BTW

BTW, I reset my counter. Let's see who comes and visits! Most traffic is from the Well-Trained Mind forums.

Field-Based Science For 4th Grade

Nature Girl is in the 3rd grade this year at the local elementary school. Next year, she would like to homeschool, and so would I, but I will need to find a creative way to keep up with financial obligations. As I am thinking more and more about this, I am trying to plan a little for her 4th grade year.

Science has always been a tough area for me--it's clear that Nature Girl is a hands-on, experiments and field trips kinda gal. She actually came downstairs the other day with a homemade science kit she had put together, containing her Tasco microscope, a pair of plastic tweezers, a mini-notebook, and some other small items. She took a little basket with her on her way outside, after telling me she was going out "to make some observations." I found her later in the garage, sitting on the cold concrete, absorbed in using her microscope to carefully look at the items she had collected. She shared her written observations with me later. This was completely on her own, and showed me how much potential there is for her to enjoy a field-based/observational-type of science instruction.

So, I've been doing a little of my own research (tho not sitting on the garage floor!) to see if there are already some curriculum options out there. While there are many biology/botany/nature study ideas and books floating around, I have yet to see something that's open and go. My idea is to pull together some living books (Jessica at Trivium Academy has tons of great ideas for these on her blog) on several biomes/habitats, and then go visit the ones in our area. Jessica's kids are also using the Junior Ranger program for a park in their area, so I investigated that, too.

I went to the website of one of our nearest National Parks, Prince William Forest Park (PWFP), and downloaded their Junior Ranger Corps packet. Inside are 13 fun activities for children to do at the park. Each activity is introduced by a "kid" from PWFP's history. The activities vary from visiting different trails of the park, looking for specific items, to walking thru the various displays at the visitor's/nature center, reading displays and filling in information on birds, animal life, etc. It really looks like fun! We could do it in 4-5 visits, or do fewer activites and go more often.

At the end of the Ranger program, Nature Girl would earn a certificate, a patch and some little extra thing that they don't spell out in the packet. I think it would be a good beginning to our studies. We may even go before next year ( I have a hard time waiting on things like that! lol).

Last year we took a monthly nature walk in a marsh area not far from us--it was amazing to see how the marsh changed from month to month. We'd probably continue doing that, too. We also have another marsh nearby, as well as our very own woods in the backyard (we are situated on 40 acres of church land, 20 or so which are developed). Could be a lot of fun!

I will be looking for notebooking pages, some living books (I'm thinking One Small Square would be good, as well as using Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study, which we have), and a scope and sequence.

Thoughts on Election

Fooled ya--not the Election you may be thinking of!

I've been pondering the Christian denomination/worldview/theological stance (proper term?) called Reform. One of the tenets is the idea of predestination and election. Here are some random thoughts. Let me know what you think.

The question came up on the Well-Trained Mind General Board (an excellent, fabulous, wonderful, fun, helpful, interesting bunch of homeschoolers) about the need to evangelize--How should the idea that God chooses whom he will save influence the Christian's witness? Sort of a "Why bother witnessing if God's already predetermined who is saved?" Good question. I had a different spin off from that--as I age, I am refining my ability to put into words what I truly believe, and let me tell you, it isn't easy. To sift thru what I've been taught, what I've learned on my own, and what I feel Holy Spirit has guided me to, is difficult sometimes. It involves pretty deep thinking, and not being general, but being very specific.

I think it's easy to live an unexamined life. I think it's easy to hear a doctrine or some theology, say, "Oh, that sounds pretty good, I'll believe that" but keep it so general that you don't apply it to your own life and loved ones. On the idea that God elects whom he will save, and all others are screwed (oops) are not saved, well--Ok, I can see God being the Boss.

I can give God permission (not to sound heretical or anything) to do whatever he wants, and be whatever he wants. He gets to choose and do anything he wants to, because he's the Head Honcho. Creating everything gives him that right--actually, he has that right just because of who he is,not because of what he's done. So I'm good with that basic concept.

But what I find inconsistent with who I think Scripture and the witness of the saints shows God to be is that he would create someone who cannot choose him. Not someone who WON"T choose him, but someone who cannot, because God did not first choose him. You see, I believe God reaches out to us first--We love because he first loved us. That's in John. I believe he desires all to come to a saving knowledge of him. I believe he wants all his creation to live in relationship with him.

So I simply can't be a member of a Reform Church, who believes there are some who are never woo'ed by God, who are out of his Thoughts, and whom he does not love. For it would take the absence of Love to allow the formation of a human who has no chance and no choice to ever choose God.

I was worried about this because of those in my life, particularly my son, who have not chosen a relationship with God (yet?). Could he be one of the "non-elect?" When you take the concept out of the general and apply it to the specific, it's one I simply cannot believe. I can see how perhaps he is one who may not choose God, and therefore will not spend eternity with God. I can go there, tho it's hard. But to think God made him but doesn't love him? He's not a throw away. He's not to be created then discarded like some forgotten children's scribble. He's a masterpiece, and I believe God wants him.

Let's be careful to examine our statements of belief, and see if they "work" when we take them out of the general and apply them to living, breathing people, that we know and love like our own flesh.

Then I think, How big is my faith--could I give God my worship if he, indeed, does only choose some to be saved? If he didn't choose Sky? Can I allow him to be God over that, too?

Ok, Here's What I'm Gonna Do

I've decided that, from now until 2009, I am going to Blog every day. I may not have readers. I may not have anything interesting to say. I may not spell well. No matter. Every day, from now until Jan 1, I will add to this blog a thought, a funny joke, a devotion, an update--SOME sort of entry, every day. So there.

Yesterday Was Our Anniversary

25 Years. Wow.
Not quite what you are thinking. Dh and I have been married only 23 years, but we got engaged 25 years ago yesterday. We celebrate both dates, every year.
I'm not going into the story of our engagement b/c I have to go to work in a few minutes, and it's quite a long, involved tale. Suffice it to say, we have chestnuts and a little Auschliese (is that spelled right?) every Nov. 12, and we thank God for His Hand in our lives.
Ok, I have to tell a little of the story.

We dated in college (met at an Episcopal youth retreat the summer he graduated from hs and the year before my senior year--known each other a Long Time), long-distance, getting together mostly in the summers. Around the end of that particular summer, dh knew he wanted to marry me. I was clueless. He saved for a ring, and gave God 3 conditions to meet, so that he could be sure it was the right time to ask me, and I was the right woman for him.

I had to get a ride to his college. The ring had to arrive on time. And...are you ready?
His college had to win their football game. Sigh. Men.

To make a long story a little longer...I got the ride, but we had an accident while getting onto the highway (snowing and icing all over the road!). After several hours, we all decided to rent a car and continue.

The ring arrived in time--I think the day before?

We went to the football game on Saturday--it was FREEZING cold, and, as our team was losing, I really, really wanted to go. I couldn't understand why my man was so darned INTENSE, and so into this game! "Wow, he must really love football."

They won. In the last, oh, IDK, 20 Seconds or so?
Dh was preeettttyy excited. He rushed the field, dragging me along. Little did I know...

That night, we made chestnuts and drank some cheaper (not cheap, just cheaper) wine, and he asked me.

And I said...

No.

Well, eventually, I said yes. Dh always says that he forgot about Free Will. Very important theological lesson.

We got married in July two years later.

And, if you stayed with this post this long, you should know...
I'm crazy about him still.

Finally, an Update

Is anyone still out there?
I have let this blog go because so many things have gotten in the way of my sitting down and composing posts--

1. I am now working as a preschool teacher 5X a week, wanting to pay down debt and save for
Film Buff's college. I am hoping for another job.
2. Nature Girl is therefore attending ps for the first time.
3. We have started an Alpha Course at church--I am not leading it, but I do help set up.
4. Unfortunately, Sky has relapsed and is awaiting trial to see what the judge will say. We are
investigating yet another residential program. Uggg.

It is so not fun. But, as usual, there is good and bad, light and dark, Twilight and Sunrise. God is refining me further, and at least, this time (with Sky's situation), I know the ropes a bit. One good thing is that I have stopped the unhealthy practice of putting myself in his shoes--or what I think they are, and then reacting with great sadness. I have been dealing with the Loss of the Ideal all thru his turmoil--I didn't know I had so many hopes and dreams. I am simply living this life here and now, wanting for the future, but no longer weeping so over the loss of the way I wanted life to be. That's actually a much better place. I even stopped setting my clock 10 minutes ahead--I found it a symptom of my wanting things to be different and denying them the chance to just be as they are, and dealing with it.
Does that make any sense?

I'll be updating more today, adding in what NG is doing at brick and mortar school, filling in the blanks with Film Buff's curriculum, and musing more about salvation, goals, good works, and other light subjects...

Welcome back!

Can We Go Home Again? Children And Nostalgia

It should be interesting, going back to Texas for the first time in 7 years. It has been a really difficult move for 2 of my children, and they are excited and a little, I don't know, nervous? about going back. I've gone back to my old neighborhoods before, but always as an adult, never as a teen. I don't know how it will go. They don't have any family or even friends still there--dh and I have friends, but they are from our church and never had kids my ds' ages.

One son is worried that he will be bored with family time, and that hurts my feelings. He feels isolated from the rest of us, and I am hoping it will be a bonding time for us all, but that's tough when he doesn't want to be with us at all. Please pray we can just practice being a family.

Nature Girl and I are thrilled to be going to Gramma's House--it's just the most wonderful place. I love my mil with all my heart, and spending time with her is a great joy. I'm hoping it just all works out. I know better than to be anxious!!