Teaching our Children
Game Closet
Our game closet has been cleaned out and re-organized so we can more easily access the games. We got rid of some of the games the girls had outgrown! Some of the games we donated and others we sold at our garage sale or online.
Games have always been a fun activity in our family. It came to our attention a few months ago that it would be beneficial to do a weekly game night with the kids. Playing games, we have noticed, has allowed for extra teachable moments in our family. While everyone wants to play well it’s good to learn how to have fun and be a good sport even if you cannot win every game. There are a lot of positive attributes to playing games such as reading, counting, strategies, waiting turns, being a team player and so much more.
While we play at least once a week on our regular “family game night” ! We often pull out a game when friends are over or at some point (or two) over the weekend. Playing games together allows everyone to relax, spend quality time together, while talking, and creating memories. To keep it fair we roll a dice to see who will be picking the game for the evening. If time allows we may play two games or stretch a game out over several evenings. Our girls look forward to game night every week!
Native American & Hagood Mill History Experience
One sweet Native American that took several minutes with the girls explaining all the details of her outfit from the otters, knots on her blanket, family crest, leather, beads and so much more. Very fascinating!
The girls have been learning about the Native American Indians in their Social Studies class at school. It has been a lot of fun discovering neat details specifically about the Native Americans located in South Carolina. They have even done extra credit activities such as building a Wattle & Daub and Longhouse which were used by the Native Americans in SC as well.
Hagood Mill
While I was online I discovered that Hagood Mill in Pickens, South Carolina was doing a Native American celebration. We decided it would be a great opportunity for the girls to learn more and experience first hand a little piece of the Native American culture as well as the mill history in SC. The only problem is we already had multiple events already on the schedule for that Saturday! Thankfully, the event was only a few miles away and we were still able to squeeze in most of the events.
Cherokee “Duck & Dive” War Dance from their war in SC. The “Duck & Dive” was named after the way they fought with the the English ducking and diving as the muskets would be fired then re-loaded.
Karlie and Brina standing on one of the mill stone that used to be used in South Carolina’s old mills
The girls have been working very hard in their school activities, but it is always a lot of fun when we find extra ways to help them have a more interactive experience because it helps the information come alive for them (and makes it stick). This was a great event and will be very valuable as they continue to study the Native Americans at school. We talked to a lot of different people, watched demonstrations, Native American dances, items they used, and a lot more.
Putting their hand prints on the white horse, they loved this activity
Rainbow hand print horse, very colorful. The horse was a good sport! 🙂
Native American meal cooked over a fire, complete with mushroom soup, fish, venison, chicken, potatoes, and corn. It looked smelled delicious!
Great Work Girls!
Great Work Girls!
The girls completed their extra math work this week and earned pumpkins! The pumpkins were on clearance for two dollars at Walmart so we figured it would be a fun activity to do together with the Halloween Holiday. I don’t know which was more fun for them, scooping the seeds out and dehydrating them so they could eat them or doing the jack-o-lanterns!
Super excited that they continue to go the extra math with their math learning. If you want to read more about why we are doing this activity you can see my post on Going the “Extra” Mile with Math It has been very beneficial for our family!
Going the “Extra” Mile with Math
Way to Go GIRLS!
Every week we give the girls 4 additional math worksheets to complete “on their own time”. Each sheet for Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division contain between 50 to 100 math problems (a total anywhere from 200 to 400 extra problems to compute). We give them their math sheets in a folder on the weekend and they have until that Friday at 5:00 pm to have all their math sheets finished, checked, and corrected. The worksheets are to be completed on their own time after homework, chores, and other family activities.
If they get all their extra math worksheets done then they get a special message and a surprise! We do not remind them of the worksheets or force them to do it. Every week both girls have worked earnestly after homework or while riding in the car or during free time to complete the worksheets so they can get their special message and surprise.
We have re-useable bags that we set up on the chalkboard with their treat in them. Typically, the items will be ones we find on clearance that we know they’ll enjoy. Over the last few weeks we’ve done anything from games, whistle candy, toys, bubbles, chalk, flashlight, crafts and more fun stuff. On Fridays when they get home they immediately run upstairs to get their message and surprise.
It has been interesting seeing how they have adjusted their activity patterns over the last few weeks. At the beginning they would do one sheet at the beginning of the week and save the remaining three for Thursday night, which resulted in them hurrying to finish them before Friday. They are figuring out the advantage of pacing themselves and getting some items accomplished earlier in the week so they are not rushed to get it done. One time they didn’t get it done before Friday and were disappointed when they came home and no special message or surprise were waiting for them (guess they were really testing us to see if they really had to do the work) so they both sat done immediately and finished up their worksheets before the 5 pm Friday deadline. They did it and got their reward!
It is really neat seeing how much this activity has motivated them to do extra math exercises on their own time. They are getting more efficient with their math facts too which will help them for the rest of their lives. The results have been amazing for our kids. It may take a little extra time for us to plan and execute, but if it is something that will encourage them to go the extra mile in learning it is worth it.
Native American Homes – Extra Credit School Project
Now that the girls are in third grade is seems like they have more “hands-on” projects coming up these past few weeks. They had the opportunity to earn extra credit for Social Studies by building a replica of a South Carolina Native American home. They spent a lot of time building their houses, writing out their facts, and presenting their project to the class. Thank goodness for a yard full of saplings, vines, monkey grass, and for Jake who is creative and patient when helping the girls.
The girls really LOVED the arrow heads (even though they did not come from SC). The arrow heads are actually ones that Jake and his Grandpa Hayes collected when he was a boy. Both girls did well and got a 100% on their extra credit projects. Even though they worked hours on this project they told us it was one of the most fun homework projects they had ever done and would love to do more! Glad they enjoyed it because it was a great way to learn even more about the Native Americans from South Carolina.
Brina building the structure out of saplings for her Longhouse
Brina’s House:
- Longhouse
- Cherokee Native American’s lived in Longhouses in the summer months
- The Cherokee’s live in the Blue Ridge Mountain Region of South Carolina
Karlie weaving vines to make the structure for her Wattle & Daub
Karlie’s House:
- Wattle & Daub House
- Cherokee’s from the Blue Ridge Mountain Region lived in a Wattle & Daub house during the winter
- Yemassee’s from the Coastal Zone Region also lived in a Wattle & Daub house during the winter
Heart Reflections: Conversation Starters
There has been so much that has happened over the course of the week its hard to know how to sift through all that is going on and use those moments, sometimes even times of heartaches to start some tough conversations with our kids. Conversations about life and yes, death too. While it is my preference to focus on the happy and fun moments sometimes God allows something that brings tears to mold my heart as well as the hearts of my kids.
How we handle those conversations can be key to reaching the very heart of our children. As they deal with the death of a precious pet, loved one, or something else they will want to know answers and find peace amidst the heartache. While circumstances (like in our case the death of a family pet) will prompt conversations it’s never easy answering the questions when your child’s heartbroken.
Another great way to start some good conversations with your children is through devotionals. One of the best parts about reading through a variety of devotional books with them is that it really seems to initiate some good conversations. Some of the conversations can extend over several days too.
I pray that Jake and I will seek God’s wisdom so that we know what and how to explain God’s goodness even in the sad moments as well as taking opportunities to share truth during those happy times. May we always cherish the times we have with the ones we love even more.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Our family enjoyed celebrating July 4th and spending some time with long time friends over the weekend which was a wonderful blessing and a lot of fun. We also had to say “goodbye” to one of our sweet pets “Toasted Coconut” last week too which was very difficult. We had the vet out earlier in the week to treat him and then brought him back in late in the week. The vet was really surprised that he made it so long with all the problems he was having. We spent hours last week playing, walking, feeding, watering, and taking care of him the hardest part is there was nothing we could do to help him any more other than to let him know how much we love him. The girls (myself included) had a tough time, but it also opened up many conversations about life, death, and taking the time to enjoy what we have been given if only for a season. One of Karlie’s comments made me both laugh and cry – “I think Jesus has a field of beautiful dandelions up in heaven just for all his pet goats”. Brina’s comment “At least when we get to heaven there will be no pain, death or goodbyes, instead we can celebrate and have fun together.” Although last week didn’t go as planned I am thankful we had time to cherish moments and memories with loved ones, friends, and even our pets. I am hoping to get through a bunch of the tasks, but with the girls at home I am not going to stress about it too much if something else fun comes along the our way. My biggest goal for the summer break is to have fun, create memories, be flexible, and enjoy the little moments together!
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
Read Superfudge by Judy Blume to the girls
Plan one special activity with the familyPlay a board gamePrepare for Upcoming Summer EventsSpend some time Monday – Friday having the girls read & do workbooksPrepare for a big weekend- Ride bikes with the kids – it rained every day last week and every time we could ride it was raining, but we did run and splash in the puddles for a couple hours one day (the kids loved it)!
Celebrate July 4th with Family & FriendsGet upcoming plane tickets
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day – it was a stressful week and I spent a lot of extra time outside with the furry critter who was sick so although I didn’t track my water amount I know by how I was feeling it wasn’t enough
Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayPay all upcoming bills- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week – last week didn’t go quite as planned
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts – several items got put on hold last week
Keep up with the day to day items that need my attentionWork completed for clients
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Vehicles – made another payment (with a little extra) on the van last week.
- Pay medical bills in full – paid off one bill now have to get the bigger one paid down
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read White Fang by Jack London to the girls
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a board or card game
- Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
- Spend some time Monday – Friday having the girls read & do workbooks
- Prep for a big weekend
- Ride bikes with the kids
- Take the kids to Horse Camp
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Pay all upcoming bills
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Vehicles
- Pay medical bills in full
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.
Life on the Farm: Pigs, Cows, & Planting Tomatoes….Oh My!
The girls had to go check out the pigs. Thankfully they were really tame because they were pretty big!
Our girls love animals and always enjoy spending time with ANY animal they come in contact with…yup including the pigs, ha! During our recent trip to the Midwest to see family the girls spent some extra time on the farm. The guys happened to be working cattle so they got to watch some of that process as well as hand feed the pigs. The girls quickly discovered that there was only one barn cat (out of the 15) that would even let them get close enough to pet it!
My cousin Renelle was in town from Colorado so in between hand feeding the farm animals and exploring with the kids we planted tomatoes for Grandpa Verlyn and Grandma Doris to enjoy later this Summer. I am thankful that the girls got an opportunity to spend time on the farm as well as some time getting to know their grandparents and great grandparents a little better. We have a lot of great memories of our time in Kansas!
To Brina hand feeding the pigs and petting at the same time.
This pig’s got it made….lounging in the shade being hand fed grass from Karlie! What a life!
Hand feeding the pigs
Giving the cows a special snack!
They couldn’t feed the cattle fast enough as soon as they brought a handful the cows pulled it through and were munching away on it.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
The girls and I were able to spend some extra time with my extended family in Kansas last week. The time went by too fast and now that we are back home (and mostly unpacked). I hit the ground running this past weekend when we landed in South Carolina and don’t think I’ll be stopping any time soon. There are many fun activities as well as long list of projects on the agenda this week, so I am hoping to get through a bunch of them while having fun along the way!
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
Read Imagination Station: Problems in Plymouthby Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 6)
Plan one special Activity with the FamilyPlay a board gamePrepare for Upcoming Summer Events- Spend some time Monday – Friday having the girls read & do workbooks – we had a travel day in there but otherwise we did pretty well (and we even did some while traveling too)
Spend time with extended familyGo to nephews baseball game
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each dayContinue my YouVersion plan(s)Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp– thankful for some down time on the airplane so I could finish this book!
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayPay all upcoming bills– had a stack of them when we got home
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention- Work completed for clients – took time off last week since I was visiting family
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Vehicles – working on it
- Pay medical bills in full – making payments
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read Imagination Station: Secret of the Prince’s Tomb by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 7)
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a board game
- Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
- Spend some time Monday – Friday having the girls read & do workbooks
- Go to Science Camp
- Prepare for a big weekend
- Ride bikes with the kids
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Pay all upcoming bills
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Vehicles
- Pay medical bills in full
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was better even if I am running a couple days late with my weekly goal updates. The girls and I traveled a little last week so we could spend time with extended family. It has been nice catching up with Great Grandparents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Nieces, Nephews, Cousins and more! This week I have a lot I want to do, but the schedule will be a little different from the normal routine.
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Read Imagination Station: Problems in Plymouthby Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 6) – we’ve been busy and a little off schedule with the traveling last week
Plan one special Activity with the FamilyPlay a board gamePrepare for Upcoming Summer EventsCelebrate the Girls Last Day of SchoolSpend time with extended family
Personal Goals
- Exercise at least 5 days this week – didn’t get any official exercise done, but I was really active
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day – on the day the girls & I traveled I did not stay up on my water
Continue my YouVersion plan(s)Finish reading Overcoming Dyslexia by M.D. Sally Shaywitz– finished and returned it, now need to type out all my notes!
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week – traveled part of the week so didn’t plan out those days
Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attentionWork completed for clients
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Vehicles – made another payment
- Pay medical bills in full – making payments
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read Imagination Station: Problems in Plymouthby Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 6)
- Plan one special Activity with the Family
- Play a board game
- Prepare for Upcoming Summer Events
- Spend some time Monday – Friday having the girls read & do workbooks
- Spend time with extended family
- Go to nephews baseball game
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Vehicles
- Pay medical bills in full
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.
- Read Imagination Station: Problems in Plymouthby Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker (Book 6) – we’ve been busy and a little off schedule with the traveling last week
