Friday, April 22, 2011

Why do you celebrate Easter....

the reason for Easter celebrations is grace....

Easter Links again

http://www.curriculumconnection.net/blog/ this blog has some interesting Easter entries.


Feeding sheep or amusing goats?

This is a very interesting article/sermon by Spurgeon, done many years ago. Not much has changed, has it - apart from things perhaps getting even worse....

Albert Einstein: Intelligence

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.

An Australian Secular view of Easter:

Some More Easter Activity Links

http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BiblePrintablesEaster2.html

http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsEasterJellyBeanPrayerBox.html

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Passover/Easter

I get really excited at this time of the year as we come up to Easter and look at the passover and see how clearly the passover points to the Messiah. And again I have been totally awestruck to read the Easter story in the gospels again .....never think you are too old to learn more or to get exited about what God has done for you- go on.... take a few hours and read this beautiful true story to your family. 

Have you bought your Easter eggs yet - good for you! More importantly the questions should be have you read the story of Jesus death and resurrection? Have you  explained how the passover points the Jew to their beloved Messiah.....Easter bunnies will be here for your child's life time, the impact of Jesus death and resurrection will be here for your child's eternity. 

I am writing little booklets for my children and my friend's children this Easter about the character of God, giving the a theological framework/explanation to the background of Easter. There is soooo much that is beautiful and pure and lovely that we can teach and encourage our children with at Easter time. In  comparison Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs seem crude and crass. "So do you have Easter Eggs," you ask? Yes, of coarse we do! The Old Testament is full of parties/celebrations and for us Easter Sunday is a happy day of remembering that Christ is alive! And for better or worse we have eggs, not in copious quantities but enough for a good Easter egg hunt and to feel like we have a party on hand. I do at some stage remind the children that an egg is symbolic of new life and that we can have a new life in Christ, but this is not my reason for having Easter eggs.

Happy Easter dear ones, may God bless and keep you and make his face to shine on you and give you His peace!


Here are some interesting links: 


Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Adventure: a quotation

An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.
An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.
-G. K. Chesterton

My Car is an Aeroplane

Nait Saint's testimony still lives on through his son, Steve! Any aeroplane crazy person will love this one! 



Art Curriculum:

This is what we have used and love over the years....we started with drawing text books which is the cheapest and best value for money. Gordon School of Art is the best art program for the really serious artist. Draw today is great for thinking out of the box, you draw everything inside dawn, train your brain to draw what you actually see. My older kids have won art prizes with this method - the down side you use charcoal which is messy if you are not thoroughly organised with a basin of water next to each person. Even someone who is not a natural artists person gets brilliant results as long as they are prepared to try and work hard! 

Presently we are using How Great thou Art for my 11, 9, 6 year olds; Beginning Drawing and I can DO all Things and I am very happy with them....we are really pleased with it! I also have their Art History/appreciation  program which I have glimpsed at and LOVE!

Draw Write Now is good for independent work! And is a real bonus if a kid likes art but not writing. The  beginner Gluck Art programme can be used  independently with a mature kid. We generally buy from Christian books http://www.christianbook.com/ or Rainbow Resource centre http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php or Timberdoodle http://www.timberdoodle.com/ if they stock things. Of course you get free postage from Book Depository in the UK and Amazon UK has free postage to some countries now!


Teach Art at Home:
http://www.teachartathome.com/art-instruction-cds.html
How Great Thou Art: http://www.howgreatthouart.com/
Gordon School of Art: http://www.newmasters.com/
Draw Write Now: http://www.drawyourworld.com/
Drawing Textbook: http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Textbook-Bruce-McIntyre/dp/B000GTZZ9Q
The Gluck Method: http://thegluckmethod.com/howtodraw/courses/index.html
Draw and Paint today: http://www.sonlight.com/RA011.html http://www.sonlight.com/RA017.html

Happy reflecting our great Artist, who paints a new sunset and sunrise for us each day, and creates beauty in each cell, each flower, each mountain, each ocean for his own glory and for our pleasure. What a wonderful God we serve, Joy