Teaching your Child to Read

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The other day, my husband and I were talking with a man who was considering homeschooling.  I shared with him that teaching my children to read was one of the greatest blessings I have had as a mother. (That is aside from leading them to a relationship with the Lord.)  Reading is such a foundational part of life.  It has been said that great men are great readers.  I believe that statement.  Reading allows you to go places you’ve never been.  It opens up the world before you.  It inspires, teaches, and motives people to do great things.  Reading allows you to learn from the past and plan for the future.  These are the reasons I teach my children to read. 

However, the most preeminent reason I teach my children how to read is so they can read the Bible.  Can you imagine not being able to read God’s Word?   Did you know that there are people here in American like that?  A few weeks ago we had a lady in our church get saved.  I asked her if she had a Bible.  She said she did but that she could not read it.  My heart broke for her.  How many people can read God’s Word but choose not to?  That was not the case here.  Listen, it’s not that she didn’t want to read her Bible, she couldn’t.  A person cannot spiritually grow without reading the Bible.  So last night our family went to the local bookstore and bought this new believer an MP3 player with the entire Bible loaded on it.

Reading is so important!  

Because we have placed such an emphasis on reading, my older children are excellent readers.  And Andrew is following up behind them nicely.  Recently, we had the opportunity to review Scott Foresman Reading Street for 2nd grade.  Most of you are probably familiar with Scott Foresman.  When the books arrived I was very impressed with the quality of them.  They are sturdy, hardbacks of just under 500 pages.  The books are brightly colored and beautifully illustrated.  Andrew has really enjoyed reading them.  The books have activities, vocabulary words, and thought provoking questions for the student.  For those teaching enthusiasts, there are even websites available (like this one) with additional Reading Street teacher resources like power points, downloads, and links.

Reading Street is offered for pre-K to 6th grade. The 2nd grade books we reviewed (student edition, volume 2.1 and 2.2) cost $86.97.  Or, you can purchase them individually for $43.47 each.  The cost was a little too steep for our family but this was the only downside of these books.

To see for yourself visit their site.

To see what others are saying about Pearson Education click here.

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received these books  in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

The Wrong Question

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 Many times we go through life asking the wrong questions. I see this often in our culture. The liberals will get people to question whether a woman should have a right to choose an abortion (Pro-choice). That’s the wrong question. The correct question is whether our society should allow women to murder innocent babies (Pro-Death). People will ask if Christians should be allowed to pray in government ran schools. Again, that is the wrong question. The question is should we allow an ungodly government to train and educate our Christian children. When we begin to ask the right questions, all of a sudden we begin to get the right answers.

Have you ever heard anyone say, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” That is the wrong question. In Luke 18 a rich young ruler came to Jesus saying, “Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Do you remember Jesus’ response? “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God,”(Luke 18:19). There is none good but God. So, when we ask, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” we are asking the wrong question. The correct question should be, “Why do good things happen at all?”

 Tuesday night our family attended a youth revival. The young man preaching is a friend of our family. He addressed the same thought of asking the wrong questions. The point he made was that many times Christians ask, “Is this a sin?” We will question…

Is it a sin to drink?

Is it a sin to watch this movie?

Is it a sin to say this?

Is it a sin to date this person?

Is it a sin to (fill in the blank)?

Again, this is the wrong question. Instead of asking if something is a sin what we should be asking is, “Is this holy?” You can ineffectively debate whether drinking is a sin but when you ask the correct question of “Is drinking holy?” you get a clearer answer. What about asking if this movie we are about to watch is holy? Is what I’m about to say holy? Is this relationship holy? Is what I am doing holy? And so on…

With the correct question, all of a sudden the perspective changes. It is easy to justify certain behavior when we approach it from a, “Is this really a sin?” attitude. However, if we approach our lifestyle, our conduct, our words, and our inner motives from the thought of, “Is this holy?” it becomes impossible to justify those questionable activities. Children of God are called to examine their life (2 Corinthians 13:5). We should ask the Lord to search our hearts (Psalm139:23). And we need to be seeking out wisdom by asking the right questions (James 1:5).

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy,” (1Peter 1:13-16).

An Offensive Lifestyle

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 The other day I received my copy of Home School Enrichment and was surprised to see an article that I had written, “Homeschooling – An Offensive Lifestyle.”  I submitted it some time back and to be honest I had forgotten all about it.  Apparently, the Lord had the timing all worked out.  It seems as though this subject hit a lot of people.  I have had more response from it than any other I have written.

If you do not get the magazine you can read the May/June 2011 issue online at  http://homeschoolenrichment.com/magazine/digital/

 Below are a few excerpts from my readers.

 “Kimberly, I just came across your article in Home School Enrichment and it was refreshing! My husband and I often times feel “alone” in our decisions of how to raise our daughter and the choices we make……”

 “Kimberly, I just received a free copy of  Homeschool Enrichment magazine in the mail and read your article on offensive lifestyle.  I just wanted to thank you.  It has been a very hard year for my family…..”

“Mrs. Williams, I read and thoroughly enjoyed your article.  Ever more increasingly these days, Christians need to hear your message especially and even when it feels like they’re under attack from the world…..”

 “I just had to write you and tell you how much your article in the Homeschool Enrichment touched me tonight.  I just read ‘Homeschooling, An Offensive Lifestyle’ and it encouraged me so much…. I have been feeling a lot of persecution from my CHRISTIAN friends and it has gotten me very discouraged.  It’s like we don’t fit in with the world and we don’t fit in with the church.  God spoke to me through your article and it really lifted me up…… Thank you very much for your words of wisdom!”

18 and 14

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Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 18th Anniversary and I celebrated my 14th Mother’s Day!    My husband came home Friday with flowers and informed me that he was taking me out. We had a wonderful evening together.  We spent Saturday together as a family and then spent yesterday with our church family.  We had a blessed service.  Yesterday afternoon we spent the day with some friends -another pastor and his family.  They, too, live far away from their family.  We enjoyed a good meal, visited, and let the children swim.  (The only downfall was that I could not spend the day with my mother and family in Arkansas.  But she was in my thoughts and prayers all day long.)

It seems only appropriate to celebrate our Anniversary and Mother’s day together.  Without 18 wonderful years of marriage, I couldn’t enjoy the 14 blessed years of motherhood.  The high calling of being a wife and mother surpasses all others.  There is no nobler task than to strive to be a godly wife and helpmeet to my husband.  And there is no higher commission than that of bringing up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.   My husband is my champion and he makes being a wife and mother a complete joy.  He only expects from me what my Lord expects from me.  “…to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed,” Titus 2:4-5.   

 Thank you, my love, for 18 years.  We have experienced many mountain tops and have grown closer to the Lord and each other through many valleys.  I love you more today than ever before.

 To my three blessings, you each bring joy to my life.  I love you all dearly!

A Breath of Fresh Air…

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  My children love to read.  But finding wholesome reading material that stirs my children’s imagination can be a challenge.  You see, this mom doesn’t let her children have free range at the local library.  It’s just too dangerous.  I know what you are thinking.  I’m being overprotective.  Maybe so, but I have weighed the options.  And I have came to the conclusion that I’d rather be too cautious than to have lies and misconceptions but into my children’s minds.

So let me tell you about my newest discovery – The Circle C Beginnings Series.  It is written by Susan K. Marlow, a homeschooling mom who lives in the state of Washington on a 14-acre homestead.  You might be familiar with Circle C Adventures series for readers 9 to 14.  This new series is written for children ages 6 to 8 who are ready to start their first chapter books.

In this series you meet Andi Carter, a young girl who is eager to grow up and experience the Wild West of the late 1800s.  With her baby horse, Taffy, she lives an exciting life on Circle C ranch.  We were sent Andi’s Indian Summer to review.  The book is a breath of fresh country air!  It is as cute as can be, making you want to throw on some overalls and spend an afternoon wading in a cool brook.  Best of all, I do not have to worry about the content of these books.  In fact, in Andi’s Indian Summer, Andi learns that you must be careful what you read.  A lesson still true for today!

As an added bonus you can visit www.andiandtaffy.com for free coloring, activity, and lapbook pages.  The books are a great price at $4.95 each.  Or you can order all four in the series for $15.96 (+ $3 shipping).  They are also available at Amazon, CBD, and Kregel Publications.  If you have a young child and you are in need of some great reading material be sure and check out this series.  You won’t be disappointed.

To see what others are saying about these books, click here.

Here is Abigail reading the story to her little brother, Andrew.

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received this book in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

A Day in the Studio

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   “I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me,” Psalm 13:6.

 I have loved music as long as I can remember.  As a child, music filled our home.  Some of my fondest memories from childhood are of my mom playing the piano and my dad singing songs to the Lord.  And now some of my favorite moments with my husband and children are when we are gathered around the piano singing as a family. 

 As a child of God there is always a song on my heart.  Over the years I have written a handful of songs.  Just recently I had the opportunity to record some of them.  We have a friend who has a recording studio down on the coast.  Last month we spent two days recording 4 songs.  This weekend I went back and recorded two more songs.  It was quite a learning experience!  Here are some things I learned.

First, while I do love to sing; I am not a professional singer.  I am a writer with a message.  Second, the songs you hear on the radio have been adjusted, arranged, edited, and brushed up a lot.  The technology behind it all is amazing.  And third, I learned that the process can be overwhelming.  To have your music exposed in its rawest form is rather intimidating so it is important to keep the correct perspective.  And it is that my singing is unto the Lord – for His glory – and no other reason!

 Here are a few pictures from my day in the studio.

This is our friend, Mark who so graciously worked with us. 

The first thing we did was record me playing and singing the song. 

Sometimes we did this over and over again.

I spent the morning playing and singing.  We went to lunch and came back to finish up.  This is the room where I did the voice recording. 

This time I would just sing. 

Then comes all the editing and cleaning up.  Here is Mark showing my dear husband (in red) some things on the computer. 

The children had to be extremely quiet.  Every sound would be picked up when we were recording.  Andrew got a little restless but was a good sport for most the day! 

Abigail hanging out!

No, Aaron did not play for me but he would have loved to.

One of my songs….

My day in the studio is over.  Thank you again Mark!  Thank you Dana and children for your support!  Thank you Lord for giving me a melody in my heart and a reason to sing!

Tiger Creek Ladies Conference

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Our Tiger Creek Annual Ladies Conference turned out very nice. We had 9 different churches represented with nearly 50 women in attendance.  I spoke on the subject of “Touch Me Again”.  I appreciate the committee and all those who worked to make the conference a success.   Thank you!  I know the Lord was glorified.

“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!  IfI should count them, they are more in number than the sand…” Psalm 139:17-18a.

From the Mouth of Babes

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In just a few weeks I will have my newest book, From the Mouth of Babes available!

If you are a blogger and would be interested in reviewing this book on your blog, send me an email and I’ll forward the information.

kimberlyw1@wildblue.net

Just what does the abundant life look like?  Flip through these pages and you will get a glimpse into the abundant life of this pastor’s wife and homeschooling mother of three, who lives with her family in South Mississippi. 

Written by Kimberly Williams, From the Mouth of Babes is a compilation of short stories about life, children, faith, and this world we live in.

Learn how to have a clean kitchen, see life through the eyes of a child, look at marriage in a new light, take a serious look at the church and this modern culture, and discover some new traditions.    Grab a cup of coffee and kick up your feet.  Get ready to laugh, be prepared to be challenged, and pull out your Bible as you are pointed to the Word of God.

A 360 Degree Turn

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 One of my favorite verses is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” It truly is an amazing concept. From the moment of salvation we become completely different creatures. Old things are passed away and all things become new. I believe the Bible. I know many of you reading this make the same claim. We believe that God has opened our eyes, turned us from darkness to light, and made us sons and daughters of the Most High. Being crucified with Christ, we no longer serve sin but righteousness (Romans 6:6-18). We are not the same as before.

So tell me, how is it possible for a person who claims salvation to sit in church their entire life and never change? How is it that year after year they never spiritually grow? How can a person who was saved 20, 30, or 40 years ago not know more Scripture, Bible doctrine, or Christian principles than when they were first saved? How is it, that in some cases, they are actually worse off spiritually than before?

Time and time again I have seen this. The sad thing is that in some places it has become so commonplace that no one even recognizes it anymore. We have accepted the fact that “some Christians” will never change. I believe that if we would take a deep look at the message that we have been giving people for the last 50 years we would see the problem. It all begins with “Easy Believe-ism”. People have reduced the gospel down to…

“The ABC’s of salvation”

“Raise your hand if you want to go to heaven.”

“Sign this card and join our church”

Or…

“Repeat this sinner’s prayer after me.”

Perhaps at the moment of salvation you did one of these things. And you are thinking, “I know I’m saved.” However, true salvation was not because of this but in spite of it. Easy Believe-ism says that God loves you and wants you to live in Heaven with Him, so if you will just believe in your heart than you will be saved. But it takes more than belief. The devils believe and they tremble. “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble,” (James 2:19). I have seen people who claim salvation but have never shown any type of filial (reverential or holy) fear toward God.

You see, the problem with this belief is that it completely removes repentance from the equation. Without repentance there cannot be salvation. A friend shared with me about a little girl at her church that had recently been “saved.” Someone asked the little girl if she was happy that she would not have to spend eternity in hell. The little girl said, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” No one had told her about hell. They simply asked her if she wanted to go to Heaven and be with Jesus when she died. They told her to repeat a prayer and then declared her saved. When I heard this my heart broke; because the truth is that if this little girl did not know about hell, she knew nothing about judgment. And if she knew nothing about judgment, than she could not repent of her sins. And without repentance there is never salvation. Now this girl will go through life with a false sense of security. She is worse off than before. She will think she is saved but it will be impossible for her to grow spiritually. She is still in darkness.

Most people have very good intentions when they are trying to win someone to the Lord. But if we are not careful we will sell people a “bill of goods” and not present to them the whole gospel.   The whole gospel requires repentance.  The whole gospel creates completely new creatures.  The whole gospel presents Lordship.  In Luke 14 Jesus said a man should count the cost before becoming a disciple. Yes, salvation is offered free, but once a person is truly saved they will follow their Lord. And being a disciple of Christ will cost everything. “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple,” (Luke 14:33).

Many times this Easy Believe-ism leads to someone thinking they are saved and getting “on fire for the Lord” only to turn away after some time. It looks as though they have made a 180 degree turn in their life. They are faithful, they read their Bible, they do good works, and they might even witness. But all of a sudden the cares of this world enter in and choke out the word. They drop out of church and go back to their old lifestyle. Their 180 degree turn changes into a 360 degree turn. And they are worse off than before. Consider what II Peter 2:20-21 says, “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”

I believe in the security of the believer. Once saved – always saved. It is just that there are many people who are deceived into believing they were once saved. They might sit in church their whole life and never change. Or, they might be faithful for a while. They make that 180 degree turn on their own only to keep on going until they are back around to 360 degrees. But it is important, for the sake of souls, that we understand that the latter end is worse than the beginning.

See The Light

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“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him,” (Col 1:16).

Every now and then, when I allow myself to slow down enough, I love to take a few minutes and just simply reflect on the wonder of creation. God created such a magnificent world. Can you imagine what it must have looked like before the fall of man? The world is a glorious masterpiece created by the Master Designer. And even more wonderful than the creation of this world is the creation of man. God made man as the pinnacle of all creation. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them,” (Eph 2:10).

Creativity is a wonderful character trait to have and to teach our children. I like to remind my children that God is the most creative of all. When we are creative, we are being like Him. I can show my children how to be creative in their writing and with problem solving. But when it comes to things like sketching, drawing, or painting, I have no artistic abilities. All I can do is encourage them. But I have learned as a homeschooling mom that if I am not skilled in a subject it doesn’t mean my children can’t be.

I have recently discovered a great tool for teaching children art. It is called See The Light Art Class. It is taught by Mater Artist Pat Knepley. The 9 volume DVD series contains 36 complete step-by-step tutoring lessons. Mrs. Knepley has a warm personality which captures your attention. In each easy to understand lesson she leads you through a successful drawing experience every time. Each lesson runs approximately 15 minutes and includes suggestions for follow-up activities. No workbooks are needed just basic art supplies. What I really like about the art class is that biblical truth is integrated into every lesson.

We were sent Volume 1 with art lessons 1 – 4 to review.

  • Lesson One – Tools of the Trade Learn the basics of what makes a drawing.
  • Lesson Two – It All Starts with a Line – The most fundamental element of all drawing is the line – but not all lines are alike.
  • Lesson Three – Contours & Composition – Train your eyes and hands to be synchronized!
  • Lesson Four – Draw What You See – You’ll take a common everyday item – a shoe – as your subject for a completed contour drawing.
  • Bonus Lesson – Chalk-It-Easy Chalk Art Lesson

Aaron is the artist in the family so I chose him to do these lessons. He enjoyed them and learned a few things but thought they were too short. I think he would be more challenged in some of the more advanced lessons. His favorite lesson was the bonus chalk lesson. We all agreed that it was rather cool.

You can purchase the entire 9 Volume DVD series with 36 lessons from See The Light for $99.99. But before you do, check out the website to watch some of the free art lessons. You can also request a free DVD of volume one, the same volume I reviewed.

To see what others are saying about this product click here.

Disclaimer: As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received See The Light Art Class Volume One in exchange for an honest product review. I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.