Tale of Two Kingdoms

There is a fierce cosmic battle going on between two realms:

 The Kingdom of Light vs. The Kingdom of Darkness.

We pulled out our heart lesson again.  Just as Keegan was aghast at discovering that everyone was born with a dirty heart when we did the heart lesson for the first time, they were shocked and saddened to discover that because of Adam, we are born prisoners in the kingdom of darkness.   Rejoicing ensued afresh at how Jesus has rescued us.  And this time, my little Trey man was pondering this truth as his brother had before...

We made flags for each kingdom to perch at the top of the two opposing block kingdoms recently constructed during our lesson.

And we continued to explore... boys eyes sparkle with a sense of adventure as they realize that there is a real-live battle going on that they are taking part in. 

The beauty of this battle is that no matter how intense it gets, we know who wins.  We dove into Revelation to discover what the final battle will look like.

The boys are stoked.  I'm sobered.

Funny how a combination of age, gender and season of life can elicit such different reactions.

As I stare at my 3 boys {and our adorable tiny toddler}, I'm struck with the importance of training them well, so that they will be equipped to engage in these spiritual battles that rage around us.

With much of our culture fixated on celebrating evil, death and violence and others making light of it, we chose to declare this month, "Spiritual Warfare" month and have been delving into learning about the spiritual armor.

We learned the importance of focus.  It is vital that we keep our eyes and ears open, that we continually seek the great giver of every aspect of our protection...  We learned that we are called to play a role in helping to let others trapped in the dark know about the freedom Jesus offers and the invitation to become citizens of the light.

We made Belts of Truth and learned the importance of immersing ourselves in the truth found in God's Word. {Aren't these belts just the cutest?  I was thrilled when I found the idea over at Eagle Nest Mom.}

When exploring the Breastplate of Righteousness, I explained that each day they can protect their hearts when they trust and obey.  His righteousness paved the way for this vitally important protection.

Trust and Obey.  As a 'why' girl, I found this a welcome reminder.  Obedience is a protection because being in the will of God is always the best place to be!

Have you really thought much about the spiritual realm?  I must admit that I haven't spent too much time thinking about it in recent years.  It was not in vogue.  But as I dive into scripture and explore this topic, I'm finding myself alert and intent to GO and GROW.  I find myself eager to prepare my children.  I think of Daniel's parents and the solid foundation they provided for him that prepared him to survive in a hostile culture and I think "YES! That is my goal!" 

I WILL prepare them to stand strong, firm in what they know is true.  Because, what better gift could we give our children than to introduce them to King Jesus and equip them to stand firm so they can point others to Him too.

I want to prepare them to be on the alert and ever eager to be used by God to show others the way to the kingdom of light.  I want them to be well equipped to play whatever role God has for them to play in their life.

And so we carried on.  Everyone in our small group is talking about this topic.  It is so cool to see how God placed the same thing on each of our hearts independently.  A friend and I gathered boys together to give them the opportunity to try and get a hands-on look at this wonderful armor that God gives us.

We explore having our feet shod with the readiness of the gospel of Peace.

We pour over pictures of Roman soldiers and their shields and thank God that He wants us to have big faith because He is a BIG God and that faith thwarts the fiery darts of the wicked one.

As we converted our medieval helmets into Roman {Helmet of Salvation} helmets, we discussed the importance of guarding our minds and how Jesus gives us the power to do that when He saves us!  I was struck by how vital it is to guard our thoughts.  For our thoughts dictate our behavior. 

After all of this armor that was focused on defense, the boys were thrilled to finally going on the offensive with the Sword of the Spirit.  We read of the example Jesus set in Matthew 4 when Satan tempted Him...  It is amazing what an effect dramatically reading this passage can have on 6 little boys.  Mesmerizing I tell you.

I pulled out my Child Training Bible and we talked about how this wonderful tool makes it so easy for us to find Scripture to use when resisting temptation!  The boys are excited to continue their Bible memory work and start doing 'sword drills' {aka: racing to look up Bible passages!}

This won't be the last time we visit this topic.  We might just make it a yearly tradition.  Reminders of the truth. Reminders of what's at stake. Reminders of His provision. Reminders of the end-game.  It is all VITALLY important.

 

We've loved our armor sets that we originally bought at Oriental Trading Company.  They don't sell a 'cross' version now, but you can get one here or this Gladiator set is pretty cool too!

Crafting Play - Cultivating Learning

Hello everyone!  Today I'm guest blogging over at One Blessed Lady and sharing about how a few key props or costumes can really enhance learning through dramatic play!

Click on over to read!

I'll be back Friday morning with the next Daily Outdoor Challenge update! :)

Of Pediatricians and Patriots

We are knee deep in the middle of our nations fight for independence and the boys couldn't be happier.  Last fall I picked up two pirate costumes at our PE groups clothing swap.  The red velvet jackets with gold braid are a favorite item being worn these days despite the temperatures approaching 100.  Our only two patriot 'coats' are a blue police jacket and my grandmother's cardigan that has really cool engraved pewter buttons.  Buttons aside, the boys think it is a pretty boring stand-in.  But it has provided an opportunity for the them to realize the benefits of being a soldier of the king verses a patriot in a poor fledgling nation.

As we read about these men that made so many valiant sacrifices, they have also been drawn to the beautiful rhetoric.  Their ability to memorize, when motivated, never ceases to amaze me.

Recently, I took Treyton in for his 4 year old well-check.  This new pediatrician is especially thorough and started asking me all kinds of questions about his development.  As she started to ask about his knowledge of the 1,2,3's and A,B,C's I realized that I had come to the point, where I hadn't really thought about it.  I nodded, indicating that he knew most of what she was asking about, but than explained a bit of my philosophy.

Skills like this come surprisingly easily in a home where there is a lot of interaction.  As I dole out a snack, he learned pretty quick how important it was to count.  Counting wasn't merely something he memorized to please someone.  There was a lot riding on his understanding of 1-to-1 correspondence.  He could immediately spot that he only received 10 blueberries while his brothers had each snagged 20.

And don't get me started on the ABC's.  I mean really, what academic advantage does a child have if he can sing the ABC song?  Until he is ready to start alphabetizing, not much.  Now phonemic SOUNDS...  That is a whole different story.

As I sat there in my pediatricians office, I started to share with her the value in learning ABOUT things instead of merely memorizing and acquiring skills.  One of my goals in the early years is to nurture that natural curiosity and insatiable desire to explore the world around them.  Stoking the fire of inborn curiosity and protecting that natural love of learning is so crucial at this age.

For some reason our culture seems fixated on skill acquisition as if memorizing numbers from 1 to 20 (or 50 or 100) somehow indicates 'giftedness'.  So much time is spent on trying to get kids reading or counting that could be utilized in far more effective and enjoyable ways.

I'm not sure how convinced she was, until I mentioned our current study of the Revolutionary War and how fascinated he is by it all.  He may or may not be able to recite his ABC's in the correct order {I've never communicated that learning that was important}, but this kid of mine is soaking up so much. 

I relayed how I was dialoging with my bigger boys, asking them which famous statesman from Virginia spoke these famous words,

"Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?

Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take,

but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"  

Treyton was trotting by {in costume, of course} and before the boys had a chance to respond, he glibly responded, "Patrick Henwy".

The pediatrician just sat staring.

Then I told her that he was currently really into the life of Paul Revere and the events surrounding the battle of Lexington/Concord.  At this point, Treyton piped up and told her about Captain John Parker and his courageous words to the militia on the Lexington Green that day.

Rest assured, while she might think us a bit odd {and I'm totally ok with that}, I don't think she is worried about his academic development.

Skills will come.  In fact, he's acquiring them without even realizing it.  More important is that his love of learning -that God has placed in each young child, is alive and well.

After re-enacting the battle at Lexington and the 'shot heard round the world,' Treyton wanted me to record the battle for his cousins and grandparents. He is incredibly proud of his make-shift bayonet (a bamboo skewer) and the boys are loving their 'gun smoke' that they've created by filling their popguns with dirt. After reviewing this clip however, I've realized that we need to work on explaining the reality of guns that fire only one shot before needing to be carefully reloaded...

Open-Ended Costumes

[Open-Ended Play Series, Part 7]

PART 1     PART 2     PART 3    PART 4    PART 5   PART  6 

(Rich getting baptized by fire into our 'style' of homeschooling at my baby sister's Egyptian Feast.)

Our family LOVES to play dress-up. still… Growing up, we had a toybox chock full of wonderful dress-up clothes. Most of the items were thrift store finds which made them perfect for open-ended play. Mom also had a knack for putting together simple (VERY SIMPLE costumes)… With a few basic pieces, we could pretend we were just about anything.

One multi-use item that comes to mind was a red taffeta skirt. We used it as a saloon girl costume (back in our naive young years when we had no idea what a saloon girl really was), as a southern bell (by adding a tutu underneath to make the skirt flair out) and as a cape.

In college, my sister and I even used it to outfit my hubby, then beau, as a Spanish torero for a costume party we were attending. :sigh: I love him...

Here’s a short list of great additions to any child’s costume collection:

• longer skirts, preferably with elastic waist or wrap style so it can grow with your kids.
• vests (these can be used for both boy and girl costumes and if it is generic enough, can also span many different genre’s of make-believe play)
• hats: any themed hats make great additions. bowler caps, 3 cornered hat (colonial or pirate/sailor applications), vintage women’s hats, etc.
• Capes: a simple black cape can turn a little one into a super hero, knight, king, opera cape, etc.
• longer women’s coats. We had a blue and red long coat. They doubled as women’s coats over fancy dresses or when studying colonial America as the patriots and the British)
• Gold metal chain link belt (as a medieval belt for either a fair maiden or knight)
• sports jacket (I just found one that is several sizes too large for my oldest son and know that with three boys it will get a lot of use).
• a pair of suspenders.  This has so many applications and after reading some books about the War for Independence a few weeks ago, my boys are obsessed with this item from the dress-up drawer now!

By encouraging creativity in multi-uses for costumes, we can help our kids to think creatively and come up with their own unique combinations. The sky really is the limit on this and the possibilities endless! I’d love to hear about any favorite costumes you all had as kids or that your kids use.

A current fave in my house are daddy’s old tie’s and some kids suit coats that we found at Goodwill.  Of course, Keegan also is enjoying using a pair of tuxedo pants and pretending they are 'golfer slacks' while he goes outside and braves the 100+ degrees to hone his skills! ;)  The ties also quickly come off and are used as reins for their stick horses...

And because I'm feeling all nostalgic at this point, I thought I would share one more picture from way, way back when we prepared some more elaborate costumes for a History Fair.  Until next time...

Mayflower Living for Wee Folks

Despite our rocky start, our Mayflower day was still fun.  My goal was to give the kids a small, prek/k friendly, taste of life aboard a boat...

Families tacked up blankets to give themselves a little privacy aboard the Mayflower.  Although we couldn't mimic the crowded conditions aboard, we did decide to set up some "living quarters".

Our quarters were a bit fragile (playing football in and around quarters, as well as a 20 month old on the loose has a way of doing that).

After some finagling we were set for our day.  To get in the mood, the boys decided to dress the part! 

As I mentioned before, I ended up putting together our meal all by myself.  Did little pilgrim boys not cook?  They seemed to think so...

Due to 'severe' (imaginary) storms, we had dinner in our living quarters below deck.

We dined on stale biscuits, dried meat and cheese.  In a departure from historical accuracy, we didn't go for worm-infested food... No one really complained, except daddy.  But I don't think any of us would be thrilled with a diet of this and very little else.

Later that night we bedded down for the night in our tight quarters.  They had a blast and think living on the Mayflower would be lots of fun.  Mommy, on the other hand, is so thankful for modern day comforts like a dry home, soft mattress and SPACE!  One night of my feet sticking out of our living quarters and little limbs smacking me was enough.

Maybe in the future, they will grasp how hard life was on the Mayflower and how incredibly easy we have it nowadays...  For now they enjoyed stepping into another life for a while.

Part 2 of our Pilgrim learning adventure found here.
Measuring - A lesson in comparison - Noah's Ark vs. the Mayflower.

Favorite Thanksgiving/Pilgrim/Mayflower Books of ours:
The Story of Thanksgiving ~ This charming board book is the perfect introduction to Thanksgiving for the 1-4 year old.  We loved reading it last year, but were unable to get it from the library in time, this year...
Pilgrim Cat ~ This is one of their favorite pilgrim books.  It follows a pilgrim girl and her cat during their Mayflower trip as well as first year in Plymouth.  Keegan had me read this to him 5 or 6 times the first day we had it.  It introduces several key Thanksgiving story themes in a very relatable way.  The boys were running around taking turns being Samoset and Squanto.
On the Mayflower: Voyage of the Ship's Apprentice and a Passenger Girl ~ This charming book includes photographs from a reinactment aboard the Mayflower II.  The boys found the photographs mesmerizing and loved the perspective being from the young boy and girl.
You Wouldn't Want To Sail On The Mayflower!: A Trip That Took Entirely Too Long ~ Interesting tidbits about the trials of life aboard the Mayflower.  For kids a bit older, but easily adaptable down to this age.
. . . If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620
Off to Plymoth Rock! ~ This lyrical, rhyming book is the first book Xander ever received.  When my mom gave it to me at the Thanksgiving of 2003, none of us knew that Xander was growing inside of me!  The hopeful grandma had signed it - 'from Mom/MIL/sometime Oma.'  Subtle mom, real subtle. ;)
Squanto And The Miracle Of Thanksgiving ~ A beautiful telling of Squanto's story and how God brought him to the aid of the Pilgrims.
Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy ~ The photographs in this book are captivating for my boys.  The text is a bit advanced for a 3 and 5 year old, although there are times that Xander enjoys it.  We will definitely get this and the girl companion book as the kids get older. 
Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl
Tapenum's Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy In Pilgrim Times

Five

My X-man is now 5. A big whopping 5 years old. Where, oh where did the time go?

This meticulous, imaginative boy is such a delight. He continues to amaze me with what he is picking up and learning. He is very proud of being in kindergarten!

He is tender - loving his brothers and caring for me.

He loves Jesus. It has been such a joy to watch this child of mine, also become a child of God this last year. His soft heart, desire to seek God and pray for others warms my heart. When I am down, he is always quick to ask if he can pray for me. I admire his faith and reminded afresh that faith like that is what Jesus wants us to have - pure, simple, whole-hearted. Oh the things my kids teach me!

He had a wonderful birthday and is enjoying playing with all of his new treasures. Oma and Opa have encouraged his love of outer-space. His new spacesuit has inspired a whole new round of imaginative play. I love his newest version of a space helmet...


Costumes are "IN" right now. VERY in. Every day, all day.

Soaring Dreams

I just love seeing little imaginations at work.

Xander has been getting into everything "space" related. Yesterday, he ran up to me, to show me his latest costume.

"Houston, do you copy"

He told me the other day that he wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. He then asked me:

"Mom, when you grow up, do you want to be an astronaut too?"

Take-Off

I love watching their little imaginations soar.

Today we had some impromptu flying fun! The boys were struggling with sharing the 'baby' that I had out for a pouch sling demo. So I helped them out by letting them take turns piloting the plane so they could take the baby to the beach. (Notice the excellent care 'baby' is receiving from his 'daddy' on the plane.)

Trey enjoyed his role as co-pilot...

...until I pulled the camera out.

pshhhhhhhhhhhhhh pshhhhhhhhhhh

"This is Pilot Xander, requesting permission for take-off. Over."

pshhhhhhhhhh pshhhhhhhhhhh

Up, up, up and away!

Banking to the right before flying off into the sunset...

Flying planes is serious work.

:sigh: