The Gospel for Pirates

A number of years ago, when my oldest was close to 3-years-old, I was ready to teach him the Christmas story. But, it happened a little like this:

I asked Luke where Jesus was born. His response, "the hospital?"

So, I read him the first part of the Christmas story in the Jesus Storybook Bible and afterward asked him the same question. His response this time, "That place? Starbucks?"

I guess it was all the talk about stars?

Then we went to the page about God creating space, and I asked him, "Luke, who created the stars and outer space?" And you know what he said? Darth Vader. Darth Vader.

True story. I’m still learning that teaching my kids about God’s word and the truth takes perseverance and seemingly repeating the same truths over and over again. To be honest, sometimes it’s discouraging when I feel like I’ve told them a story or a truth over and over and they just don’t seem to get it. Have you been there?

Last year, I did a little survey and asked you guys what you want your kids to know the most about the Bible and God. Overwhelmingly, you responded with The Gospel or God’s Love. So, I wanted to create something that could break down the Gospel story for kids. I often struggle with knowing how to best communicate the Gospel to my kids—on one hand, it is so simple. God loved us so much that He sent His son to die for our sins and give us eternal life. And on the other hand, how does a man dying on a cross thousands of years ago for our sins make sense to our kids? Ever feel the same way?

And I started thinking about it, I started thinking about the curse of sin, and then I started thinking about pirates and treasure. So, here we are! I hope that the Gospel for Pirates provides an engaging and simple way for you to walk your kids through the Gospel story—from creation to restoration. There are four lessons total: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.

Going through the Gospel for Pirates was an engaging way to share the Gospel with my boys—the moldy “sin” bread especially struck a cord and they enjoyed creating their big pirate map.

My hope that if you use this resource that it can help you share the Gospel with your little pirates too!

Have a good one!

Nicole

Encouragement for your Earbuds

Everyday our homes are filled with noises and sounds. In my home, there is often a lot of noise--my music soft in the background, cars buzzing, lego play, boisterous boys, shouting, conversations and directions, and of course, a few sibling squabbles.

Lately, I've been thinking about the importance of what we hear in our home. Not simply the level of noise, but what is actually being said and heard. 

Are my boys overstimulated by the extra music in the background or is it contributing to the mood?

 Is that podcast teaching my kids Biblical truths or trustworthy ideas? 

 Is that audiobook engaging and helpful or is it full of unkind characters or content?

 Is my tone kind and gentle or harsh and critical (or loud!)? (Ouch. That's a hard question to ask!)

 As I ask myself these questions, I find myself on the hunt for resources that bring a “noise of encouragement” in our home. So, I'd like to share a few resources and tools that have been helpful for me as we work towards this :)

Here are a few of MY FAVORITE encouraging + positive listening resources

DWELL BIBLE APP

I love using this for myself, but also like to use it for our Bible reading or listening time. I especially love the variety of voices and translations included. It really is SO encouraging to not only read, but to hear, the word of God! It is a yearly subscription, but it has been absolutely worth it! Learn more about Dwell here.

MUSIC PLAYLISTS

I love using Spotify to create playlists for different moods and genres. You don't have to use Spotify, but it's fun to curate a list of music that is encouraging and uplifting! I'd love to know some of your favorite songs/playlists!  Recently, I’ve loved the music by Mission House, Shane and Shane, and CityAlight. You can see some of my favorite playlists here:

• Psalms playlist (one of my current favorites)

• The Lord is my Shepherd playlist

• Give Thanks playlist

PODCASTS

Of course, you can definitely find a lot of not-so-great content on podcasts, but I'll share a few that we've enjoyed. For kids, we've loved the God's Big Story podcast, Lamplighter Kids Stories (this is a new-to-us podcast that we’ve enjoyed so far), and Kid's Bible Stories. I’m looking forward to listening to a few on this list too :)

For me, I've loved Risen Motherhood, Gentle and Lowly Podcast, Journeywomen, Knowing Faith (one of my new favorites!), At Home with Sally, and The Elizabeth Elliot podcast. I often go through spurts where I will listen to a lot, and then have a period of time that I hardly listen to any at all (maybe my mind needs a mental break?). Does that happen to you too?

SCRIBD

Scribd is my new favorite audiobook resource—mostly because they have so many options. You do pay for it—but it has been well worth it! If you use this link, you can listen for two months for free (and cancel at anytime if it isn’t your thing!). We do use our local library for many audiobooks (through Libby and Overdrive), but they often don’t have the books we want to listen to, so Scribd has been a helpful resource to give us more listening options.

So far, my boys have enjoyed:

• Boxcar Children books

• Stick Dog series is a favorite too.

• Some of the Narnia series

• Christian Heroes: Now and Then series (We loved George Muller!)

• The Dead Sea Squirrels series (these have been requested A LOT recently!)

• Some on our list are: The Green Ember series, My Father’s Dragon, and the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series

I am currently listening to:

• Triggers by Amber Lia and Wendy Speake

• Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar (which is a little listening treat while I fold laundry or tidy the kitchen)

I’d also recommend and have enjoyed:

• Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson

• Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan

• Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

• Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy

• If I Were You by Lynn Austin

• Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes

• Then There was You by Kara Isaac (Definitely a bit of a Christian rom-com, but still fun!)

Ooof. That was a bit of a list, wasn’t it. But! I hope that you earmarked some new resources to add some encouraging noise to your home :) I’d love if you shared your favorite podcasts, audiobooks, or scripture passages that have been encouraging to your (or your family’s!) earbuds lately! Ps. We love our Doss speaker in our home—just in case you are on the hunt for a speaker with awesome volume and sound (plus there are so many fun colors!)

Have a good one!

—Nicole

Which Preschool Bible Curriculum Should I Choose?

A few years ago, I created the Bible Truths from A-Z curriculum when my oldest was in preschool. In fact, you can find a free “rough draft” version for each letter on this blog (find it by searching Letter A, Letter B, etc). It was so fun to go through each letter together, learn more about God and Bible, and do all the letter and learning activities.

Then, my middle guy got to be preschool-aged and I wanted to create something for him, so Bible Explorer Camp was born. I’ve loved using it this year for a gentle preschool curriculum for him—especially since he’s my hands-on, sensory guy :)

I have a spot spot for each one for different reasons, and they’ve both been such a gift to our family in each season :)

If you are curious about either curriculum or contemplating which one to use with your family, I thought I’d share this handy little chart to quickly see which one may work best for you :)

So, how to choose?

If you are looking for a more comprehensive Bible or stand alone preschool curriculum then I would suggest Bible Explorer Camp. It has more in-depth details and structure than the Bible Truths from A-Z curriculum. But! Both of them work well as supplemental Bible learning if you only want to add a few Bible learning activities to your week.

If you are looking for lots of crafts, art, science experiments, and recipes, then Bible Truths from A-Z is a wonderful choice. There is only one activity per letter--but there is a wide scope of activities. And since there is only one activity per letter, it is easy to keep the learning simple and doable. I often suggest this one for younger preschoolers because it is a little simpler :)

If you like sensory play, art, learning games and activities, and recipes, then Bible Explorer Camp may be more up your alley. Many families also like that the letters also move in chronological order--so it follows the timeline of the Bible. Personally, I’ve liked that some weeks we can dive in deep and other weeks we keep it to one or two of the activities —it’s very flexible!

They are both hands-on, fun, and can help you teach your little ones about God and the Bible in an engaging way! 

One quick note about printing:

Bible Explorer camp is almost all in black and white--which can make it a little cheaper and easier to print. Bible Truths from A-Z does have some resources in all black and white, but most of it is very colorful and fun!

Just in case you’d like to purchase either curriculum, get 15% off code BIBLE15 :) Ps. This code will work with all mini-units (which are lovely + fun too!) and curriculums in the shop :)

Ps. If you have any additional questions about them, please ask!

—Nicole

10 Simple Slump Busters

Anyone else in the post-holiday, pre-spring, slump season of the year? Late February and early March always seems to be especially challenging of us around here. In Minnesota, it’s officially springter—you know that season that isn’t quite sure what it is. One day, it’s snowy and cold. The next, it’s sunny and warm, full of the promise of spring, and also full of slushy snow and mud. Lots, and lots, and lots of mud. At this point in the year, we are all ready for warmth, a new season, and the promise that indeed summer will show up and we can take a break from the books for a few months. Sometimes it’s easy to get stuck in the slump and wonder if it will actually end. So, I’ve decided to brainstorm up a list of some ways to bust out of this slump. To be completely frank, some of these ideas are completely theoretical ideas (aka they haven’t been tested), but I do hope to give them a try soon! So, here’s my brainstormed list—complete with tried and tested ideas and also some hopefully-this-will-actually-be-fun-and-not-just-weird ideas:

1. Learn a new skill or take a fun online class. Sometimes, we just need something new and fresh to give us a mental refresh. The kids have enjoyed a number of classes they’ve taken on Outschool (Ps. If you sign up with the link for the first time, you’ll get $20 credit to use!). I’ve also taken classes using Skillshare, but Youtube can be a helpful resource too. Art Hub for Kids is one of our favorite channels on Youtube for art and drawing :)

2. Have a game day. Chuck the books for the day and just play. We’ve recently loved Monopoly Jr, Dragonwood, Sleeping Queens, and Silly Street games (this one has us all laughing!). Or, grab the game pack in the shop for a bit of learning, Bible, and play!

3. Clean out one of those areas. You know the ones. The junk drawer. The closet that looks like a game of Jenga. The drawers that have a million socks without a match. A cluttered kitchen corner. Sometimes just tackling a small area helps motivate you to freshen up other areas or feel that boost of productivity.

4. Go outside. Yes. I know that at this time of the year half of the country is still under a blanket of snow (or at least of pile of mushy melty snow and mud), but grab some boots and head out. Often, a bit of sunshine or fresh air is all everyone needs to feel a little more energized.

5. Have a mini-unit week and go all out. I know. I know. How do you do something creative when you feel like the most unmotivated and uncreative person on the planet? Well, just start with something small and see if it snowballs. Some ideas for a mini-unit: a country study (if you include food, you’ll sure to have some interest!), an artist or art study, a STEM project, a historical period (anyone want to pretend they live in the wild west or ancient Egypt?), a baking show/contest, movie making, etc. If you want a bit of a guide, Bible Spy School is so simple + fun. My boys still talk about it + love listening to the Bible Spy School playlist :)

6. Have a Dance Party. If you really want to surprise your kids, hairspray and tease up that hair, put on some blue eyeshadow and red lipstick, wear anything you currently find in the Target teen section, and then turn up that 80’s and 90”s music. Your kids may think you are crazy, but they’ll also be fully entertained and probably join in too! Choose a time era of music, pump up the music, and have fun!

7. Create an art gallery. Take a day to just create and make art. Then display it in fun ways around the house. If you have family or friends nearby, ask them to come by and enjoy the art gallery in your home.

8. Have a movie and popcorn afternoon. For an extra dose of fun, have them build a fort and watch the movie in the fort or under the fort.

9. Change the setting. As much as we enjoy being home, sometimes it’s fun to take schoolwork to a new setting. If it’s warm, go to the park or favorite outdoor spot. If it’s not, grab those books and take them to a favorite coffee spot or restaurant.

10. Go to God and His Word. This is last on the list, but it’s not the least. Sometimes we have the tendency to try to muster ourselves out of the slump on our own. But, often, what we need most is true refreshment—the kind that we find in God’s Word. So, I’d encourage you to take some time to go to His Word, rest in it, and ask God for help for strength and ideas to bring joy and renewal to your days.

During the next few weeks, I’m looking forward to trying out and also redoing some of these ideas on this list to help us beat the slump a bit. I’d love to hear from you—what are some ways you help you and your kiddos get out a rut or slump?

Let's Send some Snail Mail!

In elementary school, we had "post office week." Each classroom made a giant mailbox, got their own classroom address, and learned about sending letters. I remember writing letters to my siblings and friends--and using cute Pound Puppy sticks as stamps. The mail person got to bring the letters to the "post office," they got sorted, and each day we all got some fun mail delivered. 

Even now, I still love to see a personalized card or note in the mailbox. How about you? 

Since we are separated by so many of our family and friends during this time, I thought it would be fun to create some letter templates (blank + lined) for kids (and adults!) to use to send some happy mail :) Even if you kids aren't writing or don't enjoy writing, they could color the pictures and add their own drawing too! If your kids are older, you can also use this as an opportunity to practice writing their address and learning about the postal system. Make it a little more magical and fun by lighting some candles, offering a treat, and putting on some music :)

We plan on writing a list of friends/family to send a letter to this week and sending them off--once we replenish our stamps since I don't think Pound Puppy stickers will work these days ;)  

If you use the letter templates, I'd absolutely loved if you shared (because the more sharing, the more friends can find them and use them too, right?) The world could definitely use a burst of happy + cheerful notes in their mailboxes right now :) 

Have a good one!

Nicole