Being His Hands & Feet in the Community

In December, it seems our communities become inundated with hands and feet.  Charitable giving is at all-time highs.  Maybe because tis' the season for love, peace, and joy?  Maybe to ease guilty consciences who spent way to much at the mall on ME & MINE? or Maybe to ensure a tax right off just in the St. Nick of time? 

Whatever the motivation, as followers of Christ, we need to be mindful of the needs always around us... every month, every day!  If we desire to share God's love and point others to Him, we must model for and teach our children to serve all year long.  Within our communities, there are so many opportunities to get involved.  Just a few suggestions...

1) Volunteer to serve meals
Does your community have a soup kitchen or shelter?  Group home?  Usually families can serve together in these venues.  Whether dishing out food, clearing dishes, or chatting with the people everyone can be involved.

2) Volunteer to serve at clothes closets, food panties, pregnancy resource centers, etc.
Can your family volunteer time to sort and organize donations?  Could you help those in need shop for necessary items?  I know my kiddos have loved being able to help their grandparents stock canned goods at a local food pantry.

3) Have a drive and  collect items for local charities

• canned goods/non-perishables
• school supplies
• toiletries and personal items
• baby care items
• fans/air conditioners in the summer
• hats, scarves, gloves, and warm socks in the winter

One group of people that my kiddos have become keenly aware of are the homeless.  A couple years back, as a Sunday School project, we put together bags to keep in our vehicles to give to the homeless men and women we'd pass along the road.  The plastic bags contained bottled water, snack crackers, canned tuna, slim jims, small toiletries, $5 McDonald's gift cards, etc.  In our rural area, we actually didn't have a lot of opportunities to share these bags, but as we traveled into the more populated cities we always found those in need.

 

Since moving right outside of Nashville, our experiences with homeless people have greatly increased.  The kids are quick to point out anyone they see with a cardboard sign.  Whether we pass a bag or a few bucks out the window or purchase one of the $1 news publications being sold, we are able to ask the person's name and pray that God blesses them.  Our children are learning to look all people in the eyes and know that each and everyone is a cherished, loved child of God. 

In what ways do you serve your community as a family?  How are you modeling and teaching your children to be His hands and feet?

I'm blogging 5 Days of Being His Hands & Feet as a part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew's 5 Days Blog Hop.  Be sure and check out my previous posts in this series Being His Hands & Feet Through Sponsorship , Being His Hands & Feet Globally (from right where you are). and Being His Hands & Feet in Times of Tragedy.  There are some phenomenal bloggers participating in this blog hop and so many fabulous topics.  I guarantee you will find something of interest to read. Click below!

Being His Hands & Feet In Times of Tragedy

School shootings, bombs, war, natural disasters.... the daily news bombards us with tragedy after tragedy.  In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, a quote from Fred Rogers went viral:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.

I loved these words.  They offer comfort and hope to all of us... especially our children.  A step further, because of the knowledge and love of Jesus, I want my children to know that they too can be helpers and minister to other in times of need. 

Because we have forgone cable this year, my kids really hadn't seen or heard about the tornadoes in Oklahoma.  Then, an opportunity to help arose within one of our homeschool groups, so I explained to the kids the situation.  The group was collecting items to send.  When rattling off suggestions, the kids stopped me at baby supplies.  With a baby in our home, they knew how important these things were, so we gathered diapers, wipes, disposable diaper bags, and paper towels. 

With our donations, the kids also created cards with messages of hope and encouragement.  Some spelling help from Mom, but the words were from their hearts.  As a proud Momma, I took these pictures.  Little did I know that I would share the kids' own words with them later as a reminder of hope in our own trying situation.  God knew!

 

Tragedies can be on a grand scale... as the tornadoes.  Tragedy can affect one family or an individual.  Either way, for anyone in the midst of trials and struggles, we can extend generosity, love, and God's kindness. 

When a fire took the home and all the belongings of a family in our community, we gathered items in our home to donate... a set of dishes from the cupboards, clothes from the closet, etc.  It was the kids who went to their bookshelves and toy bins to find items to give away.  They did so with cheerful hearts.

When a neighbor's family was going through a divorce and having a hard time, we opened our home.  The kids loved having lots of extra play dates with their friends.  While they didn't understand the situation, they knew their buddies were hurting and were glad to offer a time of fun and distraction.  They invited their pals along to church camp as well, and they all has a great time.

When tragedy strikes, how can your children be the hands and feet of Jesus? When someone experiences a death in the family, we often take a meal.  Let your kids help prepare it or make some cookies to take along.  When an elderly neighbor becomes ill or is no longer able to get out and about, have your kids grab her mail, mow his yard, pick her flowers, or go over for a chat.  There are so many opportunities for our families to serve.  Please share your experiences in the comments!

I'm blogging 5 Days of Being His Hands & Feet as a part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew's 5 Days Blog Hop.  Be sure and check out my two previous posts in this series Being His Hands & Feet Through Sponsorship and Being His Hands & Feet Globally (from right where you are).  There are some phenomenal bloggers participating in this blog hop and so many fabulous topics.  I guarantee you will find something of interest to read. Click below!

BrainFood Learning: The Fascinating World of Mammals (Review)

BrainFood Learning developed out of Bryce and Jennifer Moodey's inability to find both entertaining and educational videos for their young children.  What makes these products unique is the teaching of content and facts that other videos shy away from or simplify believing such information to beyond small children's comprehension.  However, a stickler for using correct terminology and vocabulary, I truly appreciate that when teaching a subject the products don't "dumb-it-down"!  The mind of a child truly is a sponge.  If given the opportunity to learn, they will blow you away with what they can grasp and conceptualize. 

I'm pleased that our family had the opportunity to review the Fascinating World of Mammals DVD.

$14.99

52 minutes

Recommended for All Ages

 

The animals introduced within the video include:  the beaver, kangaroo, moose, dolphin, lion, giraffe, elephant, bat, chimpanzee, and bear.  Each one is shown in its natural habitat and explained in detail.  Children learn about the animal's surroundings, behavior, diet, lifespan, and identifying characteristics. 

Fascinating World of Mammals is a mix of still pictures and live video narrated by an adult female. The voicing is easy to understand and pitched in a pleasant range for comfortable listening.  On some of the pictures and in the review section, text appears on the screen.  Words are in a font and size that is also viewer friendly.

 

I found the organization of the DVD to be a strength.  A segment was dedicated to each animal.  Therefore, it is easy to go back and view an animal in isolation without having to rewind and fast forward.  Also, the review portion was divided into 5 sections.  For younger students, the flash cards may suffice while more advanced students could benefit from the fact or big word (vocabulary) reviews. 
 

Watch a short preview of The Fascinating World of Mammals below.




A recent addition, BrainFood Learning has developed curriculum to use in conjunction with their videos.  The Mammals Lesson Plans are available for free download.  You will find 16 pages of games, vocabulary review, questions/answers, quizzes, and writing activities.

Now to get the real review, I polled the experts... Jeremiah, Caleb, and Rachel :-)  First, I asked if they could tell me what makes an animal a mammal.  Their responses were right on the money:

• They have hair.
• They are warm-blooded.
• They breathe with lungs.
• They have live babies... don't hatch from eggs.

Happy that they grasped the main idea. I asked each of them to share what they learned and their favorite parts of the Fascinating World of Mammals. 

Jeremiah:  The dolphins are my favorite.  Dolphins use echolocation... bats and whales too.  Oh, and fruit bats eat avocados.

Caleb:  My favorite part was the questions at the end.  I learned that herbivores eat leaves and carnivores eat meat.  The beaver was my favorite animal or the kangaroo.  The end of the beavers teeth is made for chomping.  Kangaroos balance on their tails to kick.  When a beaver is scared, it slaps its tail on the water.

Rachel:  I like the monkeys (chimpanzees), bats, and bears. I know the monkeys (chimpanzees) can eat everything. 

Success!  They learned new information and enjoyed it in the process.  Click below to read other Schoolhouse Review Crew members' reviews.  While we reviewed the Fascinating World of Mammals, other families reviewed the Fascinating World of Insects and the Fascinating World of Birds.

Being His Hands & Feet Globally (from right where you are)

Yesterday's blog post definitely had a global perspective, but as I feel so passionately about child sponsorship it morphed into an entire post of its own.  Still there are sooooo many ways that we can get our children involved in serving the world and sharing the love of Jesus even when they may be to young to travel to far off lands and places.  I'm just going to hit some highlights and offer suggestions based on things we have done in the past and are planning to do in the future.

Operation Christmas Child

One of our favorite ways to serve is through packing Operation Christmas Child boxes.  The kids each pack at least one box  for a child the same age and gender as they are.  This personalizes the experience, and it is as if they are shopping for a friend.  They also draw pictures and write letters to be included in their box, and last year we were able to track our box and knew its final destination.

All year long, we are able to pick up trinkets and treasures, save happy meal toys, and hold on to travel size toiletries.  Actually, with back to school sales, now is a great time to grab small items for your shoeboxes.  Don't forget end of season clearance racks as well.  T-shirts are fairly cheap right now.   

Meal Packing

Often our kiddos take the fully stocked pantry and fridge for granted and forget that hunger and starvation are very real problems in our world.  Two of my kiddos still recall a time in their early lives where they lacked food to eat, so meal packing is very meaningful to them.  Knowing they are helping other children have nutritious food brings an immediate smile to their faces.

There are a number of organizations that are involved with meal packing.  Often, a church serves as a host site and volunteers from the congregation and community work together to pack a large number of meals.  With our church, we packed a million meals for Haiti.  We're looking forward to another meal packing session this fall.  Possibly there is a meal packing event near you... or maybe your church can host one soon!

Supply Drives

There are always needs.  Some are great and some are small, but we can all do something to tackle a need.  We have partnered with various organizations and ministries over the years.  Last summer, we volunteered to host an Anti-Fungal Cream drive for AHOPE in Ethiopia.  We have worked with UniKids to collect school supplies for children in Ethiopia.  The possibilities are endless.  Connect with a group that you believe in and are passionate about their work.  Identify and/or ask them about a need.  Then, grab the kids and hit the pavement.  Mom - don't forget you social media circles too.

Fundraising

Malaria nets, mattresses, HIV/AIDS medication, goats, chickens, Bibles, etc.  At one point or another, we have financially contributed to and/or purchased these items for things in need.  Often we have involved the children in making the decision as to what to purchase, but moving forward, we'd like them to also be involved in the act of purchasing.  Thus, there will be some fundraising on their parts.

They already earn an allowance, and each week they are supposed to designate some of their earnings as "GIVE" money.  Absolutely, they are welcome to use these funds, but we're going to encourage them to do more.  How will that look?  Possibly...

• do extra chores/odd jobs for family and friends to earn more money
• have a yard sale, lemonade stand, bake sale, etc.
• have an ____-a-thon to earn money (walk-a-thon, bike-a-thon, read-a-thon)
• write a letter to friends/family and ask them to support whatever project they are working towards

Are you teaching your children that they can be the hands and feet of Jesus throughout the world?  Yes, even from right where you are!!!  In what ways are you serving together?  Please share in the comments.

 

I'm blogging 5 Days of Being His Hands & Feet as a part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew's 5 Days Blog Hop.  Be sure and check out my  Day 1 post.  There are some phenomenal bloggers and many fabulous topics.  I guarantee you will find something of interest to read. Click below!

 

 

 

 

Schoolhouse Expo Coming to a Home Near You.... YOUR HOME!

  A week-long Schoolhouse Expo Event August 19-23, 2013 1:00pm-8:00pm (Eastern) / 10:00am-5:00pm (Pacific)   WHERE'S THE VENUE???  YOUR HOME!!!!   Yes, this event is LIVE, but it is all online.   Times not good for you? Not a problem.  All sessions are recorded! All registrants will receive a link to the recordings when the expo week is complete.  For Only $24 you can listen to the most sought after homeschool speakers again and again.  In your P.J.'s... With your midnight snack... Feeding the baby in the wee hours of the morning... While on your treadmill... Afternoon break... The choice is yours! 

While comfortable and relaxed in your own home, you can enjoy a wonderful homeschool event. 

 

I'm excited to attend the expo without the distractions of crowds, vendors, blogger meet-ups, and curriculum to browse and buy.  I can actually take time to really soak in and absorb the messages of the speakers.  Not to mention I can hit rewind any time I want!  No need to whisper to the momma beside me to ask, "What did he say?"  WooHOO!!!

 

Won't you join me?  Register TODAY!

 

 

 

Being His Hands & Feet Through Sponsorship

In September of 2011, while at an Ethiopian New Year celebration, we had the opportunity to hear the director of the Kebron Carepoint speak.  Yewbi shared her heart, vision, and incredible ministry.  Already a huge fan of the work of Tom Davis and Children's Hope Chest, it was a no brainer for my hubby and I to decide for our family to sponsor a child.

While I mingled among the guests and helped my team clean up after the event, Jon took the kiddos over to the table to choose a child from the display of pictures.  They selected one of the sweet little ones that would be served at Kebron.  Thus, Eliham became an extension of our family.


Yewbi shared with us that this precious girl was not one of the children that resided at the orphanage but instead was still with her family.  She would visit the Kebron Carepoint daily to have her physical and spiritual needs met, but in her case, her family was still intact.  Praise God!  They are impoverished and also of the Muslim faith.  Thankfully, by visiting Kebron each day Eliham would be able to thrive and grow, and most importantly she'd have the opportunity to learn of Jesus and God's saving grace.

Being that adoption is something we live day-in-and-day-out and is always a topic of conversation, the kids immediately asked if we were going to adopt Eliham.  Jon and I were able to explain that Eliham would be an extension of our family, but because of our contributions she'd be able to remain with her family.  We would send money to ensure that she had food to eat, clothes to wear, received medical care, got an education, and would be able to hear about Jesus.  The kids were excited to be a part of the ministry to Eliham and her family.

Now it would have been extremely easy for our family to have gone home after the event, put our munchkins to bed, wake up the next morning, and them never think another thing about beautiful Eliham again.  We could write a check or have $34 electronically drafted from our bank account each month and our children would never know the difference.  Instead, we were determined to make this sponsorship a family committment.  It was and continues to be our desire to teach our children that they can be God's hands and feet through sponsorship.

Ask me HOW?

1.)  PRAY

When we got home, Eliham's precious face was clipped to the refrigerator.  The idea was to combat the "out of sight - out of mind" theory.  Because she was placed in a central location that we each come in contact with multiple times a day, we are constantly reminded to pray.  Guess what?  Yep, you got it!  Eliham's picture still hangs on my fridge today!  Actually, we just received an updated information card.  I'm thrilled to say that Eliham's status was updated and changed from extremely vulnerable to vulnerable... our sponsorship is making a difference!

2.)  COMMUNICATION

We receive updates from Eliham including pictures and correspondence from her translated in English.  In response, my kiddos are able to color her pictures, write to her, and answer her questions.  While some of this is done by snail mail, Children's Hope Chest makes this so easy to do as you can send your sponsor child correspondence via email at any time.

3.)  CARE PACKAGES

Several times a year, we have the opportunity to extend our love to Eliham through gifts.  Whenever an individual or team is traveling to Ethiopia and will be visiting Kebron, we can send a care package.  It would be simple for me to hit the store and select items to fill a gallon zip lock bag all on my own.  However, it is much more meaningful when my kids are the ones roaming the aisles to find trinkets and treasures to give Eliham.  They also choose a new outfit or two they think she'd like.  Then, once home, they help me carefully package everything.  They so look forward to the updates and pictures of Eliham with her new things.

 

(Eliham wearing one new outfit and holding her care package.  June 2013)

4.) GO

My friend, Kristin Roach, the Kebron Carepoint Coordinator, is able to take a yearly trip to visit the kids at Kebron and she often takes one of her teenagers along.  While my kiddos are a bit small to serve on an international missions trip, they can be very much involved in my preparations to go.  (3rd time is a charm right... I have high hopes to join Kristin this summer!) We are already brainstorming items we could collect to donate and fundraising efforts we can participate in to tackle one of the capital projects.  Then, when they are older, they too can travel to Kebron.

Would your family consider being the Hands & Feet of Jesus through sponsorship?  There are many organizations that offer sponsorship opportunities.  I have the utmost respect for Children's Hope Chest.  They operate with integrity and your money truly goes to create life change for the children sponsored.  In the short time that Eliham has been an extended part of our family, we have absolutely seen her flourish.  We love the reports of how she has come out of her shell and is engaging with others.  She is healthy and learning about Jesus.  Oh how we LOVE sponsorship!

Several of Eliham's friends are without sponsors.  Maybe you are who they are waiting for!!!

Visit the Kebron Community Page.  Select one of the children marked unsponsored, and make them part of your family today!!!!  SPONSOR!

I'm blogging 5 Days of Being His Hands & Feet as a part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew's 5 Days Blog Hop.  There are some phenomenal bloggers and many fabulous topics.  Homeschooling, everyday living, being frugal, faith... the topics vary so much.  Click below.  I'm sure you'll find many great reads of interest especially to you!

Gryphon House - Global Art (Review)

Educator?  Parent? Caregiver?  Do any of these titles fit?  If so and you aren't already, you should become familiar with Gryphon House.  This company publishes and distributes high quality, award winning books and resources children.  Ready to check them out?  There are hundreds of free activities on their website that you can view and use today with your children.  Believe it or not, these freebies are just a sampling of the gems this company has to offer.

 

190 pages, paperback
PreK-5th grade

$16.95

Our family had the opportunity to review Global Art by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Jean Potter.  We found this book unique in comparison to other art books we have used in the past.  Mainly because of the global perspective being at the forefront.  The Table of Contents has the projects organized by continent and therein by either country or people group.  Thus, it makes it easy to find an art project that would make a great pairing for your current history or geography studies.  On each project page, there is a globe with a star on it notating the location of the project and a "Kid you know?" paragraph providing small blurbs and cultural factoids. 

The Global Art projects include collage, painting, drawing, printing, sculpting, and constructing.  With over 135 projects to choose from, you could find yourself lost as to where to begin.  Not so thanks to the fabulous organization of this book.  I greatly appreciated the "Using the Icons" page at the beginning of the book.  Yes, there are self-explanatory paintrbrush, scissors, construction, etc. icons to illustrate the techniques being used, but of most interest to me were the experience level and planning and preparation icons.  Using a star system, I was able at a glance to see if a project was for a beginner, a child with limited experience, or someone who was more experienced.  The numerals 1-3 denoted whether the materials used were common household items, familiar items that may need to be purchased, or unfamiliar items that could still easily be found.

Knowing the hustle and bustle of summer and the amount of traveling we would be doing, I specifically sought out projects for beginners that required little planning and utilized items already in our home.  These projects became filler and great boredom busters and rainy day activities.  As we move in to our formal school year, we'll try some of the more challenging, time consuming projects.  Even better, we can match our art studies with our upcoming geography and history studies.

Some of our favorite projects included... a Tangram Design Game from China.  The boys each cut out their tangrams and then did one of the book's recommended variations.  They laid the pieces out in a design, traced an outline, then had their brother attempt to fit the pieces back into the pattern outline.  Rachel didn't participate in this project because she was more interested in making a decorative necklace (out of a paper plate) from Central Africa. 

All of the kids created their own Hands Across America Paper Dolls.  I can remember making these as a child.  AND... just as I had trouble cutting the paper to keep the dolls hands linked, my children did as well.  A little trial and error was a part of this project, but the end project was cute.

Another fun project was the Soft Coral Watercolor from Fiji.  My kids LOVE to paint, and I'm the Mommy who usually encourages them to use it sparingly.  They loved this project because they were supposed to paint very wet so the colors could blend. 
(I'm having issues uploading pics of these masterpieces... grumble, grumble, grumble.  UGHHH!  I'll have to edit this post in the near future when I can get the camera & computer to play nice!)

Be sure to read the reviews of other Schoolhouse Review Crew members to see how they used Global Art in their homes.  Likewise, some crew members reviewed The Homegrown Preschooler.  If you have a wee one, you will want to pay attention to their insightful posts.