quick search, it’s about showcasing the abilities and accomplishments of people with Down syndrome. It’s about spreading a message of advocacy and inclusion. It’s about celebrating people who have Down syndrome. Not everyone is ready to “celebrate Down syndrome” or get involved in raising awareness. In truth, my family has never participated in a Buddy Walk. We’ve never attended any local Down syndrome events or joined any clubs. Initially it was because I was very much in the “not ready to celebrate” camp. As time progressed, it was because Down syndrome is such a minor part of our life.…
