Read to your child...

There is nothing my kids love more than a good snuggle on the couch with a book. Whether it is me or my child doing the reading, they don't seem to care, but reading, together, is the key. I don't do this enough. Such a simple act but the reward is so big. In our home we go through times when we do family reading really well and other times are desperately lacking.

We are slowly (ever so slowly!) working our way through the Little House on the Prairie series. We have been on book 4 for several months. We chipped away at it in the summer but there always seemed to be something more pressing. Maybe as the Fall nights get cooler and darker more quickly we might just have a chance at getting to book 5 before the end of 2014.

A few other books we have read as a family are:
* The One and Only Ivan
* From Anna (careful, this one will make the reader (me) cry often. My kids were always asking me what the matter was. I guess I just felt for the Anna and all her awkward ways)
* Kids' devotionals
* Philippians (I challenge you to camp out here for an entire month... read different versions, all 4 chapters, every night for 30 days. See how your family changes. We did this and to read it out loud it takes 15 minutes in NIV and 18 minutes in the Message, so it is not too big of a job!)
* Charlotte's Web
* Out of Time (a Reading Link book that my son brought home from school... good for about gr. 3/4 and up)
* Eleven

In the next week or so I am going to start my home reading program with my Kindergarten class. Here is a little poem that I love to give to parents as a reminder (and read myself for the same reason!) to remember the importance of reading to, with, beside or in front of your child.... and, sometimes, let your child read to you! (this is sometimes more painful, but the rewards are great).

Twenty Minutes A Day

By Richard Peck

Read to your children

Twenty minutes a day;

You have the time, 

And so do they.

Read while the laundry is in the machine;

Read while the dinner cooks;

Tuck a child in the crook of your arm 

And reach for the library books.

Hide the remote,

Let the computer games cool,

For one day your children will be off to school:

Remedial? Gifted? You have the choice;

Let them hear the first tales

In the sound of your voice.

Read in the morning;

Read over noon;

Read by the light of

Goodnight Moon.

Turn the pages together,

Sitting close as you'll fit,

Till a small voice beside you says,

 Hey, don't quit. 

Apple picking time!

One of the most delicious units in Kindergarten is our Harvest Unit. What a bounty we have in this country. A big part of what we learn during Harvest is all about apples. We had the opportunity to visit the local Apple Barn and try some delicious Jonigold apples there. We had a hay ride and got to learn about the life cycle of the apple tree and, as we left, the Apple Barn gave us a bag full of Gala apples.

The first thing we did with these apples was to look at the different colours. Not all apples are pure red, green or yellow. Gala apples are a good example of this.  

The Basket of Apples by Paul Cézanne

 

We looked at the varied colours and then we looked at the paintings of Paul Cézanne. This link will take you to the online story of Cézanne's apples that I read to my class. After looking at the painting by Cézanne, we made our own still life paintings.

Another great thing to do with apples is to make applesauce! Yummy yummy applesauce. The Gala apples that we used in our Cézanne activity are the ones we made into applesauce.

On applesauce making day my own 3 children (grades 3, 5 and 6) and I made up a little song on the way to school. I taught it to my class and they caught on right away!

Applesauce

Wash the apples, peel the apples

CUT THEM UP!

Dump the apples, stir the apples

SMASH THEM UP

Add a little sugar, cinnamon

Put them in your tummy

GREAT BIG GRIN!
Yummy yummy applesauce

Yummy applesauce

Yummy yummy applesauce

Happy happy applesauce!

Friendship Garden

The school year has begun. I have 18 wonderful students that have spent the last two weeks making new friends and getting to know each other. What a great bunch!

For the first unit of the year we have been learning about Friendship. Things that go along with this unit are:
* God made me special
* I can use good manners
* I can treat my friends how I want to be treated (Golden Rule)
* I can make a new friend
* I can be a good friend

One activity that I love during this unit is the Friendship Garden. I read the Winnie the Pooh story, "The Friendship Garden" to my class and then we made sunflowers out of torn paper. Every sunflower looks different, but they are all beautiful. This is just like the children in my class. No two children are alike, but they are all very special because they are exactly who God made them to be.

We also did a group puzzle activity. Every child got 3-4 pieces of a Winnie the Pooh floor puzzle and we took turns placing our pieces. The students had to wait their turn and also urge on the others to keep checking their pieces so the puzzle could progress. It was such a good feeling of accomplishment when the puzzle was complete and everyone knew that they had taken a part in the activity.

A Lonely Classroom in Summer

I have moved into a new classroom and I will be teaching full-time K in the Fall.There have been some great teachers that have gone before me in this particular classroom. Legends, really, with combined teaching experience that doubles my age, and then some! If the walls could speak I would learn so much from them. Thankfully, one of them (JW) will be just down the hall in my old classroom, along with my teaching partner from last year (JV, who is the reason I made it through my first year of teaching K so smoothly!).

There are so many things about this particular classroom that I love. The loft, the bathroom, the big floor space, the plethora of resources, the storage spaces, and so much more. But, along with a room having several teachers before me comes a lot of stuff. I spent several days at the end of June sorting through cupboards and donating items that could be usable to someone else but no longer serve a purpose in my class, tossing things that were broken or unfixable, and updating things that needed a wee bit of brightening up. 

I haven't taken a trip to the Teacher store yet but that is going to be fun because I need a new alphabet and some new calendar supplies. But I have taken a trip to the paint store for a gallon of bright white paint that has given the room a new fresh look. 

Red is my favourite colour, but, it was time for this red toy shelf to get a new outfit.

And here it is freshly painted white. I just put the tubs on the shelves for the picture and then removed them so the paint can finish curing over the summer.

Here is one that used to be blue....

This bookshelf was fun to paint. The green and yellow paint that it had on it was really vibrant, but it was needing to be freshened up as well.

Now I can create a cute little reading area that will section off part of the classroom. I think the kids will love it!

Here is a shot of 2 of the toy shelves back to back to create another space in the back of the room. Notice the loft in this picture... that is for sure one of the kids' favourite places to be.

Lastly, a shot of my pretty empty classroom. Such a lonely place without boys and girls to fill it. But I know they are enjoying the summer, getting fresh air and tans. I will have 18 little bodies in here very soon. I have a lot to do before they arrive. Once I get my new alphabet hung up above the white and black boards, and some bulletin board fabric up, along with the supply tubs on each table, the room will be ready to welcome the kids.

But first, I am going to finish my online course that I am taking called Christian Approaches to Assessment and Evaluation for Student Learning, as well as spend time with my family. My own kids are really hoping for a trip to the Waterslides this summer... I think I can handle that!

The History of the "Living With Power" blog...

I started this blog as a tool for discussion with the Bible Study that I was leading at my church at the time - back in 2007. When I stopped leading it I kept this blog alive for my thoughts, devotions and things I am learning along the way in my Journey.

I am going to change the purpose of this blog once again. The new intention of this blog will be teaching with power. Not my own power or strength, but the power of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me to be the best educator for the students in my care, to the glory of God.

No names will ever be given, nor will recognizable photos of children be posted. Please note: I welcome comments, but please do not refer to the children in my class by name. If you would like to discuss something about a specific topic feel free to post a comment or send me a message.

Why is this blog called Living With Power? Because we have not been given a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). So, live with this power! This was the theme verse of my Bible Study blog when I first began it. I have decided to leave all the original posts as they are. If you feel like browsing, be my guest. Any posts below this post are not school related, but you are welcome to them!

Happy New Year!

May your 2013 be blessed.

NFY

I just got an email from Dayspring - a company that sells a lot of Christian inspirational material and books. They also send out a devotional email that I subscribe to. Usually, I glance over the email to see if they have any clearance items that I might stock up on for gifts, or I read the verses for the day, and then I delete it.

Today, however, something caught my attention. These words were in the email:

When Jesus was on the cross, the last thing He said was,
"It is finished."
After He made that statement He died.
When is God's purpose for you on this earth finished?
It is finished when you die...
until then, you are not finished yet! NFY!

To read the whole post, head to Roy's blog HERE.

I have been frustrated by my Grandma over the past few years. She was put in a care home after a series of falls that made it impossible for her to live on her own any longer. Before she left her own apartment, she had already given up on life. Since then, and it's been a few years, she has been quite upset anytime one of her friends dies. She gets so jealous that she is still here suffering in old age and pain, and others "get to" die.

It makes me think that God still has plans for my Granny. NFY. When he's finished working on you, then it's time to meet him in Glory. But until then... NFY.

I don't know how it feels to be 90 years old, but I do know that I've seen plenty of old people that have a much better life because they haven't stopped living.

Take Gigi, for instance. She is a gem. She is 97 years old and still lives alone. She loves Jesus with all her heart and I know she still prays for anyone that she thinks of. Gigi is completely blind. She doesn't let that stop her. She is determined to share the love of Jesus until the day she dies.

I read about another lady, once, who at the age of 83 took up running. She was a feisty one, that lady! She always came first in her age category when she entered races, too!! You can't always do that as a younger person, but she could do it now! Age was no barrier for her!

About a year ago, a friend of my husband's and mine said that his dad was struggling with purpose in his life. His dad is in his 90s. What he told his dad was that he is NFY!! Maybe God still has someone for him to talk to and minister to. But for SURE, God has people for him to pray for.

Nobody is worthless, nobody is too young or too old, nobody is not good enough or not smart enough for God to use. If you are for God, then who can be against you? God will always have a purpose for you, don't wait to ask him. We get hung up on our age, or our weight, our status, or our position/job/address... any number of things can hold us back from living our lives to the FULL. His ways are so much greater than ours and if you are 2 or 92 or 102, he can use you. If you are still breathing, then he still has work for you to do. Don't give up on life before you're done.

Acts 20:24
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;
my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the
Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the
good news of God’s grace.

Hebrews 12:1-3
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Jesus is the light of the world.

Where do you go when you have a problem? That's one of the big questions that is being asked at BSF right now. Do you go to your horoscope? Do you go to your spouse? To a self-help book? Or, do you go to the Bible... the Word of the Living God - Jesus, the light of the world. Jesus is the light, and only through Him will you have peace in your life and in the circumstances you face in the day to day.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

In BSF right now, we are learning more about each of these awesome names of Jesus. Have you considered joining a BSF group in your area? What a rich and full experience. You will not regret spending time studying God's Word.

Prayer

I just read a post on the 24/7 Moms blog called 10 Practical Praying Lessons from His Word. I wanted to share the link here.

Lessons on Prayer

Why did God choose me?

This story was shared in our registration packet at the last Ladies Retreat I went to. I love the way the author gives us no excuses for ignoring what God called us to do.

---

by Grantley Morris

---

There are many reasons why God shouldn't have called you, but don't worry, you're in good company.

Moses stuttered.
David's armor didn't fit.
John Mark was rejected by Paul.
Timothy had ulcers.
Hosea's wife was a prostitute.
Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.
Jesus was too poor.
Abraham was too old.
David was too young.
Peter was afraid of death.
Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a murderer.
So was Moses.
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worry-wart.
Mary was lazy.
Samson had long hair.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?
So did Peter, Paul--well, lots of folks did.

But God doesn't require a job interview. He doesn't hire and fire like most bosses, because He's more our Dad than our Boss. He doesn't look at financial gain or loss. He's not prejudiced or partial, not judging, grudging, sassy, or brassy, not deaf to our cry, not blind to our need.

As much as we try, God's gifts are free. We could do wonderful things for wonderful people and still not be ...Wonderful. The adversary says, "You're not worthy." Jesus says, "So what? I AM." The adversary looks back and sees our mistakes. God looks back and sees the cross. He doesn't calculate what you did in '78. It's not even on the record.

Sure, there are lots of reasons why God shouldn't have called us. But if we are in love with Him, if we hunger for Him more than our next breath, He'll use us in spite of who we are, where we've been, or what we look like. I pray that as Christians, we will step out of our limitations into the illimitable nature of who God is. Then our passion for God and our passion to communicate Him will make mince-meat of our limitations.

Like vine branches, we are not continually laden with fruit. That would be unnatural. For a significant portion of its life, a grapevine is nothing but a dry, twisted stick; fruitless, useless for shade, worthless as timber; to all appearances fit only to be ripped from the ground and reduced to ashes. Yet those barren times are as vital in the life of the vine, as the seasons of fruit.

If spring could tip-toe passed nature without stirring it from its winter slumber; if the sun could slip through the sky without dispelling the night; if rain could fall to the ground without bringing life to the desert - only then should you fear dry times, dark times, lean times. Though you feel as useless as a fur coat in a heat-wave, the time will come when your warmth is treasured. For everything there is a season.

If I Had My Life To Live Over

by Erma Bombeck

The following was written by the late Erma Bombeck
after she found out she had a fatal disease.

If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's".. More "I'm sorrys" ...

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back.

© Erma Bombeck

The Perfect Mistake

By: Author Unknown

My Mother's father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to orphanages in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. When he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what had happened; the glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China!

The Great Depression was at its height and Grandpa had six children. He had spent $20 for those glasses that very morning. He was really upset by the thought of having to buy another pair. "It's not fair," he told God as he drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this."

Months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him in China, so he came to speak one Sunday at my grandfather's small church in Chicago.

The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting the orphanage. "But most of all," he said, "I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses wedged between two blankets.

The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued: "Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that."

The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they thought. There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas. But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.

There are times we want to blame God instead of thanking him! Perhaps it is something we ought to try more often, "Thank you, God, for not allowing my car to start this morning." He may have been saving your life from a car accident. "Lord Jesus, thank you for letting me lose my glasses; I'm sure they'll be put to good use or there is a lesson to be learned."

I have to remember this in these times of trial with my own family.

May GOD bless your week. Look for the perfect mistakes.

God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. - Phil 4:19

The Bible in a Year

Have you ever read through the entire Bible?

Have you ever done it in a year?

I have read the whole Bible, but never in one stretch, and I want to do that. I want to do that in 2010. I marveled the other day at how I could read novel after novel and not be able to set it down. But, when it comes to my daily Bible reading, I constantly fall short. I think that 10 verses is enough meat for the day. It's usually not.

Why is that? Do you struggle, too? There are so many Bible reading plans available out there. They take sections of the Old Testament and New Testament, as well as Psalms or Proverbs, and you read a little bit each day. Over the span of a year, you cover the entire Bible. There's Bible Gateway, and My Daily Bread. These devotional plans can be downloaded, emailed, listened to and watched on YouTube. The amount of Bible access we have is astounding. Why don't we (why don't I?) use it?

I want to read the Bible as a story - cover to cover. Not in one sitting, obviously, but in one year. If I can read 2000 pages of other books in a single week, then surely I should be able to read my Bible, which is only 2035 pages long, in a year. And that is with 2 versions, so divide that by 2 and you get 1017.5 pages... that is like only three and a half days worth of reading.

However, we are now in the middle of August and I am still in Exodus. The good news is this - 2010 is NOT over yet! And the even better news is that I could read my Bible anywhere I want in this entire country and nobody would ever bother me. I can even go into a regular bookstore, and even some grocery stores, and find a Bible on the shelf to buy.

I once bought a Bible at Superstore for $10. The girl at the till said she'd never seen a Bible go through her till before, and she had to call someone for a price on it! I gave that Bible away.

The Bible I am reading out of right now is a parallel Bible which includes the NIV and Message versions. It was a gift from my husband for my 29th Birthday. That was 5 years ago, and it is not as beat up as it should be in that amount of time. Bibles should wear out from overuse. Bibles should be replaced because you are giving them away to people that don't have one of their own. When someone says, "That's my Bible." They should be really talking about a BIBLE, and not the latest Ikea catalogue or a car magazine.

The B-I-B-L-E... now, THAT'S the book for me. Can you (can I?!) say that with full meaning? It's one of the ways God speaks to us. His word is living and active.

Read it. Live it. Believe it.

BSF

I am gearing up for BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) this Fall. I am excited that my daughter will get to come along with me and be part of the kids' program. My boys went 2 years ago, and they learned so much.

I learned so much, too. It is a Bible study program like non other that I have ever been a part of. There is a 4 step process to the study, so you really get to the heart of a passage of scripture.

It's been two years since I've really studied my Bible that way, and I am long overdue for dissecting and digesting the Word like that.

This year's study is on the book of Isaiah, and it is a new addition to the BSF studies. In the past, there were 7 years of studies and then you repeat again. Isaiah will be the 8th study added to the rotation.

If you are not in a Bible Study this Fall, please check out the BSF link, and find a Bible Study group near you. You'll be so glad you did. There are groups for men, women and kids.

Courageous

From the creators of Fireproof, Facing the Giants and Flywheel, comes a new movie, Courageous. Join the Facebook group for updates, and plan to go see Courageous in theatres. Get the message out there that we want good quality movies in our theatres.

Open Up My Heart

Years ago, I heard this song, Open Up My Heart, for the first time. Some of my Norwegian relatives gave me 2 cassette tracks of the Oslo Gospel Choir. All their music is moving and beautiful. But this song... this song was amazing.

Quickly, I learned all the words and the inflections and crescendos. I shared it with a group I was singing with at the time called "Sister Act." We had the head pieces as costumes, and everything! We sang this song, along with a whole repertoire of other songs. We sang in church, and at parties, etc, it was so much fun! I really miss singing in groups and choirs, but unfortunately, we don't have a choir at our church right now.

I am thinking of getting a vocal group together for this song. Turn up your speakers and sing along!!!

OPEN UP MY HEART

Did you like Fireproof?

The brothers are producing again!

COURAGEOUS... check it out!

Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous fall.
Psalm 55:22

A new blog to follow!

My friend Bev just posted on Facebook about this blog she has been following. I just poked around there for awhile and found myself laughing at a lot of it...

Check it out - the blog is called "What Christians Like" and I wouldn't be surprised if you found something that struck a chord! I sure did!!

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

Zeph 3:17 ♫