End of the Year Parties: Art & Music July 28, 2014

Hello dear ones!  We finished our last week of school (back in June) with subject based parties. Today I want to show you the Art & Music themed day we had. Also, afterward I’ll share ideas for the History party that never happened.

• We began our Art & Music party with a fantastic lunch! I made “tuna piano” sandwiches and Rice Krispy Paintbrush treats.
• I decorated the table with Van Gogh’s Starry Night and with Musical Luminaries. I printed out old sheet music and wrapped it around mason jars. I put fake candles inside.
• We then had fun by splattering composers and painting the classics. We used paint filled water balloons and waterguns. The Mona Lisa and Mozart really got it!

Our last day of school, I had planned on having a huge History party. If you’ve kept up with my blog then you know, we majored in History this year. Honestly, we were burnt out. We did soooo much with History this year. I just didn’t have it in me to do another thing. I had some good ideas though and I’d like to share them.

• Create a time machine trip in our back yard. Make a Jonah in the Whale tent, Greek columns,the pyramids, the Roman Colosseum, the Underground Railroad, and more. I was going to use cardboard and other inexpensive items to set it up.
• Then I was going to have Michael do some of the Historical crafts and games we skipped this year, as he went around to each period in time.
• Lastly, I was going to make the Historical treats that we never got to. You can find these ideas on my Pinterest under my SOW (Story of the World) folders. You’ll find ideas from Creation to the 1800’s.

Well, I hope you enjoyed our parties and maybe they’ve inspired you!

Here’s our first party: Science~

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/end-of-the-year-parties-science/

Our second party: Language Arts & Math~

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/end-of-the-year-parties-language-arts-math/

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

 Pssst! You can find more ideas here:

End of the Year Parties: Language Arts & Math

Hello dear ones! We finished our last week of school (back in June) with subject based parties. Today I want to show you the Language Arts & Math themed days  we had.

• We began our Language Arts party by making black out poetry. Basically, you take a page in a book and you black out everything except for the words you want to use to make a poem. You start by circling the words you want to use (random words scattered across the page) and then you start coloring over the rest. We used a blue crayon. Black or white out would’ve looked better.
• Spelling games at http://www.kidsspell.com/
• We made Story Stones & made up stories. You find several smooth stones, cut out interesting pictures, and modge podge them to the stones.
• We ended our Language Arts party with poetry cookies. I used a poem we had learned this year, by Lord Byron.
• Our Math party consisted of us playing Math board games. We got the Multiplication and Division Space game at the Dollar Tree.
• Michael made shapes using popsicle sticks.

Well, I hope you enjoyed these ideas. Join me later for our last party, Music & Art (plus ideas for the History party that never happened):

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/end-of-the-year-parties-art-music/

If you missed it, here’s our first party: Science~

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/end-of-the-year-parties-science/

God bless & remember the High King Lives! ~Amber Dover

Pssst! You can find more ideas here:

End of the Year Parties: Science

Hello dear ones! We finished our last week of school (back in June) with subject based parties. Today I want to show you the Science themed day we had.

• We began our day with snow cones. We mixed colors with different flavors of Koolaid. Then we put them all together to make a unique flavor for our snowcones.
• We made sand volcanoes by digging a hole in the sand, filling it with baking soda, and adding vinegar. I think this experiment would work best at the beach.
• Lastly, Michael made a nature frame by gluing leaves and such on a frame we got from the craft store. We modge podged the leaf so it would keep it’s color and stay stiff. It still looks good, weeks later.

This was an easy and fun day. Join me later for our second party: Language Arts & Math~

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/end-of-the-year-parties-language-arts-math/

& Lastly, our Music & Art party (plus ideas for the History party that never happened):

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/end-of-the-year-parties-art-music/

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Pssst! You can find more ideas here:

 

Independence Day Crafts & Fun 2014 July 23, 2014

Hello dear ones! I hope you are well. I want to show you the crafts we did this year for the 4th of July.

In 2012 we made fireworks in a jar, Independence candles using salt and food coloring, and we decorated a t-shirt. I also painted Michael’s face before we saw fireworks. There’s also a short lapbook. Link here:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/crafty-monday-independence-day-crafts-the-4th-of-july/

2013 we celebrated our first Family Olympics. Link here:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/my-family-rocks-sunday-2013-family-olympics/

This year…

• I made a Summer wreathe out of red, white, and blue flip flops and a bow. I got it all at the Dollar Tree.
• The wreathe goes perfect with the patriotic flip flop welcome mat, I made a couple of years ago.
• Michael made a flag out of popsicle sticks.
• Michael did another Independence Day lapbook.
• Flip flops are a theme in my house, this Summer. I’ve also been making Summery paper chains. Usually I put flowers on the wall but I didn’t have any Summer flowers, so I improvised. The chains are whimsical. I’m a kid at heart.
• We took a trip to the Infantry Museum for good food and entertainment.
• We got pictures with Captain America and other super heroes.
• Then we went to see Captain America 2 at the dollar theater.
• We ended the night with fireworks and glowsticks. We sat on top of the Jeep again.

One day, I hope to get to the beach for fireworks. I grew up about 30 minutes from the beach. So as a kid, my Mom and I often went to St. Simon’s or Jekyll Island for fireworks. Usually we’d grab some boiled peanuts and find a playground to have fun on. We’d stay on the beach until the tide pushed us up on the rocks. I remember the taste of sea salt in my soda. The traffic was always horrible leaving the island, but I’m glad my Mom put up with it. My Mom was always open to adventure. I hope I’m like her.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

How to Train Your Dragon 2 Movie & Toothless Cookie Pops Review July 21, 2014

Hello dear ones! Michael and I saw How to Train Your Dragon 2, a couple of weeks ago. I made these cookie pops inspired by Fiction Food’s blog.

http://www.fiction-food.com/2014/06/toothless-cookie-pops-for-how-to-train.html

I didn’t use jelly beans or lime tootsie rolls though.  I used mint M&M’s for the eyes and chocolate almond bark.  It would’ve been better for me to have used vanilla almond bark because I had to add an insane amount of black dye to get the right color. Brown plus black dye equals purplish. The dye stained Michael’s tongue and fingers.  Chris said they look like Gollum. Anywho, I tried.

Now, onto the movie. It’s been forever since I’ve done a movie review. Let’s see if I remember how.  How to Train Your Dragon 2 was a great movie in my book. It’s a little intense  for a kid’s movie. I rate it as being more intense than The Lion King, ya know, when Simba see’s his father die. I don’t want to give anything away but there is a wicked twist that’s just wrong. How to Train Your Dragon was never a movie about marshamallow hugs and rainbows in the first place. Still, I didn’t expect the movie to get so intense. I may have teared up a bit.

What I like about the HTTYD movies is how they explore family relationships. In the first movie, we see Hiccup develop a better relationship with his dad. In the second movie, Hiccup meets his mom. My favorite part is when Hiccup’s Mom and Dad get back together. They totally could’ve had Hiccup’s Mom declare her independence and stay in her own little world. Instead she chose to return to her family and that was beautiful. She was willing to love again.

If you have concerns about dating relationships, well Hiccup does share a kiss with Astrid. It’s pretty clear that everyone expects the two to get married. Also, the twin girl, Ruffnut,  has some youthful lust issues. It’s supposed to be funny but it really annoyed me. None of it was a deal breaker for me though. It’s just an opportunity for discussion.

Ultimately, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is about friendship and forgiveness. Sometimes love is hard. Sometimes the people you love the most, hurt you the most. You have a choice. Become bitter or forgive and let love empower you. Hiccup faces several challenges as he journies into manhood. I think he handles them well and overall, is a good role model for boys. Plus, Toothless is just adorable. Enough said, four stars :).

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

The 1800’s Week 6: Heading West (The Final Week)

In this post: Come join us as we take a wagon ride to the prairie! There will be pioneers and cowboys! Come hang out :). 

Hello dear ones! We’ve had a lot of fun learning about the pioneers and the world of Little House on the Prairie. This is how we learned:

Tall Tales

• We read about Paul Bunyan and Buffalo Bill.
• Michael watched Tall Tale.

Heading West

• Michael read and watched Little House on the Prairie. We actually watched the newer mini series.
• We took a virtual field trip to Little House on the Prairie sites.
• Michael “built” a log cabin when we visited Fort Mitchell, a couple weeks before.
• He also saw covered wagons at Fort Mitchell and the inside of a log cabin. There’s a picture of him ringing the supper bell.
• Michael drew a picture of a log cabin from his Draw Through History book.
• Little House on the Prairie Role play. I turned the reading pool into a covered wagon and Michael’s desk into the horse. Michael packed up the supplies for his “trip out west”. Then once he arrived, we used tp rolls and tissue paper to make a fire. I put a grate over the top and Michael cooked the food he had “shot”. He used our ukulele for a fiddle. We listened to actual fiddle music and danced around. Michael enjoyed pretending to be “Pa”.
• We made a covered wagon out of cardboard and tissue paper.
• We tried to learn old fashioned string games, like Cat’s cradle.
• We made yarn dolls. I remember my Granny making those for me.
• We read a book on Pioneers.
• Michael made a lapbook about Cowboys.
• Michael played The Oregon Trail, an interactive PC game.
• We decorated Western gingerbread men, which was creepy since we had just talked about the tragedy of the Donnor Party!

Other

• We read about Ireland’s potato famine in Story of the World book 4.
• We watched Dear America Season one: Episode 4. It’s about an Irish immigrant girl who travels to America (because of famine) and works in a factory.
• We read Jamie O’ Rourke and the Big Potato.
• We read Little Folk, about leprechauns etc…
• We read Irish rhymes.
• We read about Italy in Story of the World, so we also read Italian rhymes.
• Michael did a composer study on Tchaikovsky. He practiced playing “Swan Lake” on the piano.
• We read poems by Whitman and Keats.

Well, I hope you enjoyed our study of history this school year. We went from Creation to the 1800’s. Links at the end.

The 1800’s on Pinterest:

The 1800’s Week 5:https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/the-1800s-week-5-the-statue-of-liberty-technology/

The 1800’s Week 1: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/05/20/the-1800s-week-1-sacagawea-claude-monet/

This is the last post for history this school year, so here is…

The Very beginning of our History study this school year: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/crafty-monday-creation-the-flood-and-personality/

Time Machine Unit (The 1900’s): https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/a-late-crafty-monday-the-time-machine1900-1925/

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

The 1800’s Week 5: The Statue of Liberty & Technology

In this post: Statue of Liberty crafts and an experiment Edison would be proud of.

Hello dear ones! This is how we learned during week 5 of the 1800’s:

The Statue of Liberty

• Michael put together a Statue of Liberty lapbook.
• We read about the Statue of Liberty in Story of the World book 4.
• Michael did a splatter paint Statue of Liberty craft, using a silhouette.
• Michael drew a picture of it, using his Draw Through History book.
• Michael watched a video on the making of the Statue of Liberty.

Technology

• Michael read “Out of Darkness” about Louis Braille.  Then he drew his name in Braille.
• We read about Samuel Morse, Vincent Van Gogh, and Alexander Grahm Bell.
• Michael read about Thomas Edison and the light bulb.
• Chris and Michael made a homemade lightbulb using a mason jar, wire, batteries, and pencil lead. It was such a cool experiment! The diy video is on my Pinterest link.
• We read about steam engines and other inventions in Story of the World.
• We read stories about trains and Michael drew one from his Draw Through History book.

Other

• Michael did a composer study on Brahms.
• We read poems by Emily Dickinson and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

 The 1800’s on Pinterest:

The 1800’s Week 4: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/the-1800s-week-4-the-civil-war-queen-victoria/

The 1800’s Week 6 (last one): https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/the-1800s-week-6-heading-west-the-final-week/

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

The 1800’s Week 4: The Civil War & Queen Victoria

In this post: Take a trip on the Underground Railroad and join the battle at Gettysburg. Come learn about the Civil War.

Hello dear ones! I know it’s been awhile. You’ve been on my mind though. Sooo…I’ve got several posts to catch up on. We are having our Summer break, so we’ve obviously finished the 1800’s. I’ve just got to catch you up.  Here we go :).  This is how we studied week 4 of the 1800’s:

Queen Victoria

• We read about Queen Victoria in Story of the World Book 4.
• Michael drew a picture of Queen Victoria, from his Draw Through History book.

The Civil War

• We read about the Civil War in Story of the World Book 4.
• Michael played Flight to Freedom, an interactive PC game, about the Underground Railroad.
• We watched Gone with the Wind.
• We read several books about the Civil War: If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War, Civil War Cooking, Who Was Abraham Lincoln?, What Was the Battle of Gettysburg?, Vinnie & Abraham (about a young artist who sculpted the President), A Picture Book of Robert E. Lee, and Following Freedom.
• Chris helped us make a Northern Star lantern, by punching holes in a tin can. Then he bent a clothes hanger to carry it. Add a fake candle and voila!
• Michael made an Underground Railroad lapbook.
• We learned about quilt patterns used as secret messages in the Undergound Railroad.
• I put up a Civil War timeline.
• We visited two museums and found all the Civil War stuff we could.
• Columbus, Ga was a supply center for the Confederacy.  We explored the River Walk and found historical sites. There was a cannon and an old bell.
• We had a can of Hoppin’ John, Civil War style blackeye peas.
• We watched season 1 episodes 3 and 8 of Dear America. Episode 3 is about a slave girl who learns to read. Episdoe 8 is about a confederate girl during the war.
• We read African rhymes and Her Stories, a book on African American folk tales.
• Michael did a lapbook on George Washington Carver.
• We bought toy soldiers (Civil War era) from Hobby Lobby and Michael reenacted a battle.

Other

• Michael read Little House in the Big Woods. He was workin’ his way to Lil House on the Prairie.
• We read poetry by Elizabeth Browning and a story about her romance with another poet, Robert Browning.

 The 1800’s on Pinterest:

The 1800’s Week 3:  https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/the-1800s-week-3-native-americans-the-alamo-edgar-allan-poe-the-gold-rush/

The 1800’s Week 5: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/the-1800s-week-5-the-statue-of-liberty-technology/

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Mission Minded July 6, 2014

 

Hello dear ones! So…I took a trip to Belize and I learned a lot. I’d like to share something that stood out to me: what it means to be mission minded. First, I want to share some verses that most Christians know.

^“37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.

³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Matthew 22:37-40King James Version (KJV)

We are called to love, God and others. We are called to take the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. The good news is that God the Father, sent His son, Jesus, to save the world from it’s sins, to restore the relationship between humanity and it’s Creator.  Jesus Christ died and took our punishment upon Himself. Three day later He came back to life and conquered death itself. We no longer have to be slaves to sin and death. If we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord, then we will be saved and we will be the children of God. It’s simple. Once we belong to God, He then fills our hearts with His love and Spirit. The Spirit empowers us to share God’s love and Truth with the world.

God has given us this great gift, but we are not to hoarde it. We are not to hide away from the lost. We are called to share this good news, to share Jesus Himself. Yet, sometimes we treat Jesus like our little secret. We have the keys to the kingdom but we’ve hidden them in our pockets. The world is starving and we have the food bank…but we’d rather keep it to ourselves, so the dirt and blood of the world won’t sully our white robes.  Yet Jesus, the one we follow, wasn’t afraid to touch the lepers, to heal the demon possessed, and set free the sexually immoral. He wasn’t afraid to embrace US in OUR filth and brokeness.

This was my first international missions trip but it wasn’t my first mission. I started my first mission the moment I became a Christian, in 1998.  I’ve been blessed, in that the Lord answered my youthful prayer: “Lord, please keep me on a tight leash. Please do whatever it takes to keep me from straying.” God has answered that prayer over and over. The times I would stray, something always happened to bring me back before I got too far. Usually it was hardship. I say that to say, my Christian walk has been a committed one. I can only give glory to God for this because HE is the one who made sure we stayed close.  This summer will make 16 years of the best friendship I’ve ever had. So I’ve known that my mission is to share Christ with everyone, in my home town, in my state, in my country, and in the world.  God made it clear to me my senior year, that my Highschool was a mission field. He took my eyes off of dating and the trivial issues of teenagedom and gave me a heart to reach my generation.

This missional mindset stayed with me for many years in my youth. But something changed when I got married and had my son. I still reached out, gave, and looked for ways to share the gospel…but I started looking inward. I started building up my lil kingdom. My focus was my family…protecting and prospering MY family. I made a little comfortable nest and I sat on it. Every now and then I would peak out at the world and throw treats: “God loves you!” “God bless!”

God had indeed called me to be missional minded with my family, to be a light at home as well as the world. But He had not called me to ONLY be a light at home…to isolate myself. Now, I understand how I slipped into it. My twenties have been filled with physical illness and several losses. I put a good bit of work into homeschooling my son and it’s a big part of the calling God has given me. Sometimes a calling can become an idol though. My love for my family has sometimes turned into idolatry, and fear has crept in. When you cling tight to your life, you will lose it. Fear is a great way to lose what you love.

^“24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

²⁶ For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Matthew 16:24-26King James Version (KJV)

I issue this warning to all my fellow sisters: mother and wives: Be careful, that your family doesn’t become your god…that you don’t become so comfortable, that the cries of someone else’s child mean nothing to you. Don’t spend so much time building up your own kingdom that you forget God’s kingdom. Because if your family becomes your focus, instead of Jesus, then you will do whatever it takes to protect them…even if it hurts Jesus. Let God protect your family. Open your tight fist and give your treasures to God. They really belong to Him anyways. He can take much better care of your family than you can. 

So, back to the point of this post: Mission Minded. In Belize, I was thrown out of my comfort zone, and in my mind I acted like a brat at times. I got really upset when I found I couldn’t call my son every night. My phone card didn’t work. I got homesick often. But when you’re on a missions trip, you have to deal with yourself pretty quick. I couldn’t stay in a crummy mood. I had to get focused on God and put myself aside.

• When you’re mission minded, you lay down yourself for the sake of others. You put aside your negative attitudes because you know you are being a witness. We were told to smile despite the heat and the bugs, because the people of Belize needed our encouragement. The people o f Belize live in harsh conditions all the time and it’s like Christmas when we come to visit. We give them a boost, to keep on ministering. But if we complained the whole time and focused on ourselves, then the people of Belize would not be encouraged. We would not be able to reach those kids for Christ, if we frowned while we were jumping and dancing to songs. Okay, I’ll admit…I got tired and many times I didn’t feel like playing. But when a sweet Belizean girl asks you to play, you just do. These kids die from fevers and infectious cuts. They have to worry about jaguars eating their livelyhood and then coming after them. Who am I to complain? It’s not about being fake, it’s about choosing to only share encouragement. It’s about truly loving others.
• When you’re mission minded, you fellowship with others with the same mission. I couldn’t isolate myself from the group. I did everything with the group because we had to be on the same page for the mission to work.  We had to be unified. I had to communicate with the team. We encouraged each other at the end of the day. We prayed together. We worshipped together. We were able to do a mighty work because God used our unity. It was amazing to feel such closeness to people I barely knew. Most of us wept at some time or another. We remarked that this is how church should be. We were bound by our mission. The mission was the one thing we had in common.
• When you’re mission minded, you’re open to be used however God sees fit.  The newcomers like me, didn’t know what to expect. I had no clue that I’d have to improvise and just go with the flow. We had to be flexible. When Drew, my mission leader, disappeared, I didn’t expect to be thrown into sharing the gospel on the spot in front of a bunch of kids. As scared as I was, I still did it, because the mission was more important than my fear. Many people had to throw away their inhibitions and step into roles they had never been in before. My friend who has a desk job at a hospital, had to give out medicines to people and explain how to use them. We all did whatever had to be done. No one said “Oh, I don’t do this” or “This isn’t my job!” We were willing vessels in the hands of our God.
• When you’re mission minded, you leave your arms open.  When we got off the bus at the school, the children ran to us. “The gringos are here! The gringos are here!” That means “white people”.  It’s a bit overwhelming. But when you’re on a mission you have to be open to loving everyone. You embrace people with God’s love. You can’t hide away. Personal space, your reservations, insecurities etc…they all go out the window!  Some children were easier to love on than others. There was this crippled boy who followed me around a bit. My heart broke for him but it was difficult to be near him because he would just come up and slap me on the leg or something. It really hurt. He probably had some mental issues too. I’m not sure. Or maybe it was emotional because handicapped people aren’t treated with much kindness over there. In the U.S.A. we really look out for the handicapped. In Belize, they are sometimes treated like animals. I struggled with how to share love with someone who kept hurting me. But I couldn’t close my arms to this boy. You don’t close your arms when you’re on a mission.
• When you’re mission minded, you abide in Christ and put aside distractions. I had some free time and I had time to goof off a bit…relax etc… But my personal devotions were most important. I didn’t have time to be distracted by social media. The schedule was pretty packed so I had to make an effort to put Christ first. Worship time and group devotions were great, but I needed to go to the life source myself. I needed to abide with Jesus  and keep my personal relationship strong, or I wouldn’t have had the strength to minister to others. Intense daily ministry can drain you quick, especially when you’re not in your comfort zone.  I could not share Christ’ love with others, if I didn’t know it myself. I had to be reminded that God loves me. I had to be comforted when I was lonely. I had to have God’s encouragement when I was insecure. My problems didn’t stay home while I flew to Belize. No, they all came with me. I just had to face them for once, because the distractions were not as available.

So what is my point? The mission didn’t end in Belize. The mission isn’t just for missionaries. It’s not for super christians. Dear ones, the mission of Christ is for all of his followers, every day of your life. We should be living mission minded always. The souls of the lost are too important, for us to be distracted, complaining, and isolated. I know it’s not easy. I have struggled trying to be mission minded at home. It’s hard to love the spoiled and the rich. It’s hard to love those who know better but still do wrong. But everyone needs grace. Everyone needs God. I’d venture to say, that those in first world countries, desperately need the mission minded. Why? Because they think they’re alive when they’re really dying. They think they are rich, when spiritually they are poor.  They’ve been given everything yet they still doubt God. It may be harder to be mission minded here, but it is just as important as it is in a developing country.

So my encouragement for you today is to remember that you ARE on a mission. Abide in Christ, so you’ll have the strength to carry it out.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: More details on Belize (including pictures), to come, Lord willing.