Month: April 2009

Book Review: “What Does the Bible Say About That?”

Even though I use a curriculum I love, I’m always looking for supplementary resources to use in homeschooling. Although What Does the Bible Say About That? by Carolyn Larsen isn’t specifically a book for homeschoolers, it could be very useful to our family in our school Bible time, as well as useful to non-homeschooling families who wish to teach their children more about God’s Word during family devotions.

This book covers 300 topics, from abandonment to worship, and all kinds of stuff in between.  It’s written to kids and for kids, with a very down to earth style.  Each topic poses a question:  “What Does the Bible Say about Homework?” for example.  The question is followed by several relevant Bible verses, an honest, practical look at the issue at hand, and a personal challenge (Today I Will…Finish my homework, then turn on the TV, video game, or tunes. I will work first–play later!).  Many of the topics also feature a cute and humorous illustration that drives home the point.

Although this book is written directly to children, and is specified for ages 8-12, I would encourage parental involvement in the use of this book.  Some of the topics (dating, drinking, unborn children, to name a few) are a little heavy for eight-year-olds.  And even for the children on the upper end of the recommended age spectrum, I still feel this book would best be used in a family setting, to facilitate discussion, and encourage children to share their thoughts and feelings.  At the least, parents can use this book if their children have questions about the Bible that they themselves don’t have an answer for–there’s a pretty good chance they’ll find something here!

I think this is a great idea for a resource.  Of course, not everyone will agree with everything in the book, but at the least, it will get children (and hopefully whole families) to think about what they believe, and try to challenge themselves to live as the Bible commands us.

Crossway Blog

Blast Off!

I’m working on a “summer school” unit for Turkey and Bunny.  We’re kind of doing year round schooling, but I don’t want to start our regular curriculum earlier and earlier every year (at least not until they’re older), so in addition to the special units I do during the regular school year, I’m tyring to come up with some summer units as well.  Right now, my main focus is on outer space, as it’s something that they’re both interested in, and something that has a lot of available resources, and resources that can go beyond science (history, reading, math, biographies, etc.).

We already have quite a few books about space, courtesy of Turkey’s interest, so I have a starting point for my lessons.  We have three DK Readers, which will be useful both for reading practice and learning: Rockets and Spaceships; Starry Sky; and Astronaut Living in Space.  We will also re-read one of our favorites–There’s No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System.  Although this is written in the style of Dr. Seuss, and stars the Cat in the Hat, it actually teaches quite a lot about outer space, and is just a fun book to read.

We also have two encyclopedia-type books: My Book of Space and the DK First Space Encyclopedia.  These books (especially the latter) have to be read with some care, to avoid the topic of the “Big Bang,” which I do not feel is an appropriate subject at this young age.  When Turkey and Bunny are older, we’ll discuss the theory, as well as why it’s incorrect, but for now, until they can process more fully, we are avoiding the subject altogether.

We’ll also be reading some Magic School Bus titles (The Magic School Bus Takes a Moonwalk and The Magic School Bus: Sees Stars, but not The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System, as that will be a Sonlight book down the road), and I’m hoping to get the Magic School Bus: Secrets of Space science kit, which will provide us with lots of science experiments and projects, including making a telescope (although we’ll be using Turkey’s real telescope in the evenings to hopefully look at some of the things we’re learning about) and  a model of the solar system.secrets-of-space-boxsecrets-of-space-contents

I want Turkey and Bunny to also learn about a person more in-depth, and after seeing an age-appropriate book about him at Moose’s school’s recent book fair, I decided on Neil Armstrong.  Who is Neil Armstrong? (part of Scholastic’s Who Was…? series) is a child-friendly biography of Neil Armstrong’s life, including his famous journey to the moon.

I found a cool book at the library recently that I’m also hoping to use (as long as someone else hasn’t checked it out!): the DK/Google e.guide–Space Travel.  I can’t believe I’ve never come across any of these books before, especially since this particular one is almost five years old, but I find them very interesting.  All of these e.guides have Internet links written into the book for further study.  This will be helpful in learning about space, and in learning a little more about using the computer.

I’m hoping to find The Best Book of Spaceships at the library, as well.  This book was supposed to be a birthday present for Turkey, but it’s “temporarily unavailable.”  I don’t know if it’s going out of print, or maybe is just going through a new printing, but I’m hoping one of the libraries in our system has it. I may also try to find the Usborne First Encyclopedia of Space at the library.  We’ve used several Usborne books in school this year, and I’ve been impressed with them overall, but if this title is too repetitive of what we already have, or focuses too much on the “Big Bang,” I won’t bother checking it out.

I’ve seen some children’s books out there about individual planets (or pairs of planets), but the titles are escaping me at the moment.  If I can ever remember what they were called, I may try to find those at the library, too.  I’d like to learn about a different planet each day for nine days (yes, I’m still counting Pluto), in addition to the sun, other stars, space travel, and all the other things I have planned, and that would be an easy way to go about it, *if* I can find them.

I’m sure we’ll also do the puzzle Turkey received as a Christmas present at least once.  It’s a big Melissa and Doug floor puzzle of the solar system, and even though he and Bunny have pretty much memorized it, it’s a helpful tool for remembering the names of the planets, where they’re located in relation to Earth, and what they look like.

I have a lot of stuff planned for this unit–right now, I’m planning on it lasting two weeks, but I’m sure I could easily turn it into three (maybe even four) weeks of instruction.  It will be something to keep little brains busy in between Sonlight cores this summer, anyway–it’s just too bad they’re not old enough to watch Apollo 13!  Maybe we can sneak an episode of Star Trek in there–even though it’s fiction, it has shaped a lot of the way we view space travel!

Jane Kirkpatrick Duet Blog Book Tour

I recently had the opportunity to read two book by Jane Kirkpatrick (and author I had previously never read):  A Flickering Light and Aurora.

flickering-light

A Flickering Light is about a young woman, Jessie Gaebele, in Minnesota in the early 20th century, who dreams of becoming a professional photographer.  She, along with a good friend, Voe, finds a job working in a portrait studio, and learns much about the art and science of good photography.  As the owner and operator of the studio, F.J. Bauer, falls ills on more than one occasion, she learns to handle all the aspects of photography, from posing and developing pictures, to setting up appointments and handling payments on her own.  What she does not anticipate is falling in love with the (married!) owner, and tries to deny her feelings, even though they are apparent to everyone who knows her.

I was a little hesitant as I began this book, because I thought the setting and topic seemed a little strange.  While I enjoy taking pictures, as well as looking at good photography, I’m not particularly interested in the technical aspects, and I feared the book would be dry and boring.  Turn-of-the-century Minnesota also does not hold a lot of interest for me, so I was concerned about what I could take away from the book.

As it turns out, I found it to be a solidly good read.  Although I had to work a little to get into the book at the beginning, once I did get involved, I found myself really wanting to know what was going to happen to all the characters–Jessie, boy-crazy Voe, the Bauer family, and Jessie’s own family, especially her younger brother, who suffers from a speech impairment following a fall, for which Jessie carries a lot of guilt.

I also did not find the information about photography to be dry–quite the opposite.  Reading about how photographs were taken and developed in that period of time, especially in contrast to today’s digital age, was fascinating.  It was also interesting to read about the challenges a woman of that time faced, as she tried to enter a male-dominated field.

Despite my initial reluctance, I am very much looking forward to the next book by Jane Kirkpatrick, Shimmering Grasses, and finding out what happens to Jessie’s career and personal life as she continues her quest to become a respected photographer in her new home in Milwaukee.  I was also very interested to discover that this book is at least loosely based on the author’s grandmother’s own experiences as a female photographer.

auroraAurora is the true story of the same-named Utopian colony in Oregon organized by German settlers in the mid-1800s.  While it is a non-fiction book, because of the wonderful array of photographs of the community, as well as some of the handiwork found there, it is more suited as a coffee table book than a book you would just pick up and read from cover to cover. I did find it to be interesting, although it’s not necessarily something I would want to read again.  I really enjoyed the photos, especially the ones of the beautiful quilts from Aurora.  I also appreciated the directions to make two different quilts at the end of the book (although I’m certain that is a task I could never accomplish!).  It is quite a pretty book, and anyone interested in religious settlements in America would find it to be an enlightening story.

Book Review: “The Noticer”

Andy Andrews’ The Noticer is one in a long line of current self-help/spiritual books.  And it reads just like all the rest.

It’s an OK story–I did want to know how the book ended, so I read it pretty quickly.  Several things about the book bothered me, however.  First of all, the line between fact and fiction was almost impossible to locate.  Based on what I knew of the author’s personal life, I spent at least half of the book wondering if he was claiming that the events he was writing about had actually transpired, or if it was just an allegory.  I prefer my reading to be more straightforward–fact of fiction; I want to know upfront, because that impacts how I read the book.

The other thing that really bothered me about this book is the fact that it’s not at all original.  The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman is mimicked in the form of “four love dialects.” which turned out to be the exact same thing that Chapman has been writing about for years, with two of the original languages combined into one “dialect,” and the rest remaining the same.

The rest of the book followed in the same vein–a lack of original ideas, and nothing really helpful.

Book Review: “The American Patriot’s Bible”

I really wanted to like The American Patriot’s Bible.  It’s printed in the New King James version, which isn’t my favorite, but is a reliable translation.  I love American history.  And the material presented within the Bible is mostly good–summaries of events in our history, quotes from the founding fathers and Presidents, and notes at each Bible verse that was chosen by a President as the spot on which he was sworn into office . But, in the end, I think it’s a totally inappropriate way to present the Bible.

First of all, Americans are not the only people to read the Bible.  It’s all fine and good to tie our country’s history to our faith, but in doing so, most of the world, and most of world history, is excluded.

I also find that the way this Bible presents early American history is twisted, at best.  While there is an acknowledgment that not all the founding fathers were Christian, the resources assume that they still operated from a Christian worldview, which is not necessarily true.

The supplementary materials could have made a nice handbook or Bible study on their own, but I think it was a big mistake to try to interleave them with the Holy Scriptures.

Book Review: “Face of Betrayal”

I knew within the first five pages that I was going to love Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl.  The characters are likable and easy to relate to, and suspense was built up right from the start.

Aside from the main plot–where did Katie Converse disappear to shortly before Christmas?–there were several sub-plots, which I’m guessing will be explored further in the next book.  A Federal Prosecutor who is dealing with pregnancy following infertility, as well as death threats; a reporter hoping to get her “big break,” and tangled in an abusive relationship; and an FBI agent who deals with the challenges of being a single mother, and of being a minority in law enforcement.  Some of these sub-plots were resolved, others were barely explored, so there is a good balance of both satisfaction, and the desire to know what happens next.

The main story about the disappearance of a young Senate page kept me wondering right up the end. Even as some of my questions began to be answered, more questions popped up, and I was continually guessing as to what happened, and re-evaluating the conclusions I thought I had come to, as I discovered that I was, on many occasions, quite wrong.

Excellent political mystery–I thoroughly enjoyed it, and can’t wait for Hand of Fate to be published.

Hymn of the Day–“At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing”

At the Lamb’s high feast we sing
Praise to our victorious King,
Who has washed us in the tide
Flowing from His pierced side.  Alleluia!

Praise we Christ, whose blood was shed,
Paschal victim, paschal bread;
With sincerity and love
Eat we manna from above. Alleluia!

Easter triumph, Easter joy!
This alone can sin destroy;
From sins’s pow’r, Lord set us free,
Newborn souls in You to be. Alleluia!

Father, who the crown shall give,
Savior, by whose death we live,
Spirit guide through all our days:
Three in One, Your name we praise. Alleluia!  Lutheran Service Book 633

Not Just a River in Egypt

I guess I can’t deny it any longer.

Moose has autism.

When we saw the doctor that gave us that terrible diagnosis, I really didn’t believe it.  And the therapists that were working with him were pretty skeptical.  So, I allowed myself to believe that she was wrong–she saw him on a bad day, she didn’t have all the information, she had the wrong information.

But, he’s been in school for five months now, and while he is making good progress, it’s not the progress you’d expect out of a simple delay.  He’s also exhibiting a few more signs of autism, which could be imitation of something he’s seeing in school, but is more likely just proof that he has been affected by this.

It’s hard, because he doesn’t have a lot of the “traditional” symptoms of autism.  But that’s the bitch of this thing–it manifests in so many ways, that “traditional” or “typical” don’t really mean anything, because it’s a disease (disorder? what is the right word for it?) that’s based on being atypical, even within itself.

A part of me still hopes that one day he’ll have a big breakthrough, and we’ll laugh at ever having thought he was autistic.  But realistically, that’s probably not ever going to happen.

The Perfect Easter

I love the way our church celebrates Easter.  I can’t believe that before last year, I had never come across this before, but as far as I know, none of the other churches I have attended has consistently arranged their services this way.

We started with the Sunrise Service at 6:30.  No Lord’s Supper, but still a great celebration of the Resurrection. Beautiful, celebratory music, the traditional Scripture readings, a wonderful sermon, and, of course, the return of the Alleluias.

After that service, we went downstairs for our church’s Easter breakfast.  It was delicious–biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage, and, my children’s favorite, doughnuts in a variety of flavors.  It was a nice time of relaxation and fellowship.

Following breakfast, we went back to the sanctuary for the second service of the morning.  This is the part that is new to me, and genius, in my opinion.  It’s a completely different service.  Different music (still beautiful), some selections by the choir, different sermon, different Bible readings, and the best part, the Lord’s Supper.  A completely different experience from the first service, which makes it totally worth it to stick around and attend both services (even with four small children!).  Between the two services, I got to sing all my favorite Easter hymns:  At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing, Jesus Christ is Risen Today, Christ Our Lord is Risen Today, I Know That My Redeemer Lives.

There was a Sunday School egg hunt after the second service that we didn’t get to stay for–too many tired children–but hopefully next year that will also be a part of our Easter celebration.  The way our church schedules everything on Easter makes you want to show up at six in the morning, and stay until everyone has left, which is just about the highest compliment I can pay any congregation.  I can’t think of any way I’d rather celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection than spending the morning at church, with my family, and with our church family.

Our day at home was equally perfect.  Everyone took a nap (no small feat around here!), including us parents, while the baseball game played in the background (and the Cards won!).  We had a nice, lazy, fun day together, which is good on any Sunday, but especially nice on Easter.

We also had a very nice, traditional Easter dinner.  Ham, cheesy potatoes, roasted carrots, and, for dessert, s’mores pie, which was the biggest hit of the meal–we had a chocolate covered Moose before it was all said and done.  Now we’re winding down by watching the Easter Beagle–what would a holiday be without Snoopy?

A beautiful Easter–He is Risen indeed!  Alleluia!