Welcome to the Friday Friendship Feature, #6–School Readiness
School Readiness Impacts Kids and Families
The topic ofSchool Readinessis an important topic for all families.School Readinessimpacts homeschooling families as well as traditional schooling families. I have felt passionate about this topic ever since I began researching the topic before our boys started school. I still have not changed my mind about the importance of a child being READY to learn if you want optimal learning.
So…you want to take your kids out to the berry patch? Great plan! Berry picking with kids can be a wonderful time, or a huge frustration to all involved. The last thing you want on an outingfor funis for everything to flop!
But…as parents know, plans don’t always work out just like you thought, and while you may be reminiscing about leisurely days gone by in another berry patch, things could play out,shall we say…differently.
In God’s Garden
I can’t think of many more enjoyable experiences than to taste sweet berries straight off the bush or vine. You get to have all five senses involved.Tastethe pop the sweetness as you bite into a juicy blueberry.Feelthe air ruffle through your hair, and the texture of the soft berries between your fingers.Take inthe beauty of the bright blue sky, and varied hues of ripening fruit as youhearthe birds warbling and cawing all around you.Breathe inthe fruity aromas of fully ripened berries, and enjoy the peace of just being out in God’s Creation. Because the berry path is pretty close to the Garden of Eden, isn’t it?
The Key is Being Prepared, Mama!
If you plan well, and pack your sense of humor, your berry picking with kids can be a tremendous memory-making event, and a good time for all! Not to mention the BERRIES–blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries! There are so many berries to enjoy!
Want to go berry picking with kids? Here are some tips that will make your experience successful and fun! What to take, and how to make berry picking fun!
I don’t usually do random recipes, but this one hit the spot so well last Sunday that I just had to share my son’sSIMPLE RECIPE!The Refreshing Melon Freeze will cool you offFROM THE INSIDE OUT–exactly what you want on a hot summer day!
We like to work together as a family, and when the heat cranks up, we still keep going, misery or not! My husband is accustomed to working outdoors. But I am not! I’m a pitiful redhead, who’d prefer the indoors when it’s so crazy hot out there! Ugh!
Refreshing Melon Freeze. Simple and Satisfying
So when my boys and I had a day I’d weeding out in the hot sun, we came in all sticky and sweaty. We needed something to eat, but heavy food was out of the question!
Andrew whipped this up in no time, and how thankful we all felt!
Last week on theFriday Friendship Feature, #3, I shared a post encouraging us to set a consistent Morning Schedule/Ritual time so that we can bless our families. This week’s Friday Friendship Feature focuses in on another aspect of our home life: BOYS and MOMS.
We have three sons! They are different from me. And they often drive me batty.
I could end there, and you’d have a complete picture of my life some days.Seriously.But there is more to say. In ourFriday Friendship Featurethis time, I have chosen to share an excerpt from a post that really did hit home with me this week.
Friday Friendship Feature:
Boys–What Can I Say?
Even though I have been married to a male for almost twenty years, and have had the privilege of being a mom to all males for over sixteen years, I am still trying to figure them out. You’d think that I’d almost be an expert on the male gender, since I also grew up with three brothers. These things may help a tiny little bit, but, honestly,not much.
BOYS are a special kind of male. They have not matured yet into manhood, even those in their teens. They are moving in that direction, but still have a lot of boyishness left.
I will tell you a secret
When I was younger, like about twelve years ago, it became obvious that we were an all-boy family. Three little boys, and what energy they exhibited! My mom gave me a book, which I read then, and enjoyed. But…in my naive heart, I said, “My boys will never do that.” THAT, being make loud, obnoxious noises just for the reaction. THAT being also going crazy over the mere mention of bodily odors, noises, or functions. I assured my young mind that those antics belonged toother parent’s kids, but mine would surely act more refined.
Anyone who knows our family can just stop laughing now!
Our boys are all thatand more!We are definitely in the stage of noises, and I am in the stage of finding more difficulty concentrating than I used to have. This makes for some tension and trials.
Our Boys…
They make noise just for the sake of noise itself.
The more the better.
The grosser the better.
Times three.
The book that my mom gave me was this one.
The rest of the post continues below as well as the link to its original source. Please follow the link.
Friday Friendship Feature #3, Creating a Morning Ritual or Routine
Welcome to the Friday Friendship Feature #3!
Today, on our Friday Friendship Feature #3, I am sharing an inspiring post that I ran across, written by another homeschooling mom. She shares on a very important topic: carving out your morning routine. She calls it a ritual, but to me that sounds hard! So I just call it a routine. You call it what you want!
Routines and Our Comfort
A routine or ritual is a habit that you make, that soon becomes just the way you always do things! I think that rituals/routines/habits become a comfort to family members, who learn to depend on them.
Two blogs merging–Lessons and Lessons with Ridge Haven Homestead
Well, Fine Readers!
I’ve been pondering this change for some time, and have decided to take the plunge. I am, and have pretty much accomplished merging two blogs!
Why Merge Two Blogs?
As I began my blogging journey in the self-hosted world, I believed that it would be best to keep my main interests separate–homesteading seemed like plenty to focus on, and homeschooling seemed like enough to pursue on my original blog.
However, as I’ve been blogging for a couple of months with our Ridge Haven site, plus blogging with Lessons and Lessons (my homeschool blog), I often find myself in a quandary as to which blog to write which content for. Life on the homestead includes home education, so eventually, I realized that it would make more sense to just combine. So, that means that I ammerging two blogstogether to make one super-blog!
Combining Homeschooling & Homesteading
Mixing concrete. Another homeschool day on the homestead.
Nature, wild edibles, even some of our homeschooling and homesteading activities are similar and overlap. Since we are (sort of–we are kind of on temporary hold) building, that has become a natural part of our home education, because it’s great hands-on, real-life learning.
I have had a hard time deciding if I talk about nature, does it go better with homesteading and the lifestyle that we are following, or does it go better with home education? See what I mean?
Got Overlap? Why not merge?
I have had to conclude that home educating and homesteading are not tidy boxes. You just live your life. When we homeschool we are often very much involved with our homestead project.
Cleaning My Blog House
Cleaning House
Therefore…what previously you could find on Lessons and Lessons, you will now find here! (Actually, you’ll find it by clicking the link below). Yay! I will be working in the next week on tidying up my categories from the home educating blog to fit better into the present menu structure. I’d gotten a little informal with my categories and created a bunch!
The Process of Merging Two Blogs
If you’re curious what process I used for combining,
During our early years of home educating, a friend shared the simple recipe for edible play dough with me. We have made it many times over the years, altered it a bit at times, but the basic simple recipe has remained.
Simple, Natural, 3 Ingredient, Edible Play-Dough
I have recently seen plenty of recipes for edible play dough, but few of them use normal, natural, readily available ingredients. I consider NORMAL to be stuff I’d normally buy at Walmart or the grocery story. Not filled with words I can’t pronounce. Not expensive. Normal.
For children, especially, and for all of us, I hate to use artificial flavorings, food coloring, and fake ingredients (like artificial sweeteners). Yet, many play doughs use these as a staple.
When our oldest son was little, we saw a direct connection between artificial food colors and flavors and his hyperactivity and acting out. We made a commitment to follow the Feingold Diet, which eliminated these things, and preservatives as well.
You may read about the Feingold Diet here. Interestingly, when my husband was young, his parents also put him on the Feingold Diet, something I didn’t know until our son had been on it for awhile.
Learning to Speak the Language of Encouragement to our Children
Last time I visited this topic, I shared an overview of what the Language of Encouragement is, and how it applies in our homeschools and families. If you missed my first post on this, please see The Language of Encouragement, Part 1
I will remind you that this series of posts will reference the very helpful (free) talk given by Maria Nebblett, with the same title. You can find that talk at the Nebblett family’s website. Scroll down until you see the talk entitled The Language of Encouragement. You will find other encouraging talks there as well. If you prefer to watch the talk, you may watch it for free online.
Gather up the rays of divine light that are shining upon your pathway. Walk in the light as Christ is in the light. As you take hold of the work of helping your children to serve God, the most provoking trials will come; but do not lose your hold; cling to Jesus. He says, “Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.” Isaiah 27:5. Difficulties will arise; you will meet with obstacles; but look constantly to Jesus. When an emergency arises, ask, Lord, what shall I do now? If you refuse to fret or scold, the Lord will show you the way. He will help you to use the talent of speech in so Christlike a way that peace and love will reign in the home. By following a consistent course of action, you may be evangelists in the home, ministers of grace to your children. – {Child Guidance 478.3}
The Home a Battle Ground
In our home, I can certainly see the war. The more we ask for the Holy Spirit, the more we see the opposite spirit. I think this is so that we will just give up.
Never Give Up. Never Stop Trying.
Thankfully, we can fight back! We don’t have to give up! Nor do we have to give in! Giving in means not choosing to fight against irritated thoughts and words.Giving in is natural andeasy because it doesn’t require any thought or planning. We automatically spew out whatever comes to mind.
In her talk, Maria shares Five Habits for parents who want to learn the language of encouragement can begin to put into practice. I will be sharing the first two principles from the talk today. These are taken directly from the talk.
Habit 1: REFRAIN
In her talk, Maria speaks about our need as parents to refrain.
Why Should you Encourage more Nature Time in your Homeschool Routine?
I love to wake in the morning to the song of the Wood Thrush! Happily, I get to rise hearing his beautiful melody every day! Although not a morning person, that song lures me out of bed to see if I can catch a glimpse of the treetop songster. I’ve never seen him. But he sings every day!
Have you ever heard Nature calling to you?
If you will train yourself and your children to love Nature, the world will never be a lonely place. Always, there will be a flower to sniff, a bird to spot, and stars to wish upon! You will find friends under rocks, and delights just around the next bend in every road you travel.
I am a firm believer in the importance ofNature timefor our characters, and just for our peace of mind. Homeschool can become weary for mom and child. Sitting behind the books can especially feel exhausting to our littlest people. But, honestly, no matter our age, we all feel refreshed after abreak, and especially after one in the Great Outdoors!
So far as possible, let the child from his earliest years be placed where this wonderful lesson book shall be open before him. Let him behold the glorious scenes painted by the great Master Artist upon the shifting canvas of the heavens, let him become acquainted with the wonders of earth and sea, let him watch the unfolding mysteries of the changing seasons, and, in all His works, learn of the Creator. –
Education
Five Benefits of Nature for Our Children (and Parents)
1. Nature is Multi-sensory–All Five Senses engage with Nature time. As you take a walk outside, you cansmellthe spice Bush,heara rippling brook,feelthe wind in your hair,experiencethe tickle of a spiderweb on your face. You get totastethe burst of sweet/sour in a huckleberry, andfeelthe scratchy leaves under your feet. In Nature you willseethe soft flowers, the rushing waterfalls, and the vibrant sunsets. When all of your senses are engaged, those memories make deep impressions in your brain.Some moments in Nature you can never forget.See if you can think of one of those moments now.
My memory involves sailing down the Amazon River in Brazil. I can still go back in my memory to the warm breeze, the brown water rippling below, tall green trees passing by, with screeching monkeys hollering out at me. I can see the pink dolphins jumping, the putter of the boat engine, and I can feel the stickiness of my own sweat coursing down my back. My age has doubled since those days, but I can remember distinctly my thoughts as we traveled along. Mostly thoughts of friends back home, God, and His plan for my life.
The Freebie for today is a set ofFree Printable Prayer cards that you can print off and put on rings or in a box. These make a very nice set, especially when printed onto card stock or laminated. We made ours onto 24 lb paper, then laminated 5 mil laminating sheets. you could just as easily print onto card stock and laminate with 3 mil, or slip the laminating altogether. Our printer would not take card stock without jamming up, so we went with what worked!
Why Prayer Cards?
Sometimes we get bogged down in our prayer time. At other times, we would like to add more Bible to our prayers, and Pray the Word. These free printable prayer cards are just nice little tools to change up our typical prayer lines, so that we are more in tune with God’s will. One side has a Bible promise, and the reverse has a corresponding suggestion for how to pray using that promise. I find them very helpful.
We were making a LOT of these cards last year! We had quite a little operation going for half the year.Read about it here.It was aGREAT home business for the kids, and with the money raised, two and a half girls were rescued out of trafficking in India. We had received special permission from Melody to print and sell her cards, which she offers free for anyone to print themselves.
You can see that the color options are endless.Pastel, bright, all blues–you can design your set just how you’d like it!
Free Printable Prayer Cards for Personal Encouragement
Melody, who designed the cards, has a very active prayer ministry, to help and encourage others in their prayer lives. Below, I’ve linked a video of her discussing her prayer cards and how she intends for them to be used.
Lessons...and lessons 