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Advent 2014 – Day 7 (St. Nicholas Day)

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Deanna

Books:

The Legend of Saint Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving by Dandi Daley Mackall (for Elijah)

Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend by Julie Stiegemeyer (for Ian)

Today is St. Nicholas Day, so we learned a lot about this Christian saint of long ago, both with our books and by watching the Veggie Tales episode St. Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving.

For the Jesse Tree LEGO Challenge we read about Sarah having Isaac, and the boys built cradles while we read from Jotham’s Journey. I loved Ian’s Abraham and Sarah hovering next to the cradle, as well as Elijah’s roof and door into the room with the cradle. It’s so much fun seeing their individual creativity each night.

Then we sang “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne” and Arianna prayed for us. She’s been enjoying our songs so much and sings so enthusiastically that we have trouble not breaking into giggles, since she makes no attempt to learn the words and just sings nonsense syllables.

Posted in Holidays

Advent 2014 – Day 6

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Deanna

Daily Theme: Abraham

Books:

Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell (for Arianna)

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski (for Ian–a good choice for a day when I’m not feeling 100% because he can listen to the story on the CD)

For their Jesse Tree LEGO Challenge, Elijah built a rather fancy tent for Abraham, and Ian built both a tent and a camel.

Posted in Holidays

Advent 2014 – Day 5

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Deanna

Daily Theme: The Flood

Books:

A Star for Jesus by Crystal Bowman (for Arianna)

The Christmas Story: The Brick Bible for Kids by Brendan Powell Smith (for Elijah)

In the Jesse Tree LEGO Challenge, we read the story of the Flood, and the boys built arks.

Then after the day’s reading in Jotham’s Journey, we sang “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne,” again.

Posted in Holidays

Advent 2014 – Day 4

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Deanna

Daily Theme: The Fall

Books:

Mouskin’s Christmas Eve by Edna Miller (for Elijah)

The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown (for Ian)

Arianna has patiently been waiting for her day to open the door on the A dvent calendar, light our candle, and hang our Jesse Tree LEGO Challenge ornament.

I’ve been having the boys read the Scripture passage themselves on their day, but for Arianna, we read from her picture Bible (the original version of The Beginner’s Bible, by Karyn Henley). I don’t know if the simpler version made it easier for the boys to picture the scene or what, but they both got really into their LEGO projects while I read aloud from Jotham’s Journey. They each created trees with giant apples, and Elijah even had a “snake” crawling along the ground. He was so excited to tell us all about his creation.

We switched songs tonight, closing with “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne,” which we learned last year during Advent. (The melody is a little tricky to learn, so we sang along to a video with lyrics.)

Posted in Holidays

Advent 2014 – Day 3

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Deanna

Daily Theme:Creation

Books:

Christmas Angels by Crystal Bowman (for Arianna)

What Nick and Holly Found in Grandpa’s Attic by Melody Carlson (for Ian)

Along with Ian’s book, which talks about 12 important aspects of Jesus, I included the box of “Adorenaments” a friend gave us last year. He had never seen them, but he loves going through our Resurrection Eggs with the book Benjamin’s Box (by the same author) every year at Easter, so I knew he would enjoy going through this story and pulling out the ornament that goes along with the picture at the top of each page. After we read through the book, I had him go through all the ornaments again, telling me what they meant. I liked that the book discussed less common names for Jesus, like “Bright and Morning Star,” and “The Door.”

In the Jesse Tree LEGO Challenge from Proverbial Homemaker we read about Creation and Elijah got to hang our ornament.

Then the boys tried to build the earth while we read from Jotham’s Journey, which the whole family is enjoying. (Well, Ian tried to make the earth, including the core and mantle. Elijah went straight to the “extra challenge” and made a landscape, which ended up being a garden with a maze.)

To close our evening, Elijah prayed for us and we all sang three verses of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” We’ve been talking a lot about Jesus as the Light this week, so we included my favorite verse:

O Come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel

The boys have pretty much memorized the first two verses and sing through them with enthusiasm, and even Arianna has caught on to the refrain and loves to sing along with us. It’s such a sweet way to end our days, gathered close together as a family to read the lyrics, singing a song with such a rich history. I hope our children grow up thinking of Advent as a wondrous, enchanting time of considering the mystery of Christ’s Incarnation as a family.

Posted in Holidays

Advent 2014 – Day 2

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Deanna

Daily Theme (from the Jesse Tree LEGO Challenge): Jesse Tree (focusing on the prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament and the people’s anticipation of the Savior)

Books:

Baby Jesus is Born by Juliet David (for Arianna)

The Light of Christmas by Dandi Daley Mackall (for Elijah)

Now that it’s December, our Advent celebration is in full swing (since a few of our activities just start on December 1 regardless of when Advent really begins, which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas). There are several things we do each day, and we’ve found it works best to have one child do them all on his or her special day. Today was Ian’s turn, so he got to open a door on our wooden A dvent calendar, place the item he found inside wherever he chose, hang our Jesse Tree ornament, light the candle on our Advent wreath during Bible Time, and blow it out after prayers. (This picture is from last year, when we’d already opened several items. Right now it only has one star, but Ian did put it in the exact same corner.) Elijah and Arianna got to open our books (above), and we read them throughout the day.

We started the Jesse Tree LEGO Challenge from Tauna at Proverbial Homemaker, using it to kick off our family Bible Time in the evening. First we read the Scripture together, and then hung the day’s ornament on the small tree in our school room that acts as our Jesse Tree. By the time we get to Christmas, it will tell the whole story of Jesus.

Today the building project was a stump. Ian also included a mini-figure as the shoot coming out of the stump. Since we’d talked about how the shoot represented Jesus, he wanted a person.

We let the kids build while we read from Jotham’s Journey. We closed by praying and singing several verses of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” focusing on this one:

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse’s stem

From ev’ry foe deliver them

That trust Thy mighty power to save,

And give them vict’ry o’er the grace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

Posted in Holidays

Advent 2014 – Day 1

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Deanna

Daily Theme: Christmas Trees

Books:

Jesus, Me and My Christmas Tree by Crystal Bowman (for Arianna-3)

The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs (for Elijah-5)

The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Rick Osborne (for Ian)

I’m going to try to give you a glimpse into our Advent celebration this year. I may not manage to blog every day, but I’ll try to cover what we do.

Each day in December leading up to Christmas, one child will open a door on our wooden A dvent calendar, and the other two older ones get to unwrap a book for us to read together. Since we didn’t have a door to open today, I passed out 3 books instead, focusing on the theme I chose for the day: Christmas Trees. They were already on our minds because we’d spent yesterday getting all our Christmas decorations out, so it seemed like a good time to talk about the symbolism behind Christmas trees, reviewing what we learned in Buck Denver asks…Why Do They Call It Christmas?, which we watched last night after our decorating was done. I want them to think of Jesus every time they see a Christmas tree, and focusing on it for the whole day right at the beginning of the season seemed like a good way to work toward that goal.

For our evening Bible Time, we lit the first candle on our Advent wreath, started reading Jotham’s Journey by Arnold Ytreeide, and sang the first two verses of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” It was fun seeing Arianna’s sweet face lit up with the wonder of this special moment. The boys remembered our Advent devotions from last year and were excited to be reading by candlelight once again, but it was all new to her. The only thing I would change about this time was that I only read from the book. All three of the kids pointed out the fact that we never got our Bibles out. Jotham’s Journey ends each day’s reading with a devotional based on Scriptures, so I thought that was enough, but I think tomorrow we’ll have everyone get out their Bibles the way we usually do so they can read the verses themselves.

Posted in Holidays

If He Had Not Come (Book Review)

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Deanna

“If I had not come…” John 15:22

What would the world be like today in Jesus had not come? That’s the question posed by David Nicholson in the book If He Had Not Come, based on a classic Christmas story by Nan F. Weeks originally published in an anthology back in 1938. Nicholson first heard the story almost 30 years ago and enjoyed sharing it with his family year after year. Now he has brought it back into print so a new generation of children and their families can reflect on all that Jesus brought to the world as they celebrate his birth at Christmas time.

If He Had Not Come is the story of a boy named Bobby who falls asleep on Christmas Eve whispering the words of John 15:22, which he read with his dad before bedtime: “If I had not come…” Before he knows it he hears a voice calling him to wake up, and as he heads downstairs in anticipation of celebrating Christmas morning, he finds that his world has changed. There are no decorations and no presents to be seen. He runs outside to look around, and as he walks though town he notices that no stores are closed for the holiday and many things are missing: his church, the Children’s Home, the hospital, the homeless shelter… even the New Testament in his Bible. As he searches, all he find are signs with the words “If I had not come.”

Bobby sat down, stunned at the thought of a world without Jesus. “No Christmas, no churches,” he whispered, “no places to help people who are sick, homeless, or in need…”

Then he hears the sound of church bells and wakes up rejoicing as he recognizes “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come.” The story ends with his prayer of thanks as he acknowledges, “You are the very best Christmas present anyone can have.” The final pages of the book contain suggestions for family (or Sunday School class) discussions to help children think more deeply about the story.

If He Had Not Come is recommended for ages 6 and up, so I found a time when I could read it just with Ian. Even at 6, I’m not sure he was fully ready for it. He wasn’t very responsive to the story, and my attempts to engage him in any sort of discussion fell flat. Still, I think it’s an important addition to our Christmas library, and I expect in a few years we’ll be able to go a lot deeper, once the story has really settled with him. I have no doubt that fruit will eventually grow from the seeds planted by reading the book each year.

As a parent, I appreciate the final pages by Josh Mulvihill (a children’s pastor), who goes into more depth about all the ways Christ’s life has impacted our world. Not only would we be lacking many universities, hospitals, and charitable organizations, we would be spiritually lost. A page on “The Gospel Message” spells out the A-B-C (Admit-Believe-Confess) model of repenting and receiving God’s great gift of salvation.

If He Had Not Come reminds us what Christmas is really about, and I think families will benefit from pondering its important message in the midst of celebrating the birth of Christ.

Available in hardcover ($18.99) or e-book ($3.99).

Connect with If He Had Not Come on Facebook!

Posted in Homeschool Resources, Product reviews

25 CHRISTmas Picture Books for Older Children

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Deanna

As I shared in my previous post, 25 CHRISTmas Books for Preschoolers, I’ve split our Christmas library into two parts to have age appropriate books for all the children in our family to (re)discover each day in December. Choosing books for older children is a little trickier than for the little ones. Some of my favorite stories are chapter books that are too long to read in one day, so our Advent tradition of wrapping up a book to open each day doesn’t work quite so well with those. So here’s a list of 25 great picture books we’ll be using for our Advent gifts, not in order, but grouped by theme. (Yes, we open the same ones each year, with usually a few new ones mixed in.) The chapter books will have to wait until my children get a little older.

I’ve tried to build a collection of beautiful books that will reach my children’s hearts and cause them to think more deeply about Christmas. Not all these books are specifically about Christ or even mention him (though many do), but are more focused on things like love, self-sacrifice, and the joy of giving as we celebrate God’s gift of our Savior.

Books Set in the Time of Christ

Jacob’s Gift by Max Lucado (a young carpenter’s apprentice gives the manger he has worked on to be Christ’s first bed)

The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado (a lamb who is sad about not being able to go out into the fields gets to be present when Christ is born)

The Light of Christmas by Dandi Daley Mackall (rhyming story about Jesus, the Light of the World, not just at his birth, but for all time)

Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti (a young crippled boy meets the 3 kings on their journey and his healed after deciding to give his crutch to the baby Jesus, based on the opera by the same name)

Mary’s Treasure Box by Carolyn Walz Kramlich (Mary shows her grandaughter Sarah the treasures from when her uncle Jesus was born.)6.

Mary’s First Christmas by Walter Wangerin Jr. (Mary recounts to a young Jesus her memories of his birth)

Books about Christmas Traditions

Image result for the legend of the CHristmas tree

The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Rick Osborne (teaches about the symbolism of Christmas trees)

Silent Night: The Song and Its Story by Margaret Hodges (beautiful book about when the song was written and how it spread)9.

The Candy Maker’s Gift: The Inspirational Legend of the Candy Cane by David and Helen Haidle (the symbolism behind the candy cane)

10.

The 12 Days of Christmas: the story behind a favorite Christmas song by Helen Haidle (with explanations of the items in the song)

11.

The Last Straw by Paula Palangi McDonald (a family creates a bed for Jesus as they perform kind deeds for one another)

Books about the Gift of Christ

12.

If He Had Not Come by Nan F. Weeks (retold by David Nicholson) (a boy dreams of a world with Christ and realizes the Jesus is the best gift ever given)

13.

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Josie’s Gift by Kathleen Long Bostrom (the story of a girl who learns that Christmas is not about what we want, but what we have)

14.

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Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo (a little girl shares the joy of Christ’s birth with a lonely organ-grinder)

Books about the Joy of Giving

15.

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Christmas Oranges retold by Linda Bethers (the story of an orphan girl whose friends show her great love through their gift to her)

16.

The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans (about a man who discovers joy in giving to the poor)

17.

The Legend of Saint Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving by Dandi Daley Mackall (a boy learns about the story of St. Nicholas and gains a new outlook on giving)

18.

Penny’s Christmas Jar Miracle by Jason F. Wright (a wonderful story about love and the joy of doing something for others)

19.

The Princess and the Kiss: Three Gifts of Christmas by Jennie Bishop (After her parents decide a princess should only receive three gifts rather than her usual bounty, she learns that true joy comes from giving.)

20.

The Candle in the Window by Grace Johnson (the story of an unhappy cobbler who discovers joy in giving “unto the least of these”)

25 CHRISTmas Books for Preschoolers

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Deanna

A few years ago we started a tradition of wrapping up a book each day of Advent leading up to Christmas, and I shared a list of books we used to go along with Truth in the Tinsel. Every year I’ve added a few new Christmas books to our collection (with more kids to open them), and this year we’ll be opening 2 books each day: one geared toward my preschoolers, and 1 for my older kids. So I thought it was about time I organized the books into two lists and shared them. (In other words, there are several repeats from the old list this time around, but the books with longer stories have been replaced with more preschool-friendly choices.)

Everywhere we go at Christmas our kids tend to be bombarded with messages about Santa and elves, so we try really hard to counter those with Christ-focused stories, songs, and decorations. These books are a reflection of our family’s choice to keep Jesus at the forefront of all our Christmas activities.

I’ve listed them in subject groups rather than the order I pass them out. I do tend to give most of the books about symbols early on so that the kids will recognize them and make the connection to Christ as we go through the season, but as a general rule I try to mix them up a bit so we don’t end up with all the stable/animal stories in a big clump. I just thought these groups would be more helpful for anyone not familiar with the books.

Books about Christmas Symbols

Jesus, Me and My Christmas Tree by Crystal Bowman (A little girl goes through various ornaments on her tree that relate to the Christmas story.)

J is for Jesus by Crystal Bowman (rhyme about the symbolism of the candy cane)

Christmas Angels by Crystal Bowman (rhyming story about angels in the Christmas story so children think of the Bible when they see angel decorations)

A Star for Jesus by Crystal Bowman (rhyming story about the Christmas star)

The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs (a story about a farmer and his wife who make a sacrifice that brings great joy. Bible verses throughout.)

Books Based on Songs

Mary, Did You Know? by Mark Lowry, illustrated by Phil Boatwright (beautiful illustrations and accompanying Scripture verses)

We Three Kings traditional carol illustrated by Gennady Spirin (The pictures are probably more pleasing to adults, but I like the chance to expose my children to beautiful art.)

The Animals’ Christmas Carol illustrated by Helen Ward (beautiful pictures to go along with the medieval carol “The Friendly Beasts”)

9.
The Little Drummer Boy illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats (a favorite song of ours, with pictures by the author of The Snowy Day)

10.

12 Days of Christmas beautifully illustrated by Laurel Long (in the right order, which is surprisingly hard to find!)

11.

Away in a Manger illustrated by Thomas Kinkade (all three verses, with paintings of both the manger scene and an old-fashioned village)

Books About the First Christmas

12.

This is the Stable by Cynthia Cotton (full of repetition and rhyme, similar to “This is the House That Jack Built”)

13.

Christmas in the Manger by Nola Buck (simple rhymes about those present at Jesus’ birth)

14.

The Christmas Star by Marcus Pfister (beautiful watercolor and glitter illustrations by the author/illustrator of The Rainbow Fish)

15.

Song of the Stars by Sally Lloyd-Jones (full of excitement about the arrival of Jesus–I like to save this one for Christmas morning because it captures the joy when the wait is over)

16.

Humphrey’s First Christmas by Carol Heyer (about a self-absorbed donkey who goes with the three kings to find Christ and realizes that he alone is worthy of praise)

17.

Baby Jesus is Born by Juliet David (Very simple retelling of the whole Christmas story, starting with the angel visiting Mary and ending with the family returning to Nazareth.)

18.

The Christmas Story: The Brick Bible for Kids by Brendan Powell Smith (I am not a fan of the Brick Bible in general, and I hesitated even to buy this because I didn’t want to support the anti-Christian author, but several trusted friends recommended it and I knew my boys especially would love it, so I decided to find a used copy for our family. If your kids are sensitive, be warned that it does include the part of the story where Herod orders the baby boys of Bethlehem killed.)

19.

Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell (about the animals in the stable when Jesus was born)

20.

The Animals’ Christmas Eve by Gale Wiersum (a counting book about the animals in the stable)

21.

Who is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate (about the animals getting ready to welcome baby Jesus to their stable)

22.

Bethlehem Night by Julie Stiegemeyer (story of the night Christ was born, told in rhyme–good fit for Christmas Eve)

Other Family Favorites

23.

Baboushka and the Three Kings by Ruth Robbins (An old Russian story about a woman who meets the wise men on their way to visit the Christ child.)

24.

Mouskin’s Christmas Eve by Edna Miller (classic story about a mouse who finds his way into a house at Christmastime and finds peace in the shelter of a manger scene)

25.

Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson (also about a little mouse exploring a manger scene, but a more detailed story)

If you have school-age kids, check out 25 CHRISTmas Picture Books for Older Children. I hope your family finds some new favorites to enjoy this Christmas!

Posted in Holidays