While reading this Psalm (47), I had to laugh. It reads like a move-your-body, clap-your-hands kind of worship song. To think that some churches allow only hymns! My spirit lives for this!
Hymns? I love some of them (How Great Thou Art), but others put me to sleep. See the U-tube below of "How Great Thou Art" with Max Lucado's words in the nature-inspired background, from his book "No Wonder They Call Him Savior". It's six minutes long. Six minutes well spent, I assure you! Scroll down below this post.
As I type this, violent thunder and roaring rain liven up the night, as though obeying the "clap your hands" command in my Psalm.
Psalm 47
Clap your hands, all you
nations;
shout to God with cries of
joy
How awesome is the Lord
Most High,
the great King over all the
earth!
He subdued nations under
us,
peoples under our feet.
He chose our inheritance for
us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he
loved.
God has ascended amid shouts
of joy,
the Lord amid the sounding
of trumpets.
Sing praises to God, sing
praises;
sing praises to our King, sing
praises.
For God is the King of all the
earth;
sing to him a psalm of
praise.
God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy
throne.
The nobles of the nations
assemble
as the people of the God of
Abraham,
for the kings of the earth
belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.
Good night, friends! You know that laundry pile? Still there, I'm afraid. I'm off to make another dent in it.
I also want to leave you with this very thoughtful post by Kristin, from We Are That Family. What a reminder of how we should love our husbands!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
dance a jig
Psalm 46, which I read at dinner, has one of my favorite lines in all of Scripture.
Verse 10
Be still and know that I am God.
What does "be still" mean? Some would argue that it means don't fret. But to me, it's much more than that.
- Smile, because he's got your back.
- Smell the flowers, because he orders your days.
- Give generously, because the earth is the Lord's and everything in it.
- Dance with joy, because your journey was ordained by him.
- Enjoy the ride, because you've got a chauffeur.
- Live in the moment, because he has a plan for tomorrow.
- Live as my exuberant, ever-smiling Beth does, always ready to dance a jig, because
....you are His.
And He is God!
Verse 10
Be still and know that I am God.
What does "be still" mean? Some would argue that it means don't fret. But to me, it's much more than that.
- Smile, because he's got your back.
- Smell the flowers, because he orders your days.
- Give generously, because the earth is the Lord's and everything in it.
- Dance with joy, because your journey was ordained by him.
- Enjoy the ride, because you've got a chauffeur.
- Live in the moment, because he has a plan for tomorrow.
- Live as my exuberant, ever-smiling Beth does, always ready to dance a jig, because
....you are His.
And He is God!
Monday, May 3, 2010
grace at work
Peter expressed sadness today that the tulips outside are now spent. Every year, I feel that same longing. When I read Matthew 6 the other day, the part that resonated with Peter was this:
Matthew 6:29-32
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
He brought up the splendor of the tulips. Praise God that he's so engaged! I love reading to them! It seems so foolish now that I assumed young children wouldn't glean much from complicated Scriptural passages. They do! The spirit of God is there while I read; I see Him working in their little hearts. Squirrelly or not, preoccupied or not, they soak up truth. Every day I want to raise my hands to God and thank him for this new habit! Hearing the truth daily gives one a hunger and thirst for more. Amazing!
Keeping it real with this next picture:
When you make life about relationship, clothes don't get folded. Tonight, so help me, I'll get to this. Thank God for this preschool table, which we removed from the playroom due to Miss Beth's climbing habit. It now keeps my unfolded laundry off the couch.
The work of grace in our lives seems boundless. Most days, I don't feel like we're a family in financial peril. Isn't that amazing? It's Him. I can only describe it as a metaphysical lifting of us out of our circumstances--as though we are looking down on reality, but not living it. Has grace felt like that to you, at some time in your life?
This little gem is the main reason the laundry isn't folded! She is one busy baby, folks! I've had increased headaches lately, and I finally figured out that because I can't confine her anywhere anymore, I'm unable to keep up with my water drinking and snacking, and the nursing is using up what I do take in. She's my only baby who has scaled all the various "containers" this early. When she's outside, I have more opportunity to eat and drink. Fewer no no's around....and yes, we've babyproofed the house to the max!
Wet pants from the wagon.
These precious ones! They make my heart feel filthy rich and spoiled. One of the questions I'll surely ask my Lord first thing, is why some of the women who desire children aren't blessed with them. Infertility is one of the hardest things for me to understand. I know what grace is, and I'm sure they know it in their lives, in regards to this longing. But when I think of their plight, I can't help feeling guilty about the richness my children bring to my heart and life. With Mother's Day looming, these thoughts are especially hard.
Good night, friends! Those laundry baskets are calling my name. Bless you!
Mommy The Writing Teacher
So you're a writing teacher. Congratulations! The road is bumpy, to be sure, but oh my! The rewards are sweet!
You need to know two things right now--where you'll start (preschool age) and where you'll end up (middle/high school level).
When you begin with your preschooler, you'll want to establish a desire for writing, and a need.
- Let your child see you write grocery lists, letters, reminder notes, and a journal (online doesn't count yet).
- Wait for an interest to develop, evidenced by your child frequently wanting to have a pencil, pen or a crayon in hand. Then, have your preschooler start a journal in which she draws first and then labels, using whatever sounds she hears in the picture words (if it's a sun and she only knows s, have her label the sun with an s .....or the ball with a b......or the train with a t. As she learns more sounds, encourage her to include a middle and/or an ending sound, if she hears them easily.
- You will have to do the sounding out with your child. They don't do it alone the first year. It takes time to master this artificial stretching of sounds. Ask what is heard first...next....last. Don't force what they don't hear. Accept whatever they give you. Praise generously, mainly for effort.
Labeling is a wonderful emergent writing/reading activity. You don't need to have taught handwriting before starting with labeling. You aren't worrying about penmanship at this point. Accomplish the s hand over hand, or just let your child attempt it solo (from a model).
- I like Handwriting Without Tears for beginning penmanship. It doesn't start with pencil/paper, but with formed wooden pieces. My kids love it!
- Once your child likes to label, ask him if he wants to write his own grocery lists (same concept, sound out words, child records each sound he hears). Have him make a picture to match each item on the grocery list (or you can do the picture).
- Read aloud often, choosing good literature with rich language, and picking plenty of rhyming books. Rhyming aids in developing phonemic awareness--which is an awareness of the number and position of sounds within words. Phonics is different than phonemic awareness. Phonics refers more to the concrete rules, while phonemic awareness refers to your child's ability to break down (segment) what she hears. The more you read aloud and the more rhyme your child hears, the more trained her ear is, and the more ready she is to read and write. Ideally, reading aloud should begin before age one. They don't have to sit still to hear language!
- No matter how old your child is, continue with the read alouds--even into high school. Try to choose books that seem about two years above your child's reading level. This way, the vocabulary is new and the sentence structure is more sophisticated. Reading aloud trains your child's ear for language. Every great writer is also a great reader.
Know where you're headed - Six Trait Writing
Around second grade, you will train your child to use a planning web to come up with a topic and then supporting details. The first written piece is a sloppy copy, followed by revisions, and then a final draft (this is called the writing process).
Later, around fourth grade, you'll expand the writing process training by introducing the six traits of good writing.
- voice
- ideas and content
- sentence fluency
- word choice
- organization
- conventions
Take the time to check out the Six Traits websites listed below. They explain the Six Traits Writing method far better than I could. You'll want to begin formally teaching the traits in about fourth grade, continuing through high school. Once your child is familiar with the terms, begin pointing out the traits while you're reading good literature together. You'll find teaching lessons for the traits on all three sites. All these sites are user-friendly. Start with the first one, for your primary student.
The Writing Process and Types of Writing
Interactive Six Trait Writing Process
Kim's Korner
Why the tears?
- It is not uncommon for kids to fuss about writing time in the elementary years. While this could be a sign that you're pushing too hard, it's more likely the fact that writing is a higher-level thinking activity, making it challenging on a number of levels. Worksheets, in contrast, are low-level thinking, usually. When a child is asked to produce something from scratch, whether it be a journal entry, or a bar graph for math, it's far more involved and overwhelming than merely filling in blanks. Break it down as much as you can, saying what you want accomplished the first day.
- When your child hands over her latest piece to you, put on a cheery face, no matter how many errors you see. We tend to be very corrective, as teachers. Squash that, and pick two to three complimentary things to say first, followed by one or two corrections, ending with more specific praise, including praise for effort. Think positive, negative, positive....rather than negative, negative, negative, positive, in terms of how you deal with your child's pieces.
- Start doing some modeled writings when you first start whole-sentence journal writing. Buy some half-size chart paper ( a large lap tablet with lines at the teacher store) and write your own journal entry with your child sitting next to you. As you write, point out how you write from top to bottom and left to write, inserting finger spacing between words. Model the sounding out by stretching out your words a bit, and recording each sound in order. Talk about how you start with a capital at the beginning of the sentence, and also for names (more later on caps, don't overwhelm with rules at this point). Talk about the ending period, and the other punctuation marks as they come up. Your child will learn more each time he sees you write. Younger siblings will learn something too. Modeled writing is a multi-age activity, with each child picking up something at his level.
- If your child is reluctant to write her own sentence at first, give her a sentence frame to start with. I like to _____. I am good at __________. We went to ____________.
- Auditory learners will be sound spellers. They won't impress you with their spelling for a few more years. It will take them longer to get to conventional spelling, so try not to worry about them or make too much of it. In contrast, visual learners will have a good mental picture of the correct spellings, and they will be easily frustrated with sound spelling. They will want you to tell them the correct spelling, because they just know something isn't right. These are the kids who tend to shed the frustration tears--especially if they are perfectionists.
My second grader is auditory and is just now starting some conventional spelling of the first twenty-five sight words. My six-year-old son has a gifted visual memory and he spells far better than my other son. The six year old is also the one who calls to me, wherever I am in the house, "How do you spell house again?" I just go ahead and tell him. Do what you think makes sense for each child, in the elementary years. But preschoolers should definitely start with sound spelling.
- If you purchased a writing curriculum already, use it as a resource only. Remember that you are teaching a child, not a curriculum. Curriculum can get in the way of real teaching, which I like to think of as a conversation with the learner. The learner produces something, and the teacher looks at it to see what is already known, and what needs to be taught. If we blindly follow a curriculum, we are no longer responding to the needs of our learner.
- Finally, remember that writing is a years-long process. Your child is an individual and will develop at his own pace. If the tears come too often, back off and do more modeled writing.
Happy Writing! And save the journals! They are true keepsakes.
You need to know two things right now--where you'll start (preschool age) and where you'll end up (middle/high school level).
When you begin with your preschooler, you'll want to establish a desire for writing, and a need.
- Let your child see you write grocery lists, letters, reminder notes, and a journal (online doesn't count yet).
- Wait for an interest to develop, evidenced by your child frequently wanting to have a pencil, pen or a crayon in hand. Then, have your preschooler start a journal in which she draws first and then labels, using whatever sounds she hears in the picture words (if it's a sun and she only knows s, have her label the sun with an s .....or the ball with a b......or the train with a t. As she learns more sounds, encourage her to include a middle and/or an ending sound, if she hears them easily.
- You will have to do the sounding out with your child. They don't do it alone the first year. It takes time to master this artificial stretching of sounds. Ask what is heard first...next....last. Don't force what they don't hear. Accept whatever they give you. Praise generously, mainly for effort.
Labeling is a wonderful emergent writing/reading activity. You don't need to have taught handwriting before starting with labeling. You aren't worrying about penmanship at this point. Accomplish the s hand over hand, or just let your child attempt it solo (from a model).
- I like Handwriting Without Tears for beginning penmanship. It doesn't start with pencil/paper, but with formed wooden pieces. My kids love it!
- Once your child likes to label, ask him if he wants to write his own grocery lists (same concept, sound out words, child records each sound he hears). Have him make a picture to match each item on the grocery list (or you can do the picture).
- Read aloud often, choosing good literature with rich language, and picking plenty of rhyming books. Rhyming aids in developing phonemic awareness--which is an awareness of the number and position of sounds within words. Phonics is different than phonemic awareness. Phonics refers more to the concrete rules, while phonemic awareness refers to your child's ability to break down (segment) what she hears. The more you read aloud and the more rhyme your child hears, the more trained her ear is, and the more ready she is to read and write. Ideally, reading aloud should begin before age one. They don't have to sit still to hear language!
- No matter how old your child is, continue with the read alouds--even into high school. Try to choose books that seem about two years above your child's reading level. This way, the vocabulary is new and the sentence structure is more sophisticated. Reading aloud trains your child's ear for language. Every great writer is also a great reader.
Know where you're headed - Six Trait Writing
Around second grade, you will train your child to use a planning web to come up with a topic and then supporting details. The first written piece is a sloppy copy, followed by revisions, and then a final draft (this is called the writing process).
Later, around fourth grade, you'll expand the writing process training by introducing the six traits of good writing.
- voice
- ideas and content
- sentence fluency
- word choice
- organization
- conventions
Take the time to check out the Six Traits websites listed below. They explain the Six Traits Writing method far better than I could. You'll want to begin formally teaching the traits in about fourth grade, continuing through high school. Once your child is familiar with the terms, begin pointing out the traits while you're reading good literature together. You'll find teaching lessons for the traits on all three sites. All these sites are user-friendly. Start with the first one, for your primary student.
The Writing Process and Types of Writing
Interactive Six Trait Writing Process
Kim's Korner
Why the tears?
- It is not uncommon for kids to fuss about writing time in the elementary years. While this could be a sign that you're pushing too hard, it's more likely the fact that writing is a higher-level thinking activity, making it challenging on a number of levels. Worksheets, in contrast, are low-level thinking, usually. When a child is asked to produce something from scratch, whether it be a journal entry, or a bar graph for math, it's far more involved and overwhelming than merely filling in blanks. Break it down as much as you can, saying what you want accomplished the first day.
- When your child hands over her latest piece to you, put on a cheery face, no matter how many errors you see. We tend to be very corrective, as teachers. Squash that, and pick two to three complimentary things to say first, followed by one or two corrections, ending with more specific praise, including praise for effort. Think positive, negative, positive....rather than negative, negative, negative, positive, in terms of how you deal with your child's pieces.
- Start doing some modeled writings when you first start whole-sentence journal writing. Buy some half-size chart paper ( a large lap tablet with lines at the teacher store) and write your own journal entry with your child sitting next to you. As you write, point out how you write from top to bottom and left to write, inserting finger spacing between words. Model the sounding out by stretching out your words a bit, and recording each sound in order. Talk about how you start with a capital at the beginning of the sentence, and also for names (more later on caps, don't overwhelm with rules at this point). Talk about the ending period, and the other punctuation marks as they come up. Your child will learn more each time he sees you write. Younger siblings will learn something too. Modeled writing is a multi-age activity, with each child picking up something at his level.
- If your child is reluctant to write her own sentence at first, give her a sentence frame to start with. I like to _____. I am good at __________. We went to ____________.
- Auditory learners will be sound spellers. They won't impress you with their spelling for a few more years. It will take them longer to get to conventional spelling, so try not to worry about them or make too much of it. In contrast, visual learners will have a good mental picture of the correct spellings, and they will be easily frustrated with sound spelling. They will want you to tell them the correct spelling, because they just know something isn't right. These are the kids who tend to shed the frustration tears--especially if they are perfectionists.
My second grader is auditory and is just now starting some conventional spelling of the first twenty-five sight words. My six-year-old son has a gifted visual memory and he spells far better than my other son. The six year old is also the one who calls to me, wherever I am in the house, "How do you spell house again?" I just go ahead and tell him. Do what you think makes sense for each child, in the elementary years. But preschoolers should definitely start with sound spelling.
- If you purchased a writing curriculum already, use it as a resource only. Remember that you are teaching a child, not a curriculum. Curriculum can get in the way of real teaching, which I like to think of as a conversation with the learner. The learner produces something, and the teacher looks at it to see what is already known, and what needs to be taught. If we blindly follow a curriculum, we are no longer responding to the needs of our learner.
- Finally, remember that writing is a years-long process. Your child is an individual and will develop at his own pace. If the tears come too often, back off and do more modeled writing.
Happy Writing! And save the journals! They are true keepsakes.
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