Best Christmas Books for Kids
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Best Christmas Books for Kids

Christmas is coming, and as intentional parents seeking to point our children to Jesus in every holiday, one way of enjoying the holiday, teaching its meaning, and creating memories is through reading the many wonderful Christmas books for kids as a family. These are the best Christmas books for kids that keep the focus on Christ or tell the legends of Saint Nicholas, candy canes, and cookies or teach valuable character lessons. Retellings of Christ’s birth: The Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt The Tale of Three Trees (Hardcover) By Angela Elwell Hunt Featuring the wonderful illustrations of Tim Jonke,…

7 Reasons to Start an Advent Calendar Devotional Tradition
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7 Reasons to Start an Advent Calendar Devotional Tradition

Advent calendars are a popular way to count down the days to Christmas. I have seen a variety of them, such as boxes with doors to open each day to get a piece of chocolate, Lego calendars, garlands, etc. But most of the Advent calendars I see in big box stores focus on the arrival of Santa at Christmas rather than on the arrival of Christ. While it is a clever commercial tactic, Advent is actually a church tradition. What is Advent? Advent (adventus) is a Latin word meaning arrival or coming. In the liturgical calendar of the church, Advent…

Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
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Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

As we seek to redeem every holiday with our children by pointing them to God and all He has done for us, Thanksgiving is a terrific holiday for making crafts which teach gratitude, while some are just fun for fall! Here are some of our favorite easy Thanksgiving crafts for kids! Fun Crafts for Thanksgiving 1. Thanksgiving Turkey Headband Our kids love to dress up, so we have a pilgrim hat, a native costume, and for super cute pictures, each child has a Thanksgiving Turkey Headband. Get the pattern here. 2. Turkey Placemats We often make crafts as decorations for…

Best Thanksgiving Books for Kids
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Best Thanksgiving Books for Kids

Thanksgiving is an especially valuable holiday to pause and remember our history and to thank God for all He has done for us. As we seek to redeem every holiday with our children by pointing them to God, one way of enjoying the holiday and teaching its meaning is through the many wonderful Thanksgiving books for kids. History of the Thanksgiving holiday The history of Thanksgiving is of a people who desired to venerate God in every aspect of their lives, so we can start by teaching our children the history of the Pilgrims, the journey on the Mayflower, and…

15 World-Changing Results of the Protestant Reformation
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15 World-Changing Results of the Protestant Reformation

One of the most important events of history occurred on October 31, 1517 when a priest named Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses (complaints) against the Catholic Church to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s audacious act of questioning the Catholic Church opened the way for others to protest against and seek for reform of the Catholic Church, and eventually these Protestant Reformers broke away to form a new type of church. Especially in countries touched by the Protestant Reformation, this religious revolution yielded the results of changing the course of history…

First Day of School Supply Treasure Hunt
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First Day of School Supply Treasure Hunt

Starting up the school year should be an exciting time! As homeschool moms, we can set the tone of having a good attitude and a delight in learning so our children also fall in love with learning. When my children were little and just starting kindergarten and pre-school, I wanted them to have a pleasurable experience with the idea of education. While learning requires a lot of work, it also can and should be enjoyable for especially young students. To get my children excited, I made a treasure hunt for them on the first day of school to find their…

You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Homeschool Mom
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You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Homeschool Mom

Hints for Homeschool Moms There is a popular series of history and science books with titles that begin with You Wouldn’t Want to… Here is a homeschool mom version of You Wouldn’t Want to… Please note that this is a satire from a Christian perspective. If you don’t like satire or don’t maintain a Christian worldview, you will not enjoy this. You can still learn some hints if you want to stick around! The year is 2020. Your name is Lisa Clark, and you are the mother of three children under five. You have been thinking about options for your…

How to Teach Something Using a Song
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How to Teach Something Using a Song

Memorization of facts is easiest to a song or rhythm because music provides structure for the brain with its predictable patterns of rhythms and placement of words. If you want to use this powerful mnemonic device to assist your children with their memory work, here are some tips on how to teach something for memory work using a song. Tips on How to Teach Something Using a Song Let’s use “The Star Spangled Banner” as an example. 1. Listen to a recording of the whole song or as the teacher, sing the whole song through. While you may listen to…

How to Memorize Something Using a Song
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How to Memorize Something Using a Song

Do you need help with how to memorize something? Memorizing to a song or rhythm is effective and engaging because music has structure of melody and rhythm to make it a powerful mnemonic device. Tips on How to Memorize Something Aurally Using a Song Let’s use “America the Beautiful” as an example. 1. Listen to the whole song. Think about where the natural breaks are in the song – these will be short sections of words or a natural phrase in the music. 2. Starting with the first section of the song, listen to the melody and words of that…

The Best Way to Memorize Something is to a Song
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The Best Way to Memorize Something is to a Song

Do you remember learning your ABCs? It was with a song! While some may view memorization as a painful chore, it can be fun and easy if you memorize everything to a song! In fact, the best way to memorize something is to a song. Here are five reasons to memorizing everything to a song or rhythmic chant is the best way to memorize something: 1. Music is a powerful mnemonic device. The patterns of melody and rhythm in a song stimulate neural pathways in the brain and help develop memory. For example, if I ask you about the order…

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