International Festival

Tonight we had the joy of participating in our homeschool group's annual International Festival. All the children worked hard to make it a night to remember.

At the beginning of the school year, each participating family chooses a country to study. Some families choose a country they want to learn more about, while other pick something from their normal course of study. The coordinator keeps a list of which country each family has chosen so that there is a good variety.

We were studying Ancient China this year, so we chose that as our focus for the International Festival. We had lots of fun learning about Chinese inventions, making homemade paper, doing calligraphy, visiting the High Museum of Art to see the Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi Huang Di, learning to use chopsticks and studying China's geography and climate. We displayed the children's hands-on work as well as the papers they wrote on a large tri-fold board.

Our oldest son wrote a paper on Chinese inventions, our third grader wrote about the Great Wall of China and our first grader wrote about the Terra Cotta Warriors. The children also made a large salt-dough map of China to put on the table in front of our display board.

One of the best parts of the festival is the food! Each family is responsible to bring an item or two of food from their chosen country. We brought fried rice and fortune cookies. We tried so many fabulous dishes tonight.

During the festival, children participate in a scavenger hunt. About a week before International night, families submit two questions (one easy, one difficult) which can be answered from their display board. The coordinator compiles them into two scavenger hunts, one for younger kids and one for older ones. The kids have a great time going around to all the displays, and they learn so much from each one as they hunt for the needed answers.

This game makes sure the kids not only do a good job learning about their own chosen country, but that they also learn something about all the other countries presented. If they finish their scavenger hunt, they can submit their name for door prize drawings. This year's door prizes were all food items from different countries. Our family won Belgian chocolates, Dutch Stroopwaffel cookies, Korean shrimp-flavored chips and Norwegian ginger cookies.

After the scavenger hunt and feast are over, families can share presentations if they want to. Our oldest son played a Chinese song on the piano, and other children played violin or sang a song in their chosen language.

One family did a Powerpoint presentation on Mexico, sharing lots of photos and teaching some phrases in Spanish along the way. Some children wear costumes and others come as they are. The festival is all about having fun and sharing what we've learned with each other.

At the end of the evening, the festival coordinator taught three large group dances. She had appropriate music to go with each dance.

Our children loved the Filipino dance they learned, which was a bit like "the jaws of death". Two adults slide bamboo poles together and then apart in rhytym to the music. The children needed to try and jump between the poles when they were open and jump out of the poles before they came back together.

You might consider holding an International Festival! It is a great opportunity for kids to display what they have been working on, and a fun way to for them to learn about other countries.

Chinese Fried Rice

I made Chinese fried rice tonight for our International Festival. This dish is so easy and so yummy that I make it frequently for lunch or dinner. It is a great way to use up leftover rice.

Ingredients:
vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
two or three cloves of garlic, minced
Cooked White rice (I start with 3 cups uncooked rice to make a large batch)
Frozen peas and carrots (or other vegetable, according to taste)
Soy sauce
3 or 4 eggs
Cooked chicken (or other meat, according to taste)

Prepare your ingredients first. Pour some soy sauce onto the meat and let it marinate while you get everything else ready. Dice the onion. Stir the eggs with a fork to break up the yolks. Cook the rice if you have not done so already.

Pour a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil into the bottom of a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet or wok. Add the diced onion. When the onion begins to brown, add the garlic. Cook for one minute and add the frozen peas and carrots. Fry until heated through.

If you are working with large quantities, transfer the vegetables to a separate bowl before adding the meat to the skillet. Add more oil if necessary and fry the meat until heated through. Transfer the meat to the bowl with the vegetables. Add 2 or 3 more tablespoons of oil and allow it to heat up. Add the cooked rice. It is important to have a big enough skillet (or to transfer cooked ingredients if you don't) so that the rice fries instead of steams.

Be careful! I make fried rice all the time, but last night I let the oil get too hot before adding the rice. Oil was spattering and popping everywhere and some landed on the burner and caught on fire! Thankfully, I remembered that you put small oil out fires with a towel, NOT with water.

Fry the rice for a couple of minutes. Push it to the sides with a spatula and add the egg. Allow the egg to scramble and mix it throughout the rice. Add the vegetables and meat back to the rice pan, stirring well. Add soy sauce to taste.

If you need to make this for a crowd, it can be done the night before and then warmed up the next day in a crock pot.

You can also use raw vegetables or raw meat, but you need to adjust the cooking time.

Music Theory Games

Music Mind Games by Michiko Yurko is the most enjoyable and profitable thing we have used in studying music theory. The first time I used this book was with a classroom of three year olds. I was able to teach them many basics of music theory through engaging games. We all had fun and I was amazed at what they were able to learn. In just a few short months the three year olds had learned many difficult rhythm patterns, which they could clap or say. One child could build a long rhythm string and another could tap it out on a drum. It was astounding. They also learned the names of all the musical notes in ascending and descending order, and several other theory concepts.

The children's favorite game was Yurko's Blue Jello card game. She prints note stems onto cards and assigns a silly name to each rhythm (such as Blue for the quarter note and Jello for the eighth note). The children can build--and read--complicated rhythms as they learn the names for the different stems.

Here is a video of her working (playing!) with a two year old.
The child is learning how to read rhythm and loving it. There are many videos on this site which will give you an idea of how to do some of her games on your own. Try to find the ones in English!

There are tons of games in this thick book. Many can be done with very young children, and many are of value even to older, more advanced students. I took piano lessons for 12 years but only began to understand some music theory concepts after working with this book. I have not used this book for a few years with my children, as music theory is pretty low on our priority list at the moment! But if you need music theory, you can't go wrong with these materials. They are truly excellent. Here is another link to this book on Amazon, if you want to read more reviews and "see inside".

Before you order it, one caveat: many of the games require supplies which do not come with the book. You can purchase many of the supplies needed as a set, called the Puppy Packet, but it is not cheap.

Each item in the Puppy Pack can be purchased individually, and by clicking on the individual links you can easily see how you might make your own Music Alphabet Cards and Tempo Cards and other needed supplies for use in the games. There is also a Magic Staff pack available for sale.

I used the book for a long time before buying any additional supplies. I was able to make supplies for many of the games myself using markers and index cards. The Blue jello word cards can be downloaded and printed quite inexpensively, as well. Click here to view a sample. Many other supplies cannot be purchased as they are out of print, but this game book is still more-than-worth the purchase price for anyone who is serious about having fun while teaching music theory to a child.

Whatever is Lovely: Art Appreciation

One of the very first books I ever read as a new homeschooler was the Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola. Although I am now following the Classical Method instead of Charlotte Mason, I will be forever grateful that I began my homeschooling journey with this wonderful book, as it had a profound impact on my thinking about what makes a person educated.

Even if you are not using a Charlotte Mason approach, you'll find much of value in this inspiring book. The chapters on The Atmosphere of Home, the Happiness of Habit, and Living Books make this a worthwhile read for any parent. But it was the chapters on Picture Study, Music Appreciation, Poetry, Shakespeare and Nature Study which earned it a spot in this post. My recommendations for this category are informed by principles I absorbed when reading this book almost a decade ago.

This post looks at Whatever is Lovely: Art Appreciation. The topic Whatever is Lovely was just too broad to cover in a single post, so the next several posts in my Home Library Builders series will continue with the theme of Whatever is Lovely, and touch on Music Appreciation, Poetry, Shakespeare and Nature Study.

One principle I gleaned from Andreola's book is the idea of studying one artist per semester and taking time each week to look at one of their works. I found that this method helped even my very young children to be able to see a painting by Van Gogh or Seurat and instantly recognize the artist behind the work, even if they had never seen that particular painting before. It developed their eye to recognize an artist's style.

I do the same thing, by the way, when purchasing storybooks for my young children. I love the art of Susan Jeffers, for example, so I get her books whenever I can. The children easily learn to recognize which books were illustrated by the same artist as we read them in a grouping and look at similarities in style from one book to the next.

When studying an artist with young children, I use many different teaching methods. The children look at works from that artist (picture study), read books about the artist's life, and try to emulate their work.

Art books dedicated to a single artist can be good for picture study. I often open an art book to a new page each week and display it prominently in the house on a cookbook stand. Of course, picture study is not merely noticing a picture as one comes and goes; you have to take the time to really look at it and think about it and discuss it. My preference is to find books that have large images of the art, which fill the entire page, rather than books that have a small picture with a lot of text below. Also, I avoid books with art I find objectionable for this purpose...if I am going to have it sitting around the house, the children should be able to pick up the book and look through it all...in fact, they should be encouraged to do so!

Large postcards can also be good for this purpose, especially if the artist has some works you would not want to display. I also like books like Baby Loves by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which have simple text for children along with paintings by the artist (in this case, Mary Cassatt).

My children have all enjoyed the
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series by Mike Venezia. Each book tells about the artist's life through cartoon drawings and a humorous storyline, and includes several photos of their actual work, as well.

I was drawn initially to Kathleen Krull's
Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes, (and What the Neighbors Thought), due to the lovely pictures and simple text. But this book (and others from her Lives Of the...series) left me with a bad taste in the mouth. If the artist did something illegal or illicit or immoral, Ms. Krull makes sure we know about it.

One of my favorite books for art appreciation is Discovering the Great Artists: Hands on art for children in the styles of the Great Masters by MaryAnn F. Kohl. It is great for giving kids instructions on different styles of art, with project suggestions for many famous artists. I still remember several things my oldest son did with this book when he was in Kindergarten. He loved lying on his back under the coffee table, painting on a piece of paper taped underneath it, as he simulated Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel.

Let me digress for just one moment to mention that purchasing quality art supplies is also important for children. A child who never has access to anything but a Crayola Watercolor tray will probably not develop a great love of art. Little by little, as your budget allows, try to purchase different kinds of paint, brushes, canvas, drawing pencils, sculpting clay, and other good art supplies.

Another book we liked was
Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors by Jane O'Connor from the Smart about Art series. After reading this book we cut out lots of little pieces of colored origami paper and made collages. I have not read any others in this series, but I hope to one day.

One more digression: as a busy homeschooling mom, I never have as much time for art projects as I would like. I've found over the years that it is pretty easy to kill two birds with one stone, and have the THEME of the art project be centered around something we are doing in school. For example, when we were studying Matisse, it just so happened that our literature selection was The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. The children were instructed to make a collage in the style of Matisse, but the subject matter of the collage had to be a scene from Trumpet of the Swan. When we learned about Van Gogh, we were reading a book about apple trees for Five in a Row. The children painted an apple orchard in the style of Van Gogh.

With a little planning, you can select the artists you'll study in a given year based on what time period you are studying in history. I love it when we can study one subject across the curriculum, as that kind of synergy really maximizes learning. For example, a study of Leonardo da Vinci could include a study of his paintings (for art), his time period The Renaissance(for history), his inventions (for science), and The Second Mrs. Giaconda by E. L. Konigsburg for literature.

No post about art would be complete without mentioning Mona Brooks' Drawing with Children. We have enjoyed using this book to learn some principles of drawing. I'll never forget the first time I drew a lion, after working with the children for a week using this book. My husband hung my drawing on the refrigerator and I felt so proud of myself! Yes, I was 35 years old at the time, but I had never in my life felt pride over something I had drawn. I love this book!!!

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

The definitive book on Christian contentment is "Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" by Jeremiah Burroughs. It took me awhile to wade through this book because wisdom drips from every page. It is no less relevant today than when it was written in the 1600s.



I read this book slowly, pen in hand, jotting copious notes taken from virtually every page. It is the kind of book you will want to read again and again over the course of your Christian life, as the treasures found therein will take a lifetime to learn.

Let me share just a few precious gems from this "rare jewel" of a book.

Burroughs wrote:

(page 3) "We should prize duty more highly than to be distracted by every trivial occasion. Indeed, a Christian values every service of God so much that though some may be in the eyes of the world and of natural reason a slight and empty business, beggarly elements, or foolishness, yet since God calls for it, the authority of the command so overawes his heart that he is willing to spend himself and to be spent in discharging it."

(page 10) "We are usually apt to think that any condition is better than the condition in which God has placed us...we must not be our own carvers. Whatever particular afflictions God may place us in, we must be content in them."

(page 14) "A Christian comes to contentment, not so much by way of addition, as by way of subtraction. That is his way of contentment, and it is a way that the world has no skill in....it is not so much by adding to what he would have, or to what he has, not by adding more to his condition; but rather by subtracting from his desires, so as to make his desires and his circumstances even and equal."

(p. 20) "The difference between what a godly man has and a wicked man , is this: A godly man is like a child at an inn, an inn-keeper has his child in the house, and provides his diet, and lodging, and what is needful for him. Now a stranger comes, and he has dinner and supper provided, and lodging, but the stranger must pay for everything. It may be that the child's fare is meaner than the fare of the stranger....but he must pay for it, there must come a reckoning for it.

Just so it is: many of God's people have only mean fare, but God as a Father provides it, and it is free of cost, they need not pay for what they have, it is paid for before; but the wicked in all their pomp, and pride, and finery: they have what they ask for, but there must come a reckoning for everything, they must pay for all at the conclusion, and is it not better to have a little free of cost, than to have to pay for everything? Grace shows a man that what he has, he has free of cost, from God as from a Father, and therefore it must needs be very sweet."

Do you struggle with contentment? You can listen to my podcast Secrets of Contentment anytime on my Counter-cultural Mom blog. Or log in to Blog Talk Radio today, as I share this message live at the Ultimate Women's Expo! I'll be speaking at 1:00 EST, followed by question and answer. You can log in on your computer to listen, or phone in by dialing (646) 727-1978.

I have written several posts about Contentment on Counter-cultural Mom. Look in the sidebar, under the orange widget box for the Secrets to Contentment podcast. There is a link list for all my previous posts relating to contentment, such as Keys to Contentment, Fighting Discouragement, and Why Me, Lord?

Whatever is Pure: Books that Teach Theology and Illuminate the Scriptures, part Two

This next installment in the Library Builders series picks up the topic of books that teach theology. Theology: Part One covered books for family devotions and children's storybooks which illuminate the scriptures. This post suggests titles for older children and adults.

My oldest son and I are currently reading Henrietta Mears' excellent book What the Bible is All About.
This thoughtfully written book has really helped us to see the Bible's big picture as we've read through the Old Testament this semester. Each chapter gives insight into a different book of the Bible, drawing out the key themes.

What I love about this book is that all the chapters about Old Testament books show how the Old Testament writers were always pointing forward to Christ. For example, the case is thoroughly made that the book of Exodus points us to Christ, our Passover Lamb, while the book of Deuteronomy portrays Christ as our true Prophet.

We've also been listening to R.C. Sproul's Bible survey course this year, From Dust to Glory. Mears' book is very informational, with lots of cross-references to look up. Dust to Glory is very inspirational, with excellent preaching about each book of the Bible. I highly recommend doing them both, while reading through the Bible itself. We are learning and growing a lot through these materials! Dust to Glory can be downloaded in its entirety on MP3, or you can download individual audios from the series for as low as $2 apiece.

I profited from John Stott's book Basic Christianity when I was a young Christian. I have it on my shelf to read with our oldest son this summer.


When choosing books from this category for myself, I find that it is the author that draws me more than the title. We need to be so discerning when choosing books in this category, whether for our children or for ourselves, as there are plenty of bad theological books readily available.

I regularly read two Christian magazines which I highly recommend. We've been reading Tabletalk magazine from Ligonier Ministries for years. Each issue has several thought-provoking articles about a chosen theme as well as a month's worth of devotions, usually taken from a particular book of the Bible or focused around a theme. January's articles were all about Pressing On Toward the Goal (January's article archives are available at this link). When looking for new theological books, I often see which books are being advertised in Tabletalk. Even if I don't know the author, I trust that Tabletalk won't steer me wrong.

We just started our subscription to Modern Reformation magazine recently. This magazine is edited by Michael Horton, and it complements Horton's round-table radio broadcast The White Horse Inn. The articles are, in my opinion, more challenging to wade through than those of Tabletalk. I think it is important to read things that force me to think, and to reflect critically about the issues facing the modern church. This magazine helps me to do that. You can read excerpts from the current issue here.

It is important to consider theological perspective when choosing study Bibles and commentaries. I really like Matthew Henry's commentary, and I'd love to buy a hardback copy one day. For now, I regularly refer to Henry's full commentary online, at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The CCEL also has John Calvin's complete commentary. I often read my Bible in the room where my computer is so I can look up passages in the commentary online.

I still use my NIV study Bible, but lately I've been wanting more thorough study notes. I'm also using the 1599 Geneva Bible and the Reformation Study Bible
for their excellent study notes.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Ultimate Women's Expo

I hope you'll join me next week for the Ultimate Women's Expo with Cindy Rushton! The UWE is a virtual conference for Christian women. It's easy to participate! You just call in via phone or log in to the Blog Talk Radio site. You can listen to a speaker and simultaneously text-chat with the other women in the room.

Cindy has lined up many excellent speakers for this year's UWE. You can log in for free to listen to any of the preview chats, or purchase a ticket to get all the sessions.

I'll be sharing three preview sessions. On Monday at 10 a.m. EST I'll be giving my talk An Honest Look at Anger, followed by a question and answer session.

Then Monday afternoon, at 2 pm EST, I'll be speaking on The Multiple Personality Mom. This talk pokes a bit of fun at all the personality changes we moms go through on any given day, while also giving lots of encouragement along the way.

Finally, on Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. EST I'll be speaking on Secrets to Contentment. This talk looks at many issues homeschoolers struggle with...finances, body image, marriage and parenting.

I'd love to have you join me for one of these preview chats! You can log in to Blog Talk Radio at the appointed time, or call in using your telephone or Skype to (646) 727-1978. If you have more questions about the Expo or want to purchase tickets for the entire conference, visit The Ultimate Women's Expo site.

Library Builders: My Wish List

This next post in the Library Builders series departs a bit from book suggestions based on Philippians 4:8.

I just read an excellent post from Jacque at the Homeschool Blog Awards about her wish list, and I thought it would be fun to include my wish list in this series.

I can't vouch for these books, per se, as I don't own them...but I trust those who have recommended them to me. These are just a few of the books I would get today if money were no object!

Fine Art, Poetry and Music Appreciation

Hana in the Time of the Tulips by Noyes

Titles in the series Anholt's Artists books for Children

Katie and the Sunflowers (and other children's art titles from James Mayhew)

Art Fraud Detective and 2 similar titles by Anna Nilson

We have one of Anna Harwell Celenza's composer appreciation book/CD sets, but I'd love to have the rest in the series!

Sebastian Bach: Boy from Thuringia and other titles from the Opal Wheeler Great Musicians biography series

Everything in the Mr. Pipes series by Douglas Bond

The Top 500 Poems edited by Harmon


History books
History Lives Church History series by Withrow

I have several books by R.M. Ballantyne for my boys, but I'd love to own them all!

I feel the same way about G.A. Henty. The link leads to the site with the best price on hardback copies!

Bible and Theology for Children

The Lightlings by R.C. Sproul

Westminster Shorter Catechism Songs, Volumes 1-4 (I guess I can't really say this is on my wish list anymore...as I've been writing this post I have been listening to clips and I just had to go ahead and order this!!)

Martin Luther by Maier

Reformation Heroes by Kleyn and Beeke

The Listener's Bible narrated by Max McLean

Books for Mom
My Life for Yours by Douglas Wilson

Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham, Jr.

Small Talks on Big Questions by Halms and Kahler

Famous Women of the Reformed Church

Elizabeth Prentiss: More Love to Thee by Sharon James


Puritan Classics from the Banner of Truth Trust There are too many titles to list...this publisher has brought back many of the old puritan classics.

The Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson

Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church by Michael Horton

Family Worship for the Reformation Season by Ray Rhodes

A Mother's Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to your Home and Peace to your Soul by Holly Pierlot was recommended to me by a friend.

I could list many more, but this is a good start. I don't own these books and I haven't read any of them, but it has been a happy hour spent just thinking about their titles and reading the synopses and building these links for you. Does anyone relate? If you love books as much as I do, you know what I'm talking about!

Oh, yeah, one more thing: I'm wishing for more bookshelves, too!

Whatever is Pure: Books that Teach Theology and Illuminate the Scriptures: Part One

This fourth post in the Library Builders series looks at books that help us to understand the Bible. This is such a vast topic that I plan to cover it in two parts. This post addresses books to use in family devotions and storybooks for younger children. Part two of this post is about books for older children and adults.

Books for Family Devotions

There is nothing which we can read that is more pure, or of more value, than the Bible. Yet how many people read devotional after devotional without taking time to read through the Bible itself, cover to cover?

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb. Psalm 19: 7-10

So my first suggestion, if your family has not already done so, is to dedicate a year (or two!) to reading through the entire Bible together. Our family has seen so much fruit from our time spent systematically reading through the Word this year!

I have been amazed, time and again, at how the Lord brings the very Word we needed to hear, and often from a passage where we least expected to find it! I've been challenged this year to truly believe that His Word never returns void, and that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness".

I have always believed this verse to be true, but I have come to appreciate it in a new way as I have seen the Lord minister encouragement to me in just the way I needed through books like Numbers and 1 Kings, and as He has touched our young children's hearts through books like Ecclesiastes...books which we ordinarily would not have read in our family devotions, were we not systematically reading through the Bible.

My history curriculum, Tapestry of Grace: Year 1 (The Ancients) makes it easy for me to incorporate all this Bible reading into our history studies. The curriculum has reading suggestions for all grade levels. We have been using their Bible reading schedule for High School to make our Bible readings and history readings go together.

Sometimes my young children and I cannot get through enough chapters each week to stay on track with our history assignments, so there have been times where we have set our history curriculum aside for a week in order to catch up with our Bible reading. The benefits have far outweighed this inconvenience. In addition to the spiritual fruit I see in their lives, our understanding of the Bible has been greatly enhanced as we study the cultures of Bible times (like the Assyrians and Babylonians) at the same time we are reading about them in the Bible.

We have been using two resources to aid us in our Bible Study. Balancing the Sword is a comprehensive study guide to the Bible with over 7,000 questions covering every single chapter in the Bible. There are no interpretation or application questions, only questions (and answers) that check comprehension. This has been helpful in determining whether our children understand what we are reading, and it keeps them on their toes during the reading. This material also has much broader uses for an adult, with over 54,000 cross-references and a customizable reading schedule.

We are also learning a lot from the excellent books by Henrietta Mears, What the Bible is All About (my oldest son and I are reading this together) and What the Bible is All About for Young Explorers (for our elementary school-aged children).

In addition to reading the Bible together, we like to read books which communicate Bible truths to our children. Our family's favorite book is Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen Taylor. I could write an entire post about this book. If you buy only one book mentioned in the entire Library Builders series, let it be this one!

Of course I am not suggesting that this be a replacement for the well-loved and irreplaceable original Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan! However, this version is more accessible to the youngest children, which will allow you to introduce it at an earlier age, and is,in and of itself, very much worth reading and discussing.

We have read this book through this book during family devotions twice so far. The chapters are only about 3 pages long, so you can easily read for 5 minutes and be done if your children are squirmy. Ours always begged for more, more, more!

What I love about Little Pilgrim's Progress is that all of our children (even our older preschoolers) find it enthralling. We have seen more spiritual fruit born in their lives through this book than through any other devotional material we have used with them, aside from the Bible. Even my husband and I found ourselves convicted and encouraged, as well.

This book helped our children to have less fear about dying, and it provided much food for discussion at the close of each chapter. After reading through Little Pilgrim's Progress as a family, our older children were able to listen to--and understand--unabridged recordings of Pilgrim's Progress and of the sequel, Christiana.

If you have a Netflix subscription, you should take advantage of the opportunity to watch a children's version of Pilgrim's Progress called Dangerous Journey. Netflix subscribers can stream this video from their computer anytime. It isn't as deep as Little Pilgrim's Progress, but it is still excellent. The video isn't really "animated"...a narrator reads the text and pictures from the book accompany.

A book I like for devotions with older preschoolers and elementary school-aged kids is Leading Little Ones to God by Marian M. Schooland. This book has simple devotional readings which teach children about the Nature of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, becoming a Christian, and growing in Christ.

A post about teaching theology would be incomplete without mentioning learning the Catechism. The catechism is a question and answer format designed to teach foundational biblical truths. Our youngest children use the Children's catechism, while our older ones are working on The Westminster Shorter Catechism. I have several posts on my Counter-Cultural mom blog on this topic (do a search for "catechism" if you are interested). This post contains all the links for the books we have used as a family in our study of the catechism.

Storybooks Which Illuminate the Scriptures for Children
R. C. Sproul has several excellent Storybooks which communicate theological truths to children. The King Without a Shadow tells of a King who goes in search of another King who is so great that He has no Shadow. This book teaches children about why God is so great, and why they should search for Him, too. This book is available on MP3, narrated by Dr. Sproul, for just $2 if you prefer that format.

In The Prince's Poison Cup Dr. Sproul tells a story about atonement. He describes his book this way: "When Ella gets sick and has to take yucky medicine, she wonders why something that will help her get well has to taste so bad. When she puts the question to Grandpa, he tells her the story of a great King and His subjects who enjoyed wonderful times together—until the people rebelled against the King and drank from a forbidden well. To their horror, they found that the beautiful water in the well made their hearts turn to stone. To reclaim His people, the King asks His Son, the Prince, to drink from a well of horrid poison. The poison will surely kill the Prince—but He is willing to drink it to please His Father and help His people." You can stream this book for free from Ligonier's site.

Dr. Sproul's book The Priest with Dirty Clothes is an allegory which helps children understand the concept of Jesus atoning for our sin and clothing us in His robes of righteousness. This book is also available on MP3.

It is never too early to start teaching our children about the Lord! For toddlers, I like the books in the Born to Be King series by Catherine MacKenzie. Each book begins with the phrase, "If you were a king..." and tells something about what kings do, followed by the sentence, "But Jesus is a different King. He is a better King. He is the best King." Each of these simple books tells part of the story of Jesus' birth and ends with a simple call to faith and a suggested scripture verse. For example, the book Mary and Joseph Love Jesus ends with the words, "Jesus was punished even though he never sinned. He did this to save us. He is the only one who has ever done this. He can save you too."

The next post in this series will be a continuation on this topic, covering theological books for the lay-person adult. Be sure to subscribe so you won't miss a single post in this Library Builders series. The next post after Whatever is Pure will be Whatever is Lovely: Books about Music, Art and Poetry.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Whatever is Right: Books that Build Character

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

If these are the things we are to think on, then surely this is an excellent guiding principle in choosing reading material. This third post in the Library Builders series is about choosing books which build character.

This is a vast subject, one which I could not hope to cover in a single blog post. I'm going to focus on Nonfiction character builders and Moral Stories, trusting that some of my readers might fill in the gaps with other suggestions in the comments.

Non-fiction Character-builders for women
These are the books I most typically pick up for myself. Although I've been reading some missionary biographies and even historical Christian fiction this year, nine times out of ten I grab something aimed specifically at challenging my character.

Here are some titles I've read this year, along with a few old favorites which I can recommend. It takes a long time to build links, and most of these can be found through a simple Amazon search, so please forgive me for listing more titles than links!

Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald was the first book I read in 2008. It was a great way to start out the year.

The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace is one of the best books on marriage I've ever read. Every wife should read it. My other favorite marriage book is Naked and Unashamed by Bill Mills. We read this book in premarital counseling, and have used it over the years in counseling others.

Another favorite marriage book is A Promise Kept by Robertson McQuilkin. This book isn't a scriptural treatise on how to have a stronger marriage. It is an auto-biography that McQuilkin wrote about the years spent lovingly caring for his wife, Muriel, who was afflicted with Alzheimers Disease. This book will encourage you in your marriage vows. Get it, and a box of Kleenex. It will be two of the best hours you'll ever spend reading.

I love anything by Sally Clarkson. I've read The Mission of Motherhood, Seasons of a Mother's Heart, and The Ministry of Motherhood in the past couple of years and I was encouraged by them all.

Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Terri Maxwell

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs is slow reading, but well worth it. There is so much food for thought here that I had to pause frequently to chew on it!

Nonfiction character builders for Children

This year I read Do Hard Things before giving it to our oldest son to read. This book challenged me to raise my game in some areas where I have been complacent and lazy. My son found it very challenging and I have seen fruit in his character develop through reading this book. I'd recommend it for ages 12 and above.

We have not yet read Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle, but it has been highly recommended to me for teenage boys, so it is on my shelf for the future.

Last year we read the book Boyhood and Beyond with our boys. This book encourages boys to become the men God wants them to be as they develop their relationship with Him. There are questions for reflection or discussion at the end of each chapter. We have not yet read the author's second book for boys, Created for Work, but it is on our to-read list as our boys enter the teenage years.

Moral Stories

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss is my all-time favorite book for this category. I've read it many times myself at different stages in my life, profiting in new ways each time. This is a book I like to give to high school and college graduates, newlyweds, and expecting mothers.

Mother by Kathleen Norris and Jennie Chancey is about a young woman who has no interest in being a mother. She looks down on her own mother's years of faithful service to the family and goes in search of fun and fortune elsewhere. In the end, her heart is changed. This was an encouraging book for me as a mother, and if I had older daughters I would share it with them, as well.

A Hive of Busy Bees is an old book published by Christian publishers Rod and Staff. Each story has the children learning a moral lesson. My early elementary school-aged children loved this book and couldn't wait for the next chapter.

Library and Ed has many inexpensive books that fit into this category. Our boys enjoyed Tiger and Tom by J. E. White. The same author has other books in the series Character Classics, including some geared toward girls, such as The King's Daughter. You'll need to join Library and Ed (which is only available to homeschoolers, teachers and libraries) to see the prices, but they are about $4 per book. Library and Ed also sells many individual titles from the D.L. Moody Colportage series for less than $3.50 per book. This series boasts many famous classic character-building titles, such as Teddy's Button, Christie's Old Organ and Whiter than Snow.

My boys like reading Character Sketches from the Pages of Scripture, Illustrated in the World of Nature. Each chapter tells about a character quality, including a Bible story which illustrates the quality and factual information about an animal which displays the same trait in its behavior.

This is just a sampling from a truly vast category. Life is too short to read worthless books. Redeem the time.

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16

My next post in the Library Builders series will be Whatever is Pure: Books that teach theology and illuminate the Scriptures.

Celebrating the Passover

Our study of Ancient Israel culminated this week with a passover meal. We were blessed to go to a Christian museum that teaches biblical history through architectural replicas and Biblical meal presentations.

We began with a walk amongst the replicas, as our guide taught us about life in ancient Israel. She shared many scriptures with us and it was a spiritually encouraging time as well as a rich learning experience.

Here are some of our photos:

Inside a shepherd's tent

By the well


Entrance to the New Testament Tomb

Looking down on the New Testament Tomb

The watchtower


Crosses

Olive press with a working aqueduct in the background

Village Home

Grinding wheel

The biblical meal room

The meal was delicious, and traditional to what probably would have been served at the Passover meal in Jesus' day. There were hardboiled eggs (which we were told were a symbol of mourning), charoset (a mixture of apples, nuts and raisins which represented the mud used to make bricks), bitter salad greens (to symbolize the bitterness of slavery), parsley with salt water (parsley represents hope and redemption, while the salt water represents tears), unleavened bread (the Israelites fled Egypt in haste) and other traditional foods including apples, nuts, dried fruits, hummus, grape juice, honey, lentil stew, black and green olives and chicken. Lamb would have been traditional, but the museum served chicken since many Americans don't like lamb.

I did not realize that the Passover that Jesus celebrated with his disciples was not exactly the same as the Seder meal that Jews celebrate for passover today. We ate a passover similar to what Jesus would have eaten at the Last Supper, learning about the customs and foods of that passover. After the meal was over, the presenter spoke to our family about the modern Seder, which was instituted in AD 90. She did a wonderful job teaching us about the symbolism of various components of the meal, and of helping us to to tie together everything we've been learning this semester.

Costumes for our Passover meal

We are getting ready to celebrate our Passover meal tonight. We'll be finishing up our study of Ancient Israel in a few weeks, and I know tonight's meal will be one of the highlights of our study. We are going to a biblical museum which specializes in doing passover meals for Christian groups. Check back later to see our photos. The setting there is beautiful and very realistic to the time period.

I stopped by a bargain basement sale today and found these robes, which I thought would make excellent costumes for the feast! Check them out!

I can't believe I only paid $2 apiece for these robes!

If you are a new reader to this blog you might want to look at the decoupaged passover plates we made for our celebration.