charity: water

I want to start this post by saying that what I am about to write on is not a sponsored post and I am not receiving any compensation for it.

What I do want to relate to you is how much the following organization touched my heart and I am not even on the receiving end of their charity.

In September of 2016, the kids and I had been talking about the need of clean water for many people in the world.  We discussed children who, even if school were available to them, many were not able to go because most of their day was spent walking to a source of water (not clean) and then back home.  We even went outside to the puddles and contemplated what life would be like if that was the only kind of water we had to drink.  It was then we decided to do a fundraiser to help provide clean water to those in need.  You can read about it here.

Builder and Princess did great saving their coins in a jar and asking family to help in their efforts.  Others donated as well and we were able to raise $78.  Now, in total honesty, I was a little disappointed at this.  My heart so desired to help with this issue that to me $78 felt small, almost insignificant.

They were so little! (Sept. 2016)

Fast forward to June 2018.  This past week, I received an email from charity: water, the organization we chose to give to the mission of clean water for the world.  The email was titled “Your Completion Report”.  It explained how our funds along with 118 other donors helped to rehabilitate (fix) a broken well in the small village of Kabra Yahaya, Niger, Africa.  The charity: water repair team partnering with World Vision Inc. fixed a broken or abandoned non-charity: water well in this village restoring clean water to the community.

419 people were helped with this project.

I love not only that charity: water has the desire to provide clean water globally, but also that they are wise and resourceful about how they do it.  Strategies such as fixing wells that are already established but not working, or the fact that they partner with organizations that are local (World Vision Inc.).  This tells me that they are not simply there to do a one shot deal.  Their true passion is clean water for the long haul in as many places as possible.

As I read through the email with my kids, looking at the Google Map pin provided in the email (click here to see our project village) to see the village “for real”, my heart was filling with joy.  Being able to show my kids that real people were helped and that the money didn’t just go into this realm of the unknown was priceless.

To be able to praise God for the fruits of His resources is such a joy.

And, if I am to be honest, I teared up as I looked at the list of the other 118 donors who helped to fund this project.  Oh, I feel the tears again!  What touched me most (and humbled me) is that almost every other donation was right around $80.  That which I thought insignificant, became significant.  It was a powerful reminder that the Lord will use what we have, especially when we give with a joyful heart.  A heart that holds His love for the nations.

I encourage you, whatever may be in your heart…a mission, a desire to help.  Give from what you have.  It may not seem enough, but in God’s hands it truly is enough.  I cannot help but think about how pleased Jesus was when the widow gave her two coins at the temple, recounted in Mark 12:41-44.  It stood out to Him and pleased Him enough for him to point it out to His disciples, who would not have even noticed it or may have even scoffed at it.

Will we be working with charity: water again?  I think so.  Will we continue to move forward in the passions that Father has placed in each one of our hearts?  You bethca!

And You? ~ Have you worked with an organization that you have come to love?

Color Wheel

Wow, life has gotten crazy.  It seems we have been here, there, and everywhere all in one day.  That may be a slight overstatement, but you know what I mean!

A quick update on our Water of Life campaign, to collect money to help those around the world who do not have access to clean water.  We have received some donations on this side of cyber space as well as some contributions on our campaign page.  Thank you to all who have contributed.  We have collected roughly 1/3 of our goal to date.  If you would like to contribute to the clean water cause, you can click here to go directly to our campaign page and donate.  $1, $5, $10, or more all goes to helping provide clean and safe water to those in need.  We will submit our final donation of all monies collected here at home on Nov. 1, 2016.

Color Wheel Activity

I love that art gets to be a large part of what we do.  Although, I have very little inspiration, knowledge, and know-how in this area.  However, I believe it has a very important place in the world of learning.  With that in mind, I was so excited to find an amazing art website resource over at Deep Space Sparkle.  If you have time, jump on over and check out her wonderful range of resources.  Lessons are arranged by grades, themes, or even supplies on hand.  There is such a wealth of art resources, I just had to share.

We chose to start with the Play Doh colorwheel activity.  This has been a topic we studied recently so if fit well with what we have been doing.  There is a lovely template of the color wheel to print out.  The kids start with red, yellow, and blue Play Doh balls and begin combining colors to create the secondary colors.  Red squished with yellow becomes the orange ball, etc.

This was so much fun, Builder just couldn’t stop himself from combining even further to create tertiary colors.  He ended up gluing the Play Doh balls to the paper and created a piece of color wheel art to hang on the wall.  Princess couldn’t stop herself either, she just decided to mash every color together and create a brownish, grayish blob…she was thrilled!

I am super excited to explore Deep Space Sparkle’s website and dive into the wealth of activities on her page.

Your Turn to Play ~ What has been one of your favorite art projects?

 

 

Water and Fire

Water

We are continuing to save toward our Water of Life project to help provide clean water to individuals/villages/schools.  The kids continue to save spare change here and there and are very excited about how their donation bowl is filling up.  Our final donation will be made at the end of our campaign on November 1, 2016.  We would like to invite you to join in our campaign to help those in need of access to safe water.  By clicking on the donation button below, you are able to donate straight to our campaign…be it $1, $5, $15, or more, the money you donate will go 100% toward clean water to those who need it.

For those of you who may be discussing this with your children, I created this color sheet to show some more concrete facts about the need for clean water.  Feel free to print and use.

Click Here to download

Fire

In late October, the four of us will have a chance to journey to Colorado for a family wedding.  One of our planned stops on the way is to eat lunch at a volcano!  Yep, Capulin Volcano National Monument in New Mexico.  It is a fairly young, extinct volcano.  After (or maybe before) lunch, we will walk a couple of the trails and explore lava flows, etc. With this in mind, it has given the perfect opportunity for us to begin a little earth science.

Capulin Volcano National Monument

There is a wonderful volcano lapbook/unit study at Homeschool Share (click here for volcano lapbook).  We have only just started these activities, but I really like the look and detail of the lapbook.  The templates and lesson plans are free to use.  Truly, I was overwhelmed at first with all of the detail provided, but then I realized we don’t have to be done with our study before we leave.  We can study volcanoes as long as we want!  I still sometimes forget this wonderful fact of homeschooling!  If you are interested in some great lapbook or unit study resources, I encourage you to check out the Homeschool Share website.  I haven’t completely figured out the navigation of the site, but it looks like there are some wonderful resources all around.

Your Turn ~ What is a favorite lapbook/unit study topic you have done?

 

Water of Life

Each morning (or most mornings), we start our learning with Bible Time.  I didn’t want this time to become stagnant by doing the same thing every day.  It would be easy to come together, read a chapter of the Bible, discuss, and move on.  Though we do this some days, I wanted this time to include a variety of activities that lead Builder and Princess into knowing God’s heart.  I don’t want them to only know facts about Jesus; I also want them to know His heart.

Many mornings we do read a chapter, find the places on the map, discuss what it would be like in life now.  Builder loves to look at maps and find all the places mentioned in our reading.  Princess loves to play while she listens, and truly she can tell me about what we discussed.  So, I am good with that.

Recently, my desire is that Builder and Princess know the heart of Father globally…for all people.  We have been discussing the issue of access to clean water.  We talked about going out to the puddles on the driveway to get a drink of water when they are thirsty.  Neither kid thought that was a good idea.  Then we talked about the 663 million people on the earth who don’t get to drink the clean water that we have flowing out of our sinks, water bottles, or refrigerator.

As stated by water.org

We have discussed how clean water is a vital part of being healthy.  Discussions have taken place regarding the fact that many boys and girls have to spend most of their day traveling to and from water sources such as rivers, lakes, and ponds, to gather water for their families.  Because of this, many children are not able to attend school.  When a family, village, or town is provided with access to clean water, children no longer have to perform this duty and are more likely to be able to attend school.  Or they are at least one step closer.  Now, whether those schools have access to clean water is another part of the story.

With all of these details in mind, we have started a fundraiser.  The kids have a bowl in which they are saving money here and there.  We will be saving for this “Water of Life” project until November 1st.

We humbly ask and invite you to participate with us in our campaign.  Our goal is $300.  After the fundraiser is complete, the company through which we are donating, charity:water, will let us know what country we have helped.  Perfect geography lesson!  charity:water is an organization supported by sponsors so that 100% of donated money goes to providing water for those in need.  If you want to check out more about this organization, click here.

To meet and/or exceed our goal we need only 30 people to give $10, or 60 people to give $5.  Any amount is appreciated in this quest.  Builder and Princess are well on their way, having saved $7 in their money bowl.  Clicking the button below will take you to our campaign page, where you can donate.  Thanks for helping Builder and Princess see the love of Jesus spread throughout the world, by taking care of those who have need of clean water.

 

Rainy Day

Why do I continue to look for the perfect curriculum?  To me it is like the brass ring on a merry-go-round.  I can’t seem to stop reaching for it!  I know that each curriculum has its pros and cons.  Even in my philosophy of education, I believe that no one curriculum is right for everyone.

So why am I still looking!?!?

Recently, we have found the free home curriculum Easy Peasy over at http://www.allinonehomeschool.com.  And you know, I really like it.  We have been using it for three weeks now and it seems to fit really well into what we are doing.

But…

Now, as we go, Builder needs to move on in math.  Princess needs to skip a whole week!  Yeesh.  And I find myself doing the eclectic thing by bringing in the science, spelling, and handwriting that I want and feel is right for Builder.

Yes…

I need to remind myself that truly, I know what is right for my kids.  Deep down, I know if they are challenged, bored, or struggling.  I know if they need to move on, slow down, or speed up.  Or even, just take a break.  It is ok, to pull in this, push out that, and start over again if need be.  It’s ok to jump full force into a sunny day and play outside or go to the park instead of getting all tasks done.  And vice versa, it’s ok on a sunny day to get done what we need to.

In point, this schooling at home thing is far more fluid than what I am used to and comfortable with.  The lessons I learn each and everyday, match or far exceed what my kiddos are learning.  Or maybe, just maybe, they are learning with me and from my mistakes and successes.

Lord, lead me, lead them, lead us.

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On a lighter note, springtime is on us in full force.  So, to go along with that oh so sweet sound of rain, we are giving our hands a try at making our own raindrop display.  I’m thinking this may spin off into a full blown water cycle unit.  We shall see.

Here is the project I found over at www.pre-kpages.com:

For full instructions and pictures to boot, click here or on the link above.  What follows are my abbreviated instructions:

1.  Find a handful of blue crayons.  They can be all the same blue, or different shades of blue.
2. Peel the papers (great fine-motor skill).
3. Sharpen crayons over a medium to large piece of wax paper.  Until the wax paper has a good sprinkling of wax shavings.
4. Place an equal size piece of wax paper on top and iron on the lowest setting.  It only takes a quick moment to melt wax.  Let cool.
5. Draw raindrop shapes on the wax paper and cut.
6. Use a hole punch and string to tie onto your raindrops and display.

I will update with pictures once our raindrops are proudly displayed.  I can’t wait to see how they turn out!

Freezing Fun

Thanksgiving was a wonderful time of family and fun.  We took a break from “formal” activities and focused more on preparing to be with family.

A few days before Thanksgiving, we had a bout of cold weather.  Since seasons are a hot topic with us right now, I thought it would be fun to add to our weather knowledge.  So, we did a science experiment.

One morning I checked the outside temperature and it read 31 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mason loves to check the temperature outside so he knew this was on the cold side.  I then asked the baiting question…

Do you know what happens to water below 32 degrees Fahrenheit?

This, as planned, sparked his curiosity.  I put roughly an inch of water in a plastic bowl and set it outside on our porch.  I told Mason that water turns to ice when the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.  (In hindsight I would have let him discover this on his own rather than telling him.)  His eyes grew wide and a huge smile crossed his face.  He wanted me to put the bowl where he could see it and keep an eye on it.  After two hours I brought the bowl inside and the top had frozen, but there was still liquid underneath.  He thought that was neat.  We put it outside for another hour and brought it in to observe it once again.  This time all of the water was frozen.

This brought on more curiosities, and he asked if he could take it out.  He spent a good deal of time feeling it, turning it over, and yes, even licking it!  We talked about why it was beginning to melt since we brought it inside and he was touching it.  He decided he wanted to wrap it in some towels to see what would happen.  Once we did, it took a longer time to melt since it was now insulated.

All in all, this was a great teachable science moment

– both for seasonal changes and for a liquid turning to a solid.  I had such fun watching him observe and experiment and investigate.  He was soaking up knowledge and I was soaking in the moment.  (of course I was so into this, I didn’t even think to take pictures)

Here are a few activities we did over the last two weeks…

Week-in-Review

Handwriting:

Assess Writing Uppercase Letters

• I was curious to know where Mason was in free writing his uppercase letters A-Z.  I knew he was improving on tracing dashed letters, but I wanted to know if he could produce them correctly without the aid of tracing.  To assess this, I had him write the letters on a chalkboard as I named them.  I was looking for if he knew how to form the letters as opposed to neatness, so the chalkboard and large chalk did just fine for us.  > He did great. =)

Reading:

Sight Word Sundaes

• This is a cute printable that gives another fun way to practice sight words.  This week, Madison (2 yrs) would build the sundae and Mason would read the words as we put the pieces away.

(click here for Sight Word Sundae download)

Geography:

Identify Oklahoma

• I found a very nice printable map of the United States at mrprintables.com (click here).  I had been looking for a map that I could print on cardstock to keep around as a reference, and/or cut apart as a puzzle – though we haven’t gotten to that stage yet.
• I wanted to assess if Mason could recognize the state of Oklahoma (our home state).  He did and was also able to identify two other states.  A+ for that assessment!

Science:

Season Recognition

• We did the water experiment as described above.
• We also found an activity that consisted of 12 pictures representing all four seasons and Mason had to sort the pictures into the correct season.  (I would give recognition of where I found this activity, but I cannot remember where I found it!)

Icicle image courtesy of Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net