A Joy Filled Home

By Nicole VanGelder

Happy May Flower Activity!

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May is here & hopefully with it will be flowers & sunshine!

Here is a simple craft that my daughter helped me to put together for a curriculum I created that goes along with this theme that you & your kiddos can have fun doing together. See example below. To make, simply use the templates provided to print & color as many flowers as you would like. Cut the flowers and leaves out then attach them to straws or pencils to act as the stems. Color the pot template provided, cut it out & attach it with glue or staples to another piece of paper to create a pot that opens at the top. Put the flowers into the pot and create a beautiful bouquet.

Supplies needed: crayons, paper, straw or pencil, printed templates (see below), glue/staples, scissors.

I hope you enjoy!

Flower Pot Activity Sheet

Flower Pot Activity Flowers

flower in pot craft

flower in pot craft 1

Family Easter Week Bible Readings & Activities

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Dear Friends,

I hope that this Easter week is a special one, and that these days leading up to Resurrection Sunday are filled with a renewed wonder at just how good the Lord really is!

During 2020, I put together some simple devotionals for families of our church to do together in the days leading up to Easter. (Note: They do not cover, or even attempt to cover, all of the events leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus.) They are simple but I hope your family enjoys them together! (Don’t feel pressured to do them all! Instead, pick and choose what best fits your family and the time you have.)

READING ONE:

Read: Mark 11:15-18

Note: This reading can be startling because it seems to be a moment of uncontrolled anger. However, Jesus may have been angry, but He hadn’t lost His temper! He had already been in Jerusalem and knew what was happening. When He took this action He did so because He was seeking to protect people from the exploitation of the religious leaders. His desire is, and always has always been, to remove the obstacles that separate people from entering into true worship and prayer–and true relationship with His Father. So, the best way to apply this reading may be to simply ask the question if there is anything that is getting in the way of your family (together or individually) spending time in connection with the Lord. If there is, remove whatever the obstacle is! (I suggest not using the same methods Jesus used in this passage though!) 😉 Then, commit to spending a short time together in prayer each day this week.

Optional Activities: 

1. In the days of Jesus, the temple played an important part of worship for the Jewish people. Today, we have the joy of being able to worship Jesus in a different way.  So, throw a family worship party! Some suggestions: put on some music and dance before the Lord; try painting or drawing as an act of worship; praise the Lord with your words during a time of prayer, etc.

2. Do some coin rubbings. This is a simple activity that you should have all the supplies for easily on hand. Find a variety of coins, some paper, and some crayons or pencils. Put the coins under the paper and rub the crayons back and forth over it until the image of the coin appears. As you do this, ask your kids why they think Jesus was so angry and the moneychangers. (They were exploiting people and interfering with their ability to worship God. They were being greedy. They were misusing God’s House.)

3. Look up the what the temple looked like in the day of Jesus. (You should be able to find this with a simple internet search.)

4. And, just for some fun that isn’t directly related to the lesson:Here is a Paper Doll Coloring Page created by my daughter, Eliana. Color, cut out, and have fun getting her dressed up for Easter!

READING TWO:

Read Mark 11:20-26

Discussion Questions:

1.  What does Jesus command in this passage? (To have faith in God.)

2.  According to this passage, what is the result? (That you will be able to pray without doubt.)

3.  This passage also talks about forgiveness. How important is it to forgive?

4.  How do you think faith is connected to forgiveness? (For example: we receive forgiveness through faith. Since we have received such great forgiveness for the Lord, how could we not forgive others?)

6.  Can you think of a time you were forgiven by someone? Or, can you think of a time when you’ve had to forgive someone? How did it feel?

*This would be a perfect opportunity to take some time to release forgiveness over others as needed, as well as to receive forgiveness.

Optional Activities:

1. Taste test: Find an assortment of both sweet and bitter foods to taste test. Have some fun tasting them, and point out that not only do we need to forgive because the Lord commands it, but unforgiveness is bitter. It will make us sick if it stays inside of us too long. But, giving forgiveness freely is sweet. To take this lesson a little further, have fun making some spring themed sugar cookies.

2.  Prayers of Faith: Find a jar or a box and some notecards or small pieces of paper. Have each person write down a prayer request that they have. (They don’t need to share it with anyone else.) As a family, prayer over the requests. Keep the jar over the next year & whenever a prayer is answered, make sure to keep track of that, too!

3.  Here is a fun Bunny Coloring Page. Do your best to find the five eggs that are hidden in it!

READING THREE: 

Read Mark 12:41-44. 

This time of year, when we remember all that Jesus has given to us, it is important to take some time to consider our attitude in return. After all, how can we, who have received so much, not be generous in response?

Discussion Questions:

1. What is your most valuable possession? Is it easy or difficult to share? How about your favorite dessert? Is that easy or hard to share? What is something you have a difficult time sharing?

2. Is it easier to share with your friends than with a stranger? Why/why not?

3. The Lord is very generous with His kids. Why do you think that is?

4. What might make it easier for you to share with others?

5. What is something of value that you can offer God?

Optional Activities:

1. Brainstorm ways your family can practice generosity towards others. Then make a plan for putting one or two of those ideas into practice.

2.  Practice Secret Generosity. Over the rest of this week, each person in your family should look for ways to be secretly kind and generous to one another. Then, at the end of the week, talk about the experience. Even without sharing specifics (although that is okay, too), discuss the impact on your home. How did it feel to do kind things for others? Was there a difference in the atmosphere in your home? Encourage your family to make this a normal practice.

3.  Spend some time in prayer thanking the Lord for His generosity towards you. Be specific. Make a list and post it someplace you can see it to remind yourself everyday to be thankful.

4.  Make one of the favorite desserts mentioned during the discussion questions as a special treat. Make an extra to deliver (while keeping your distance!) to a neighbor or friend.

READING FOUR:

Read John 13-14. 

Note: If you have smaller children, you may want to only read John 13:1-30. After you read through the last supper that Jesus had with His disciples, the best activity I can suggest is to actually take communion as a family. Click here to watch a video to help walk you through this process, then gather the needed elements (and your family!) and do as Jesus commanded.

READING FIVE:

Read John 20-21

The reading today is all about the resurrection of Jesus! If your children have never prayed to receive Christ, this is the perfect opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with therm. After today’s reading, simply ask your children if they understand why the death and resurrection of Jesus is so important. Explain that because Jesus died and rose again, those who believe in Him and receive Him as their Savior have the opportunity to live with Him forever in heaven someday, and also walk with Him here on earth!  You can ask if they have ever asked Jesus into their hearts / if they have ever accepted Jesus death and resurrection as payment for their sins and made Him their personal Lord and Savior. If they haven’t, and would like to, simply lead them in a prayer like this: “Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross as payment for my sins. I believe in you and receive you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for coming into my heart and giving me life now and in eternity. Help me to walk with you and learn your ways. Amen.” If your children pray this prayer, make sure to celebrate big!

Optional Activities:

1. Jesus is ALIVE! So, celebrate with a time of prayer/worship. Thank Jesus for the cross and all that He has brought into your lives. Let the joy of that fill your hearts and homes with excitement as you celebrate together.

2. Here are some coloring sheets of the cross (from which Jesus has risen!!) Cross_Coloring_Page  Cross_Coloring_Page 2
Cross_Coloring_Page 3

3. Play pin the tail on the bunny. Here is a template to use: Pin_The_Tail_On_The_Bunny_ 2.

4. Celebrate the empty tomb! First, colorJesus’s_Tomb. Then, color and cut out Jesus’s_Tomb 2 (including the “arm”). Finally, cut on the dotted line on the coloring page and slide the “arm” of the rock into the slit on the coloring page. Now you can open the tomb and celebrate that it is empty!

5. Color the Easter Eggs: Easter_Egg Coloring Sheet 1  Easter_Eggs 2  Easter_Eggs 3

St. Patrick’s Day Fun

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St. Patrick’s Day is a great opportunity to shake up your homeschool routine a little, or just to have some fun celebrating the day with special family time outside of school hours. Following are a few of the ideas we have had fun with over the years. Enjoy! 

Media Recommendations:

Adventures in Odyssey does a great two part series that shares the life story of Maewyn Succat, the boy who we know as St.Patrick. You can find it here: 

https://www.adventuresinodyssey.com/episodes/394-saint-patrick-a-heart-a-fire-1-of-2/

VeggieTales does their own charming version of telling the story of “pig boy” aka: St.Patrick. You can find it here:

https://youtu.be/gBhG-7pj43E 

Writing Prompts:

Choose a writing prompt and give your kids 5-15 minutes (depending on the prompt you choose, plus their age and ability level) to write about it. Then have everyone share what they came up with. 

  1. The day started like any other, at least that is what you thought as you got out of bed & made your way down to the breakfast table. You didn’t pay much attention to the startled gasps in the room until your mom said, “Very funny. You turned yourself green for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s time to get ready for school though, so eat your breakfast & wash it off quickly.” Green? What is she talking about? Then you realize the hand holding your spoon is, in fact, green! Write about what happens next.
  2. Do you believe in luck? Why or why not?
  3. St. Patrick was a remarkable man. Although he was English by birth, he will forever be associated with Ireland because his faith in Jesus impacted that nation so dramatically. What country, culture, or area of society would you like to impact with your life and faith? Why? Brainstorm some ways this could happen. 
  4. Brainstorm an entire’s day worth of meals using only green foods. What would your menu include?
  5. Blinking, you rub your eyes in bewilderment. Yup, its still there. Quickly you close your eyes and then cautiously peek at the scene in front of you. “I must be asleep,” you think. “That has to be it.” You try to jolt yourself awake, but as you are doing so, you feel a tug on your pants. Startled you catch yourself just in time, before you kick what appears to be a quite real Leprechaun. You take the scene in—rainbow, Leprechaun, pot o’gold…wait, that’s not gold!

Easy Crafts:

  1. Color the provided three or four leaf clover coloring sheets. (You might want to add some extra sparkle with green glitter.)
    1. Three_Leaf_Clover_
    2. Four Leaf Clover
  2. Make a rainbow. Cut a paper plate in half & paint a rainbow on it. You can add streamers or yarn in matching colors by gluing them along then edges if you’d like to make it extra special. 
  3. Make a Clover “Suncatcher”:
    1. “Paint” glue on a piece of wax paper. Then put small pieces of different shades of green tissue paper onto the painted area. After it dries, peel the wax paper off & cut into the shape of a clover using the coloring pages provided above as a template. (You can keep the wax paper attached if it isn’t able to be removed easily.) Then tape to a window or use a hole punch and thread to create a way to hang it. 
    2. Put several shades of green crayon shavings between two pieces of wax paper. Then use an iron or hair dryer to melt the crayon shavings. Once it has cooled down, cut into the shape of a clover using the coloring pages above as a template. You may want to line the edges with a construction paper “frame”, but this step isn’t necessary. Then, hang in your window and enjoy!

Easy Green Treats:

  1. Make green rice cereal treats. Simply follow the directions to make rice cereal treats, adding in green food to the melted marshmallows. Let your kids have fun & do their best to craft a clover shape out of a small portion of it. Then, let them enjoy their treat! 
  2. Staying with the green theme, but straying from St. Patricks a bit: Read Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss. Then enjoy some green eggs & ham by simply adding some green food coloring, or a green veggie like spinach to the eggs as you scramble them. (A purée of green veggies works especially well.) If you’d like, you can make your ham green too. But, it also works to dice some ham and simply add it to your green eggs. 

Family Devotional: Through the Bible Series: Genesis

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This devotional is not created to replace a Bible Reading plan or your personal daily connection time with the Lord. Instead, they are meant to be a short, easy time of connection between both your family and the Lord. If you’d like, read the entirety of the scripture focus as a family. You can do this out of a “regular” version of the Bible, or you can find it in a Children’s Bible. In either case, I encourage you to find a version that you are comfortable with and is easy to understand for you and your children. If your children are old enough, have them read along in their own Bibles! If the reading is too long, you can do the devotional by reading only the verse highlight instead. 

Also, it can be helpful to reiterate the value for the Bible each time you read from it, as well as ask the Lord to speak to you and help you to understand and know Him. You can do this through a simple prayer like this, “Thank you Lord for giving us your words in the Bible. We know that your words are true. Please help us to understand them. Help us to know you and your ways and live according to them. Amen.”

Scripture Focus: Genesis 1-2 

Verse Highlight: Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

Introduction Question: What is something in your life that you would describe as “very good”? 

Discussion: It’s hard, if not impossible, to imagine what it would have been like to witness the creation of the world. Most of us have made something in our lives—a picture perhaps or a lego building. When we cook, we take ingredients and form them into an entirely new dish or product. But, we all start with something. Art materials, ingredients, blocks, and so on. It is beyond our understanding to make something from nothing. Yet, that is exactly what God did! The Bible tells us that God created everything out of nothing. He spoke and out of His words life came! He spoke the earth and all that is in it—plants, animals, the sea, and dry land—into being. He spoke and the earth and planets and stars were born. He spoke and time itself was created! All the Lord had to do was speak and things came into existence. That is difficult to understand, but it helps us to know how powerful the Lord actually is!

And, no only that, but when He was done, everything God was created was very good. Nothing God created was not good. This is because God is powerful, but (thankfully!) He is also good! His ideas are good. His ways are good. And his Because of this, we can trust Him. 

One last thing: Just like God created the world around us, He created people! In fact, it was people that He created in His own image. That means that He created each of us to be like Him. Because of this, we should have great value for ourselves and others because we all were created in the image of a God who is  both powerful and good. 

What is one way you see the goodness of God in the people in our family? What is one way you see the goodness of God in the way you were created?

Closing Activity: Close in prayer together. Have each person in your family thank the Lord for the person on their right. 

Bonus Activity: Color the giraffe coloring page and share the following facts about the way that they were created. 

giraffee coloring page

giraffee coloring page

Did you know that scientist can’t figure out how giraffes were created? In fact, each giraffe can be considered a mini miracle! This is because of the way their heart pressure works. Your heart pumps blood through your whole body. This is important because blood carries nutrients that your body needs. The force your heart is pumping with helps to determine your blood pressure. A giraffe needs high blood pressure to get blood all the way around its body. Do you know why? Because it has such a long neck! If it didn’t have high enough blood pressure, the blood would not make it up to its head. So, it makes sense that God would create the giraffe to have high blood pressure. But, there is one thing that could be a big problem. In order to drink water, giraffes need to bend down. Because of their high blood pressure, when they bend down, this could (and should!) cause them problems! In fact, with their rate of blood pressure, it their heads could be expected to explode when they bend down! Yet, we don’t hear about exploding giraffes. (And, if it were to happen, we can be sure that not only would we hear about it, but there would probably be some viral videos, too.) We also don’t hear about fainting giraffes. Have you ever gotten light headed when you stand up real fast? This is related to your blood pressure and your body adjusting as you go from sitting to standing. This is the miracle part: God created giraffes so that their blood pressure would adjust so that they could safely bend down to drink water and then stand back up without problems, but no one can figure out how He did this! Scientist are starting to understand a little, but they still have a long way to go to decoding this mystery. Yet, God easily created this unique and beautiful animal. This is because God is much smarter than we are. He is powerful. He is smart. And He is good. He created giraffes and all the rest of the animals and world, even people! So when we look around us we can see God’s beauty, wisdom and creativity. 

Christmas Homeschool Ideas

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Christmas is full of amazing possibilities for homeschool. Since we are less than two weeks out, however, I imagine that you (like me) are looking for easy ideas that don’t require a lot of preparation. The good news is that the internet is full of resources to help! So, I will do my best to share a few of them here, along with a little of what our family has done in the past. 

First of all, one of my favorite units to do in the week(s) leading up to Christmas is to explore what Christmas looks like in different places.ornaments pic This can be as simple or elaborate as you would like it to be. There have been years that we have spent weeks on this: the older kids research the traditions and celebrations in other countries, present what they have learned (which I supplement as I am able with videos, additional information, etc.) and then we do some of the activities. We have created beautiful ornaments (seen in the pic at the right), eaten yummy food, and had a lot of fun doing this together. Unfortunately, while years ago I discovered a website that had great resources for a unit like this, it is no longer available on-line. The good news is that there are many other options easily available (both free & those with a cost). Here are a few I found with a quick search:

I also recommend looking at your local library for free resources!

A variation of the above idea is to learn about how Christmas was celebrated in history or in different regions of America. 

Other Ideas:

There are also many coloring sheets, word finds, crossword puzzles, and more for you to discover! Even a quick search can help you to find some resources to make the week(s) before Christmas special. One other activity I love is to do a few different writing prompts for creative writing. 

Writing Prompts: 

  • Write about your favorite Christmas time traditions
  • What is the favorite gift you have ever given to someone? What is the favorite gift you have received?
  • Imagine what the first Christmas would have been like. Describe it. 
  • Write the synopsis for a new Christmas movie. 

Story Starters:

  • “The elves were all hard at work in the workshop with last minute Christmas preparations, when suddenly a loud noise startled them…”
  • “We were all excited when it started to snow on Christmas! But, when New Year’s came and it was still snowing…”
  • “Our family was just about to sit down to Christmas dinner when our door opened and in burst a family we had never seen before. ’Hello! We’re here! Merry Christmas!’they greeted us warmly, as they took their jackets off, put down packages, and started to make themselves at home…”
  • “It was a night like all others. I was out with the sheep, keeping watch. I was feeling a little sleepy, actually. Then, suddenly…”

If you’d like, you can use the following pages for Christmas themed stories. There is also one that can be used to make a Christmas acrostic poem. 

Christmas Acrostic

Nativity Writing Paper

Reindeer Writing Paper

Snowman Writing Paper

Tree Writing Paper

There are so many more possibilities, but I hope this sparks some fun ideas for you and your kids. Christmas is a special time, so no matter what you end up doing in the days leading up to it, I hope it is filled with joy, connection, and peace!

Merry Christmas!!

A Homeschool Thanksgiving

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give thanksHello, my friends!

I had plans—great plans!—to put together a comprehensive Thanksgiving Unit for you all to enjoy in the days approaching the holiday this year. However, you know what they say about plans. As our family has been going through Covid the past several weeks (or more accurately, covid has been going through our family) plans have changed! Lol. Thankfully, we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully life will be returning to our version of normal very soon. However, I didn’t want to wait until then to try and get this together, as Thanksgiving is approaching quickly! 

The good news for you is that there are many resources available on-line to help you create a special Thanksgiving homeschool experience. Some years, we have gone all out and done entire units, other years (like this one) I just throw in one or two extra activities to celebrate the holiday. So, here are a few of the things we have done & enjoyed in the past. I hope you enjoy them too. Happiest of Thanksgivings to you all! 

A few of the Thanksgiving Homeschool Books we have used:

  • “Squanto: Friend of The Pilgrims” by Clyde Robert Bulla,  A simplistic chapter book that tells the story of Squanto (Tisquantum)’s life.
  • “Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving” by Joseph Bruchac, Illustrated by Greg Shed, A beautifully illustrated picture book for kids, told from Squanto’s perspective. 
  • “Almost Home: A Story Based on the Life of the Mayflower’s Young Mary Chilton” by Wendy Lawton  The story of what it was like to be one of the pilgrims, as told from a young, teenage girl’s perspective. 
  • “Thanksgiving on Thursday” a Magic Treehouse Book by Mary Pope Osborne

Also, fun for younger children: 

  • “In November” by Cynthia Rylant
  • “Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving” by James Dean
  • “The Thank You Book” (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems
  • “Thank You, Omu!” By One Mora (Not a thanksgiving book, but a great book about sharing and showing thanks.)

Writing Prompts:

  • It was the night before Thanksgiving and …
  • Thanksgiving told from the turkey’s perspective
  • This year, I am most thankful….
  • Imagine you were on the Mayflower
  • What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition and why?
  • Thanksgiving Acrostic Poem 
  • How many words can you make out of the letters in “Thanksgiving”
  • List of 10* things I am thankful for 

*note: I adjust the number according to the age / writing level of the child completing it

Other:

  • Research the original Thanksgiving menu, bonus if you can find & execute a recipe
  • Research games kids would have played in 1621
  • Find out when Thanksgiving became a nationally recognized holiday. And, was it always celebrated on the the same Thursday in November?

 

Download a template for a Thanksgiving Acrostic Here Thanksgiving-Acrostic

Lined paper with a thanksgiving theme. Can be used with writing activities:  Give Thanks Paper and Thanksgiving Turkey Writing Paper

 

 

Fall Coloring Sheets

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Here are some fall coloring sheets my oldest daughter created. Print them off & enjoy!

P.S. It’s up to you whether you want to color them in traditional fall colors or create your own for a winter/fall scape. 😉

Girl with Pumpkin Coloring Page By: Eliana VanGelder

Girl with Pumpkin Coloring Page
By: Eliana VanGelder

Pumpkin Coloring Page By: Eliana VanGelder

Pumpkin Coloring Page
By: Eliana VanGelder