Home for the holidays

We got the Womack home almost fully furnished. What Mrs. Womack's family wanted was already gone or we sent to them soon after closing. But there are still curtains, books galore, knick-knacks, and furniture that we are sorting through little by little. When we can we try to see to it that things we can't use personally get good homes and we try to incorporate a few of the family's items into every room. 

Digging through the boxes we find in the attic and garage is kind of personal and special to me. We are literally looking into the personal lives of the family who lived here and called this house their home. What would my life say if a stranger could one day look into mine?

I find it interesting that we have some things in common with the Womacks. For instance, they must have liked traveling because we found passports and travel books to places I have only dreamed about visiting. Mrs. Womack was an educator here well after the age of retirement, and I am finishing my education degree as well.  This family had an active life in the church and community which is certainly commendable. And even Mr. Womack's little shop on the back of the garage is the perfect place for Jarred's at home business venture. In many ways this house is a good match for us as it must have been for the Womacks. 

I hope to find time soon to write to Mrs. Womack and send her photos of the work we are doing here. I think she would be proud to know someone else is falling in love with her home-our home- and taking care of it.

Now for a few new photos:

Books, books, and more books. We have kept some of Mrs. Womack's books that no one claimed for her.  It seemed a shame to us to let them go to Goodwill when they probably meant a lot to her and to us, as we love history and I am an avid reader when I have time. The huge Bible to the left on the second shelf is from the 1860's. That is priceless to me and I'm so glad to have it. In our former home we had a bookshelf in every room! I've toned it down a bit here. ;)  There are lots of Warren county history books we've found and added to our collection. I can't wait to actually find the time to READ these books.

Our old entertainment center has found new life in the dining room as a place to hold family photos and cookbooks.

This fireplace used to be in our living room but it has also found new life in the dining room.

This shelf belonging to the Womacks now serves a display for family photos and wedding mementos. If we ever get a china cabinet I don't know where on earth we'll move this to.

This is part of an old huge black desk we found in the attic. Rather than not use it at all, Jarred took the end cabinets off and painted them white. Since we needed a much smaller and taller entertainment center in our new living room, this is what the new white cabinet became.

It houses our surround sound system and other "ugly" TV equipment.

Aunt Deane sent new fall foliage to brighten our living room mantle.

The playroom....well, this is about as organized as it gets. But the cluttered look really gets to me. Perhaps someday we can put doors on all the cabinets.

Ashleigh's desk area.

The reading area. I can't help it; I tend to group my own home like daycare centers.

My study area (although I haven't studied here one time yet because it's so crowded it makes me feel claustrophobic).

When my degree is finished I'll be able to teach in a Headstart, preschool, daycare, or school setting. Or open my own in-home pre-k which is really my favorite option. I am looking into ways that this part of the house could one day be used as an in-home pre-k classroom/play area. I think that over time, as the boys grow up and start their lives, Ashleigh will move upstairs into the boys' attic space. She will feel like a queen if we ever turn that area into a suite of sorts. I think the addition of a small bath up there would make a wonderful teen girl's dream hangout. With that in mind, if she moves up, then her playroom, bedroom, and adjoining bath downstairs would be free to use for pre-k. One room might function as a classroom and the other a room for centers and play? Of course, if one had enough money to remodel, the back of the house could be bumped out and made larger to use as an indoor gross motor play area as well. Or a playground area could be added to the  back yard. If I do begin an in-home pre-k I would likely only have 6-8 children per session, so a lot of space might not be necessary. Just dreaming about all that could take place in the future....

The holidays will soon be upon us and posting may become a little harder. So until next time, blessings!

Lynn

Homeschool in the Woods New Testament Hands-On Activity Pack

What a nice lapbook kit/activity pack download I received from the Homeschool in the Woods company! Our somewhat eclectic but mostly unit study oriented family happened upon our first lapbook about three years ago. Although we don't make a lapbook for every single unit we cover, I do find that we enjoy making them and we retain more information when we do.

A lapbook is simply a file folder that has been opened and refolded, plus extra parts of file folders added, to fold shut in a new way, like a little book. inside the flaps are great places to glue in small bit of information, trivia, coloring sheets, facts, mini books, etc. These become nice for reviewing information learned, for wowing the relatives, for paperwork "proof" of learning, and for fond keepsakes. They are a bit scrapbooking, a bit coloring, part cutting and gluing, and lots of fun to make.

Used to be when a homeschool mom wanted her kids to make a lapbook she'd have to sort and dig through websites, reproducibles, magazines, etc. to find cute cut-outs, clip art, and facts sheets to reprint for the books. I'm sure there are families who prefer to do it this way but hey, I'm a cheat...on top of a busy day, last thing I need or want is to spend hours net surfing for lapbooking resources. Nowadays they are right at your fingertips. For a minimal price, mom can just download an entire lapbook onto the family computer and voila! Lapbook central.

This particular pack from Homeschool in the Woods is geared toward teaching children about the New Testament of the Bible. This is a good one. it is packed full of resources and the graphics look nice too.

Your kids will cover topics such as the lineage of Jesus, miracles of Jesus, the Beatitudes, Fruits of the Spirit, Armor of God, parables of Jesus, last Supper, Crucifixion and Ascension, the prophecies Jesus fulfilled, and even delves into Paul's missionary journeys. This project pack is amazing! I would highly recommend it to anyone...homeschool parents, anyone who works with children through missions or church activities, those involved with backyard Bible clubs, etc.
I especially like showing the kids all the prophecies that were fulfilled proving Jesus is the Son of God. Another part of the pack I enjoyed is a little Bible Times Newspaper" that has some cute illustrations and captivating headlines filled in; students must use their creative writing skills to be journalists and write in the rest. This is almost a test of sorts as they fill in what they have learned.


Lapbooks are great for so many learning styles. They are very affordable. They can become treasured keepsakes as your children grow. I cannot recommend them enough to go along with a unit, or just to veer off for a vacation from your regular texts and do more hands-on learning.

This grade 3-8 level hands-on activity pack download only costs $18.95; a CD version is available for $19.95.
Visit http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/AP/NewTestament.htm to see more details or to order.

Noah's Ark Toy

As if one free play set weren't enough, the people over at http://www.one2believe.com/, who sent us a nice Nativity playset earlier this year, surprised us a second time with another tales of Glory playset, Noah's Ark.

As before, my preschool daughter couldn't wait to tear it open. I had to remind her that the box has a bonus points coupon printed right on it to help you save money on future purchases (and who doesn't like to save money?). So we carefully removed the playset, then she flipped out! She likes it, well, because she knows the Bible story and of course, all little kids just like new toys.

Mom likes it because it's cute, helps me "tell the tale" in a touchable, hands-on fashion, and best of all, all the pieces store inside the ark! Easy cleanup. Another TOS Crew mom mentioned it floats so we'll be trying that out at our next bath.

I also like the fact that inside every box is a guide to assist parents in teaching the gospel and Bible stories to their children, based on the age of the child. Plus the children get a mini storybook that contains the Bible story relating to the toy. Just open the box and read aloud as the children interact with the 3-inch PVC characters and build not only Bible understanding, but imagination.

It's really cute and very child friendly. The animals are a bit silly-looking but that gives them even more appeal. We've been playing with it for over a month now and it has held up to typical four year-old wear and tear. This set is part of the Tales of Glory collection and contains a Noah figurine, 14 animals, guide, mini story book, and an ark large enough to hold everything inside.

This set costs $29.99. Great for home, church, or preschool use.

www.one2believe.com also sells Proverbs 31 dolls, playmats, and an assortment of other toys. Check out their website for parent and child resources as well.

-Lynn

review of Bible Story Songs: David

Bible Story Songs presents...DAVID: Shepherd, Psalmist, Soldier, King!


From the Bible Story Songs website:

"This delightful 1-hour length album is a compilation of new songs on David. Thirty-one new songs about the stories of David's training as a shepherd boy, his singing and psalming, his faithful service as a soldier, and his kingship. This is the 6th double-length album from Bible StorySongs, Inc.; a music company started by two grannies who discovered that kids can learn about the Bible easily and effectively by singing!"

This was an easy review to do.

I received the David cd, which is one of many this company produces, such as Moses and Matthew.

I have always used songs to teach preschoolers in our church, VBS, and with my own children. I also learn things easily if set to music and I like to buy all sorts of cd's with educational songs on them. How much time do we spend driving when we could be using a musical cd to sharpen our minds? My little girl enjoys playing in her room solo at times and will stay a bit longer if I let her play her cd's. So I like having useful, good-quality music on hand for her, and its even better if that music is taken from God's word! When we're children with minds like sponges, it is so much easier to "hide His word in our hearts". This one went straight into her collection and she has asked to listen to it often.

It has 31 songs sang by both children and adults. Before each song there will be a little snippet of information pertaining to the song or from the Bible story from which the song is derived. Some songs are originals while others follow familar tunes such as When Johnny Comes Marching Home. The ones I have listened to are simple, easy, and catchy tunes.

The thing I like best about this cd is the website resources that you can get to use with it. http://www.biblestorysongs.com/ has free lyrics for each of their cd's, plus sheet music, song books, puzzle books, projectable lyrics, and more. This would be an excellent way to use music with preschoolers or elementary students in a group setting like a homeschool co-op or church choir.

The costs for the David material are:

David CD - Order $9.99(Free David e-Lyric Sheet)

David e-Sheet Music - Order $9.99

Bundled Set - Order $16.99 David CD plus David e-Sheet Music

DAVID e-Transparencies FileAdobe PDF - Order $4.99

-Lynn