Archive by Author | Lisa McAfee

Just a Touch of Love

Nov7

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I was preparing for my history lesson today and was reading about the Franciscan and Dominican orders of priests and nuns in the Roman Catholic Church. Both of these orders were begun with their mission being service to all men. I love that!

So, today as you begin your week, why not perform a kind deed for a friend, neighbor, or a stranger? Find a place where you can take the children if they are able to go with you. I am going to step out of my comfort zone and help once again in the inner city, something I did with my husband for many years. Yes, it’s a bit scary, and you certainly don’t need to do that, but we have been called to serve those who are in need and that is what I think I will do.

If you are wanting some ideas to help you think of places to show just a touch of love, consider the following:

Food pantry– take canned goods to them and/or see if they need volunteers

Sort out your clothes and take them to Goodwill, AmVets, or another organization.

Visit a nursing home Go a couple of times if you can. People in nursing homes love company, and especially children.

Do you have a jar of change? How about having the children count and wrap the money (math!) and decide where you as a family would like to give the money. Your children will enjoy helping, and being involved, and you are modeling kindness and generosity.

Drop off goodies to your neighbors. So few people have time to bake any more that a plate full of goodies is greatly appreciated. If you don’t want to give food, then how about a candle and a card or something else? It’s the kindness shown that counts!

Make cards for service men and women. Operation We Are Here has several links of organizations that you can send cards and letters. You can also deliver cards to neighbors, friends, church members, and family.

Volunteer at a soup kitchen This is such a rewarding thing to do. The act of serving someone always makes my day brighter for some reason. The homeless love to see young people and enjoy it when someone talks to them.

Do you knit, crochet, or quilt? There are hospital organizations that have need of blankets and baby hats. This would be great for school too since it can be counted as fine arts. 🙂

Ask your children! Do they have something that is on their heart? Children are tenderhearted and many times see needs that we didn’t recognize.

I leave you with a link from a scene in the movie, Sister Act, called Just a Touch of Love. The church went and got involved in the community, where they helped the people and the people, in turn, helped them. Pretty cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter and the Wolf

Oct31

Peter and the Wolf was one of the first introductions to classical music that my sons received, and what a great piece it is for children! Sergei Prokofiev, who wrote this piece for Russia’s Central Children’s Theatre, tells the story through music of a boy who leaves the house and goes into the woods, unbeknownst to his sleeping grandfather.

The animals he encounters, and the trouble and he and his animal friends find themselves in, are told through text and music. Each character is represented by a different instrument. The strings were chosen for Peter, while the flute represents the  bird, and the french horn is the low and scary sounding wolf. No need to worry though, the townsmen (timpani section) and Peter’s grandfather (bassoon) come to help.

The book I have featured here includes a CD of the story and the music. The music is actually recorded by the Cincinnati Pops, which I found interesting since this is one of our local symphonies. If you are familiar with the original story, this book has a different ending. You can click on the book to take you to the Amazon link to purchase it or listen to an excerpt of the CD.

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If you are interested in exploring the instruments more with your student, then check out these free instruments worksheets. Just click on the pictures and it will take you to the activity pages that are found on myfavoritekindofcrazy.com

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You can incorporate art and language arts by having your student complete the worksheet I created. An example of the worksheet is below.  peter-and-the-wolf 

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Sample- click on link above

Enjoy!

~Lisa

Helping Children Tell the Truth

Oct17

Torn Truth

He who permits himself to tell a lie once,

Finds it much easier to do it a second  and third time,

until at length it becomes habitual.

He tells without attending to it,

and truths  without the world’s believing him.

~Thomas Jefferson~

Telling the truth has been a challenge since the beginning of time, starting in the Garden of Eden. It is important for our children to be taught to tell and uphold the truth. Every one of us is faced with the opportunity to lie when faced with a consequence we may not want. So, how do we help children tell the truth, especially when they know that there will be unfavorable consequences?

  1. Let him/her know the truth is always the best. I have a confession to make. When I was little, I was a liar. I remember as a first grader I had fabricated so many tales I couldn’t keep them all straight! I can remember my mom confronting me and when I confessed I felt so much better. I tried not to lie from that day forward because I never wanted to be known as a liar.
  2. Provide your child with an opportunity to tell the truth. Have you ever accused your child of not telling the truth only to discover you were wrong? I sure have! If you know (or think you know) they have lied, bring up the subject in a non-threatening way so that they have the opportunity to confess and correct what they have done.
  3. Show mercy when s/he tells the truth. Shouldn’t there be a consequence for lying? Yes, but I found that if I could extend grace to my sons, this provided an environment to admit they had lied and seek forgiveness.
  4. Make the punishment fit the crime. If your child lies about something and you know it could lead to bigger issues, punish them according to the offense to show them the consequences of lying. We had an incident in our home where a lie was told and the offender had to go to an adult they didn’t know and confess what they had done. I believe he never wanted to have to repeat that!
  5. Council and pray with your child. Get to the reason as to why they chose to lie if you are able. Pray with him/her afterwards.
  6. Let your child know you love them. That is so important because children feel bad in disappointing us. Let him/her know everyone makes mistakes, but being honest will build trust as lying erodes that trust.
  7. Give them a big hug! When a child confesses that they have lied, be quick to forgive and squeeze the stuffings out of them!

Have a great week!

~Lisa

 

 

Laundry Product Alternatives

Oct10

Every once in a while I write about something besides topics that are not directly related to teaching.  Since homeschooling involves every aspect of our lives, I wanted to tell you about a couple of laundry products that I am trying out. I have been looking for natural alternatives to laundry detergent ingredients that I can’t even pronounce the names and chemical laden dryer sheets. I found two products that I have been very pleased with and wanted to share with you!

Soap Nuts When I first heard about these I couldn’t quite figure out what they were. I thought maybe I had to prepare a soapy concoction, then gather nuts (acorns or some such thing), and have the laundry soap adhere to them somehow. I am happy to report that this is not the case! Are you curious? 🙂

Soap nuts are actually called by the Latin term sapindus. It is a genus of about five to twelve species of shrubs and small trees in the Lychee family, Sapindaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions in both the Old World and New World. (wikipedia) Here is a picture of the plant. (Ooo! Ahh!)

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The interesting property that these nuts have is that they release a soapy substance.The nuts are dried and harvested and sold to consumers. These nuts can be used several times for your laundry loads before they have to be thrown away. You put the nuts in a muslin bag that is provided and use 5-6 of them per load. I just have to be careful to locate the bag as I am emptying the washing machine. So far,  I am averaging 4 extra large loads per 6 nuts. It is actually cheaper than the expensive name brand soaps and the natural types of liquid detergents too. soap-nuts-laundry-soap

I have been using these for a few weeks and I think they are working quite well. There is a slight vinegar smell when the soap nuts are wet, but I can’t smell anything when the clothes come out of the washing machine. I have quite a good sense of smell too! You can add a few drops of essential oils if you like to your wash water, but I haven’t done this.  If you are interested in learning more about the product I am using, here is a link. CLICK HERE 

Wool Dryer Balls are the other new product I have been using. These New Zealand wool balls actually absorb the moisture from your clothing while they are tumbling in your dryer. They lift your clothes and help reduce static that accumulates. I bought a package of 6, and while the directions say you do not need to use all of them in your loads, I have found that I need to use all of them if I am drying a large to extra large load.  If I use fewer of them, the clothes are not quite dry and there is a little bit of static.

Overall, I am pleased with the wool balls and just need to be careful taking out the clothes as they want to roll out onto the floor. I just leave them in the dryer instead of removing them every time. They are surprisingly dry and I do not think they will mildew if I do this. They are supposed to last for several years and I am sure that depends upon how many times per week you have to use them. I am figuring that if they last a couple of years I will have saved money over buying dryer sheets. Here is a link if you would like to check out a description of this type of product. CLICK HERE

 

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By the way, I am not being paid to give a review on either of these products. 🙂 I was wanting to share some ways I am trying to take care of my family without breaking the piggy bank. Have a great day!

~Lisa

A Minute to Win It Games

Oct3

I had the family over for dinner and some games afterwards. Have you ever played A Minute to Win It? I had seen these ideas on happiness is homemade . I created a spreadsheet and whoever got the best time for each activity  won that event. Our daughter-in-law was the overall winner, but I won the Cookie Face contest. 🙂 You can modify these games for your children if you would like to try them.   You can give points for completion or participation and use a smaller amount with the various games. Our special treat for the winner was a bag of Skinny Pop popcorn because everyone in my family loves popcorn!

Here is the spreadsheet I created to keep track of the games and descriptions of each of the games. If  you are interested in seeing a close-up of the document click here:  minute-to-win-it-games  I am including pictures of the fun too!

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Hex Nut Stacker

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Cookie face

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Cookie Face- almost there!

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Stack it Up!

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Suck it Up!

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Scoop It Up

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Movin’ on Up!

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Defy Gravity

As you can see, we had a lot of fun! So, if you are looking for something fun to do with your family, why not try some of these or create your own Minute to Win It games?

~Lisa