She Buildeth Her House

Homeschooling

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A Simple Way to Bring Jesus into Your Beach Vacation

My kids LOVE the thought of buried treasure. What kid doesn’t, right?

Well, my 9 year old came up with such a fun idea that I just had to share it with you!She wanted to bury “treasure” for kids or maybe those metal detector seekers to find. We had some cheap plastic containers with lids. She put a Bible tract from our church, $1 and some change so the metal detectors could find it, and a handwritten note from her about how much Jesus loves them.

Melt. My. Heart.

We prayed over them and asked that Jesus might even let us know if someone finds it and gets saved. So if you’re looking for a fun idea, just do it. Seriously.

Only heaven knows what sort of impact it may make.

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A Quick Easy Way to Reinforce Learning the Alphabet

Sometimes we as moms can make things so complicated. I know I do.

So I thought I’d share this fun way to bring learning into play with your child who is learning their ABCs

Take whatever they are playing with and have them make a letter out of the objects!

If it’s dinosaurs or dolls, challenge them to make a “D” or a “d.” If it’s cups or cars, go for a “C.” Or a “b” for bugs like we did. And so on!

So quick and easy that it’s kind of embarrassing to write about, but hey, that’s what this blog is for! Teaching our children at home doesn’t have to be hard!

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A SUPER Simple Idea for Improving Your Relationship Your Child (WARNING: May Improve Writing & Reading Skills…NO Nagging Required!)

Sometimes life is crazy.

And in the crazy we can forget how much our little people NEED us to actually pay attention to them. To hear them. To affirm them. To answer their questions. To treat them like HUMANS and not just little annoyances.

Not just be in the room with them while they watch a cartoon.

Not take them to the park while we are on our phone.

Ouch.

But to be present. To listen. To ENGAGE .

Ever thought about how hard it would be to be a kid in this crazy time?? Or how it would feel if every time you try to figure something out, someone fusses at you or hushes you or ignores you? Not very pleasant.

And I fully understand how hard it can be to be present.

But friend, that doesn’t negate our responsibility as parents to give our children that attention. If they don’t get it from you, they’ll get it from someone… and that someone will have their heart instead of you. And I don’t think you want that anymore than I do.

So, if you’d like to do something to meet the need your child has of feeling connected to you…let me share something I recently started with my daughter.

A journal. A mother-daughter journal. It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t expensive. Just a composition book with a cute little kitten on it (her current favorite thing ever).

I presented it to her in the form of a treasure hunt that involved completing “challenges” (which were actually homeschool lessons in disguise!) but do whatever works for you.

The concept is simple. Just take turns writing notes to each other! It can be anything from random fun questions to something that you wanted to share in the day but got too busy and couldn’t. It could be a prayer request. A secret. Something scary that they faced that day. Maybe something they’d like to talk to you about more in depth. Some genuine heartfelt encouragement from you to them…or them to you. Use your imagination to engage with them.

The goal is for your child to know that this is a way to share their HEART with you and it won’t get lost or overlooked.

You could hide it for them to find. Or just give it to them. Ever how you do it, just make it fun.

I’m hoping this will be something that we can continue into her teen years and even adulthood. Can you imagine the treasure it will be? Reading about the first time we saw a dolphin together or how hard she worked to learn to do a cartwheel?

And the bonus…improved writing and reading skills with no nagging!

Happy journaling!

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Fun Activity to Give Mommy a Minute to Rest!

So I had read about this idea online. And yet I never did it. Sometimes all the ideas just blur together…they seem fun, but too much work. This idea is NOT like that.

My sweet girl has been on an archeologist kick lately. And so it seemed like a good time to try it.

I don’t know what to call it. Maybe a dino dig. Maybe ice digging. But whatever you want to call it, your kids will love it!

Just find some random little toys.

Trucks.

Rings.

Dinosaurs.

Even coins would work!

Then put them in ice trays or Tupperware containers or both and add a drop or two of food coloring if you really want to go all out 😉

Freeze it.

Collect a couple paint brushes, salt, and maybe a cup of warm water. Tell then they are archeologists and have to dig out the artifacts. You can even google facts about archeologists and read them while they are doing it if you’re feeling really motivated.

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Even my two year old who WON’T sit still was mesmerized. Like it bought me at least 30 min or more of time not having to chase him around the yard.

With older kids, you could use money and they get to keep it!

They are begging to do it again.

You’re welcome.

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Three Hands-On Ways I Use to Teach My Littles about Memorial Day

I personally have never served in the military, but I have so much respect and admiration for those who have. If it weren’t for their sacrifice, we couldn’t live in this great land of America. I am so grateful for those who have paid the ultimate price by giving their life. I am also grateful to their families, for they too have paid a price much steeper than I could ever grasp.

Because of this, I have a deep desire to instill in my children from an early age a great respect for soldiers, and to understand that Memorial Day isn’t about cookouts and yard sales.

Here are three easy ways I have sparked conversations with my children, even though they are still very young, concerning what Memorial Day truly is about.

  1. Visiting graves of soldiers and leaving flags. We did this when my daughter was 3, and again when she was 4. This year at age 5, she asked me when we were going. She loves it. We buy a few flags, go to a local cemetery and look for those who have served in a branch of the military, and put flags out as a way of saying thank you. Simple. Memorable. And we’ve had some great conversations about soldiers, as well as spiritual conversations about some of the things we’ve seen there. I’d highly recommend it.
  2. Playing toy soldiers together. I was in the Dollar Tree and grabbed a little bag of cheap toy soldiers and then found some painters tape we had leftover from when we first moved into our house. Stuck some “battle lines” down with the painters tape and wow. My kiddos have HAD A BLAST. And we’ve talked a little more about what it means to be a soldier and fight for your country. So simple I’m a little embarrassed to even make a blog about it, but it was so effective that I wanted to share!!



  3. Make a thank you card for someone in your life who has sacrificed. Maybe someone from church who has a child in the service. Maybe a family member who served years ago. Maybe someone who has lost a loved one in the military. Have the kids draw a picture and mail it or hand deliver it. Again, super easy but effective.

Hope these simple ideas inspire you to do something this Memorial Day to share with your kids what it is really about. It’s often the most simple actives that make memories. 🙂 Happy Memorial Day!