Get Real with God ~ My Children, My Oxen

I know that is a strange title but I think it will make sense by the end!  Have you ever read this scripture?

“Where no oxen are, the trough is  clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox.”  Proverbs 14:4

Would you believe that I think about this scripture almost EVERY day?  Here’s why.

Because my kitchen looks like this at least three times a day. And because the rest of my house looks pretty much the same way on a daily basis.  My house wouldn’t look like this if it wasn’t for my children.  If not for my children I would hardly have any house work to do, but with out my children there would be NO increase.

Increase in me.

Through my children God can work out all kinds issues, you know the list:  patience, finding joy in all things, perseverance, selflessness, obedience and grace.

Increase in our family.

Not only the size of our family but the testimony that our size brings with us whether we want it to or not.

Increase in faith.

With the increase in our family size also comes the added need of material things.  We are blessed to have our faith challenged at times as we trust the Lord for His provision in our daily needs and our medical needs and the needs for our future.  He is an amazing Provider (Jehovah Jireh)!

So while I’d rather have my kitchen look like this all. day. long.  I would rather have a messy kitchen full of increase, then a clean kitchen and lack.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
         The fruit of the womb is a reward.”  Psalm 127:3

Enjoy your oxen!

Once Upon A Book ~ Touchdown! {done}

Touchdown! by David Diehl

Summary:  The simple pictures in this book make it easy to teach your Tot some football fundamentals.  Teach your child the in’s and out’s of this game . . . learn about field goals, the coin toss, kickoffs, helmets, and basic offense and defense. 

Bible Verse:  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:27)

Football is no foreign subject in this house.  I grew up watching the Engineer (my husband) play both high school and college football.

The highlight of our reading Touchdown! was definitely playing with Daddy’s beat up helmets.

To kick off our football education, we practiced throwing . . . using these great number bean bags that my sister made for us.

We tried to have Gabe throw the bean bags in numerical order into my husband’s helmets.  Ummm . . . tried would be the optimum word!  (By the way, potty training was occurring during this activity.)

 

Next, my IRL buddy made the PERFECT printable just for our book!  Thanks, Maureen!

Print the Coin Toss Tally Sheet, grab a quarter, and either stickers or Do-A-Dots. 

Be sure to show your Tot how a quarter is different on each side.  Have them practice throwing the quarter in the air.  Record which side lands on your Tally Sheet. 

 

If you want to further talk about money with your child, we have had tons of fun playing with this Learning Resources stamp set!

Want to see what's coming next (and books we've done in the past)? Click here to see our Once Upon a Book webpage!

Now I Know My ABC’s ~ Oo is for Owl

Good-Night Owl! by Pat Hutchins

Summary: Tired owl keeps getting woken up from his sleep by other animals. Will he ever get some rest? A cute cumulative story for young ones with a funny ending.

Letter Activities:

One of the first items I thought of when thinking about the Letter O was Cheerios! I poured about a half of box (use coupons to purchase and it is really cheap) into a plastic tub for some sensory box fun. I put various letter O’s, some old O puzzle pieces, spoons, and bowls.

My tot spent quite a bit of time playing with this tub. You can see how hard she is concentrating on the pouring Cheerios into the bowl. She also ate quite a few too! :)

We also pulled out our Leap Frog Fridge Phonics. My tot hadn’t played with it in a very long time so it was also a perfect way to review some of our past letters.

For our owl poem/handwriting page, I had my daughter finger-trace the letters. Then she traced some of them with a crayon.
Crafts:

Next my tot and preschooler spent some time coloring an owl. While coloring we talked about what happened in the book.



Then the girls used some of the Cheerios from the sensory box and glued them onto the letter O.


Earlier this year, Jodi wrote about what her kids did for their unit on Owl Babies. They made these cool crafts (pictured above) which were on my list to do. She also as some other owl resources listed too.

And here’s another cute owl letter activity: Owl alphabet craft

Since our book was about owls, we were able to talk about nocturnal and diurnal animals again.
Downloads:

You can download these Letter Oo printables on HS Printables ABC index page.
Other ABC Resources
ABC Printables from Homeschool Creations
Letter of the Week Curriculum from COAH
ABC Flashcards and More from 1+1+1=1
ABC Letter Crafts
Songs for Saplings ABC Verses

Mommy Made Printables ~ Sports

We are excited to share some Sports printables for you to use with your tots as you explore together!

Ballerina Activity Pack {from Confessions of a Homeschooler}

Sports {Balls} Grid Game {from Mama Jenn}

Putt Putt Preschool Pack {from Lawteedah}

Basketball Printables {from 2 Teaching Mommies}

 

Football Printables {from 2 Teaching Mommies}

You can visit my Sports Theme pin board on Pinterest to see even more sports ideas I have found online!

Do you have any free SPORTS printables YOU have created {and share}? If so, leave a link to your blog post in the comments below!

Little Books for Little Cooks ~ Crushed Rainbow Ice

Crushed Rainbow Ice

Enjoy a fun rainbow colored crushed ice treat on a warm summer day!

The Book Before You Cook…

Elmer and the Rainbow

by David McKee

Summary: Elmer, the patchwork elephant, and the rest of the animals are concerned when they realize that the rainbow has lost its colors. Wanting to help, Elmer searches for the end of the colorless rainbow so that he can give it his own colors. Follow along to see what happens if he gives the rainbow his own colors.

When It’s Time to Cook…

You’ll need:

• rainbow colored drinks (for example: Gatorade or Kool-aid in colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
• ice trays
• plastic bags
• hammer
• clear glass or clear plastic cup
• straw

To Make:

1. Pour each of the colored drinks into ice trays and freeze.
2. Place each set of colored cubes in a separate plastic bag.
3. Use a hammer to crush each bag of cubes.
4. Pour each bag of colored crushed cubes into the glass/cup in the following order: purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, then red
5. Add a straw and enjoy!

Little Books for Little Cooks is a monthly feature that focuses on creating some edible fun with your little one.   We will share a fun book to read with your little one along with a cooking activity to do that ties in with the featured book. Sometimes there may be actual cooking involved…and sometimes just fun!

Treats 4 Your Tot

Here are some more cool giveaways for tots/moms of tots, check them out below and let us know if you win something we told you about!!!!

• USA Road Trip…ends 7/17/11 {tomorrow}
• Backyard Bug Science Kit…ends 7/20/11
• Go Anywhere Booster Seat…ends 7/20/11
• Prince Lionheart Balance Scooter…ends 7/22/11
• Evenflo Carseat…ends 7/26/11
• Go Anywhere Booster Seat {another one}…ends 7/27/11

Bolded are items we personally own and love!  If you are hosting a TOT friendly giveaway you are free to leave a link in the comments section!

In My Heart ~ Psalm 148:1-5

Praise the Lord {Psalm 148:1-5} is #2 from Seeds of Praise.

Full Page Verse Printable…

Verse Mini Book {which could also be cut into mini flash cards to have kids put the verse in order}… 

Copy Work Tracers {print & cursive} 

Copy Work Sheets… 

Full Verse Coloring Pages…

Seeds Family Worship printables here!

Visit the main Seeds Family Worship Printables page here.

Visit Seeds Family Worship to learn more about their ministry here!

Simple verse cards from Seeds, and also a verse memorization checklist can be found here on their site!