Shirley’s Prepackaged Crafts

Mommy, I want to ‘do school’ too!

 With older children doing academics and a house to maintain, how can you find time to ‘do school’ with your little ones?

 Shirley’s Prepackaged Crafts can help!

 We will send you everything you need to do 12 crafts a month with your preschooler.*  Our crafts are educational, engender a Christian worldview and are fun!  Each month our crafts celebrate days of interest such as Columbus and Leif Erikson days in October, Lincoln and Washington’s birthdays in February and the National Day of Prayer in May.  Each monthly packet includes craft supplies, reading and snack suggestions, ways to ‘catch’ your child doing good and a letter of encouragement for the parents.

 Packets can be purchased one month at a time, quarterly or for the school year (September-May).  No summer packets are available so September is the first available box.

 As always, the 15th of each month is the cut off for the coming months of crafts.  If you are interested in ordering the September crafts, August 15 is the cut off.  If you would like to order the October crafts, September 15 is the cut off.  Payment needs to be received by then.  I keep no inventory and print only the orders received.  It is one of the ways I keep costs down.

Until September then, may you enjoy the time you have with the little ones God has entrusted to your care.  May these crafts help you to find time in your busy homeschool schedule to spend time with your preschooler teaching them about the Lord and all He has created.

Grace to you,  Shirley

*Craft staples such as scissors, glue & crayons are not included.

Are you including your children in the work of the household so they can learn and you are not left with everything to do at the end of the day?

This takes more than a week, a month, or even just one year.  This is a mentoring relationship that has rewards for all involved.  However, you’ll need to realize that at first it will take you longer to do everything than if you just do it yourself.  And there will be times you will need to do things by yourself.

Before implementing this, consider attitudes toward work - especially your own.  Do you consider work drudgery and complain when you have to do it?  Or are you thankful that you are healthy enough to be able to do your own work instead of relying on others to do it for (ie: you are in the hospital away from your family or laid up in bed at home)?  So first consider where you are at with this and go before the Lord if need be.

Then, consider what is easy for little ones to help with. . . and what can be done along side of the work to let them see what fun it can be.  Here are a few ideas for making it something other than drudgery:

• Periodically on cleaning days hide a treat, pennies or stickers in those hard to clean places so your good cleaners get a pleasant surprise.
• Play music when tidying up the house.  Let it be something they select and put it up loud!
• Set the timer for ten minutes and have a race to see how much can be tidied before it goes off.
• Make a game of who can get to it first and put it away or fold it first (and properly).  Again, at this age being first can be very important.  Let them be first at things that are important!
• “Gang up” on another child and help them do their work, especially if it’s more than usual for a given day.  Tell them what you are doing and why - because the Lord helps us when things get to be too much for us as adults too!

Those can help get you started.  And as with everything, ask the Lord to show you how you can continue to show Him to your children in the everyday life of keeping a home.

Rewards.  What do we consider a reward?  What about our kids?  And the Lord?

This month in addition to the certificate, arm yourself with tangible treats like M&Ms and give a reward throughout the month when you see and hear any of your children living out what Jesus has called us to - a life of love and grace.  Talk about rewards here on earth and rewards waiting for us in heaven.

Are there acts of kindness that can be shown in secret?  Do them!  Have you overheard one child say to a down-cast sibling, “I’ll do your chores for you” or “I’m sorry for . . . ”

Is one child willing to take the punishment for another?  Has a child come along side of another to offer help and assistance in a loving manner?

Once the concept has caught on, “catch” one of them doing it and then give them a tangible reward (a treat, sticker, sweet grapes, a bit of pop, shinny penny, etc) and tell them how proud you are of them for doing something that doesn’t always come easy.  Choose to make a way to talk about rewards.  Talk about how you want your family to function and live a different kind of way.

If you are not seeing any of these things in your children, then let it start with you.  Instead of a punishment one day, extend grace and tell them what it is, why you are doing it and then introduce them to Jesus who extended grace to us, who so desperately need it.  Tell them all they have to do is ask Jesus to be their friend and for Him to come into their life and help them do what is right.  Then ask them if they want to do that.  Some will say yes (pray with them right there if that’s the case - and then write it down and celebrate!), some will say no.  The spiritual realm is abstract and at this age kids are very concrete learners.  If they have questions and don’t understand, you can talk about how we can not see the wind, but we can see what the wind does and where it blows.  Same is true of God and His son, Jesus.

After a few days of giving rewards, wonder together at God’s rewards.  He is a good and gracious God, filled with creativity.  What does He consider worthy of being rewarded?  Who does He reward?  What kind of rewards does He give?  When does He give them? (Look in your Bible’s concordance under “reward” if you need help.)

Now imagine together how wonderful the reward will be when they see Jesus face-to-face and no reward has been given here on earth! (Matthew 6:3-4)  And remember when you pray together to tell the Lord how proud you are of your child, so they can hear you!

Even if it’s nasty outside on the day you read this note, nice weather is coming!  Maybe you live in a mild climate and flowers are already blooming in your yard!  Along with the mild temperatures and sunny days come walks outside again.  Time outside lifts the spirits and brings smiles to little faces (and to mommy’s face too)!

When heading out for your next walk, go for a “God Walk” instead.  Go in search of evidence of God.  Those little hands like to be busy, so set their mind on things above, and have them collect anything that God created.  Stones have always been a big hit around our place - we actually put a limit on those!  Wonder along with your children about all the things they can be collecting.  There’s the grass and leaves of course, but what of bee or wasp nests (empty ones of course!), empty bird eggs now found on the ground, bird feathers, twigs, moss. . . and the list goes on!

What on earth do you do with all these things collecting in your home?  It can be your nature center!  Get a shoe box, decorate it, put your items in zip lock bags (label them if you want) and call it your God Box.  If you find you’re collecting a lot of leaves and feathers then tape them to a piece of paper and put them in page protectors inside a binder.  Use field guides to determine which bird or tree God has made that this particular item came from.  It’s amazing at just how creative God is . . . and that’s only in your part of the world!

So get out on some God walks and let your spirits be refreshed!

Why do you want to stay home?  Are you just a mom?  You homeschool?  Those questions from someone truly wondering about our choices can lead to some interesting conversations.  From others, those questions can leave us questioning if we’re making a good decision.

Edith Schaeffer in her book, What Is A Family? answers one of those questions.  Each chapter is basically a response she thought of after the face-to-face conversation.  It’s an encouraging book.

In one of those chapters Edith talks of a mother’s opportunity to be a curator of a museum.  Because you are there with your children, you are able to keep memories.  Some of us do it by taking photos or videos.  There are journals and scrapbooks of special events.  There are more opportunities for keeping memories than there is time to do it all.

With the monthly calendars provided each month you can also be a curator of your family’s museum with very little “extra” time needed.  Use the calendar to write in happy moments that pass so quickly and never return and are often forgotten.  It can be good to write in hard times too but use wisdom here.  When the month is done either keep the pages to read at Thanksgiving or put it in your school records and review them at the end of the year.  While nothing comes close to reading the Bible and hearing of God’s faithfulness to those in the Bible, there is something so close - so personal - when we routinely write, and remember, of His faithfulness to us personally.

Ideas for the monthly calendars:

• Extra time or days with dad
• Last minute family adventures (even if it is a bon fire in the back yard!)
• Seeing an eagle or the first robin sighting of the season
• An answered prayer for desperate need
• Tender moments or special words exchanged between siblings
• Awards earned

We just celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years’.  We also celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Independence Day for this country and other events.  What about spiritual milestones for our kids?

When someone invites Jesus into their lives the Bible says that all of heaven rejoices.  That sounds like a big deal!  What do we do here on earth ?  If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to write down the date and year that each child asks Jesus into their hearts, just as you write down the date and year they were born.  It may be when they are three.  Maybe when they’re eight.  Maybe older.  These are important dates that can be celebrated with a meal and maybe a note of evidences you’ve seen of God, their Father, in their lives in the past year.  Just as marking heights on the wall is a visual example of how much they’ve grown physically, writing a note of spiritual growth over the past year allows you and them to “see” how much they’ve grown in the Lord.  Presents can be part of the celebration but certainly don’t have to be.  As they get older they may have times of re-dedicating their lives to Him, but there is something good about knowing how old you are . . . even how old you are in Christ.

Other spiritual milestones to make note of could include when your child has asked another person if they would like to know Jesus.  Maybe they received a special Bible since they can now read or perhaps there is a treasure from their dedication/baptism.  Find a box or make one from wood if you want to do something fancy, and include only important spiritual objects that mark something in their lives.  Take it out periodically or have it someplace other than a play area and tell them why certain things are in there. 

Kids love to hear about themselves and this is a good way to make the spiritual realm more concrete for them in their everyday lives.

I want, I want, I want!!!

It is sooooo hard this time of year!  Torn between celebrating one of the two greatest, Christian holidays with gusto and crossing the line of excess.  This is a wealthy country and whether or not you are in the top income bracket, we all benefit and struggle with the riches this time of year has to offer.

As for giving, kids seem to naturally enjoy it.  Not if they have to give something of theirs that they hold dear.  Adults don’t enjoy that either.  But giving to others with joy does seem to come quickly to them.

Use that desire in them this month to help create an atmosphere of giving in your home.  When you see them giving, comment on it!

Here are some ideas:

• With all the crafts they’ve been doing, have the child choose a/some craft(s) to give to grandma and grandpa, siblings, dad or other special people as Christmas gifts.  Be sure to first take a photo or video of them in the middle of ALL their crafts for that month and even ask them which 1 or 2 crafts they’d like to keep.  Then set some aside as gifts and let them wrap the gifts up and set them under the tree.
• Cards for siblings can easily be made with a piece of blank paper.  As they are starting ask them, “What do you think your brother/sister likes?  I know you like ___________ but what do you think they would like that you can draw for them?”  Help them with ideas if needed but the concept of giving what the other person likes can be a wonderful thing to see play out.  And don’t forget that wrapping!
•  Doing one another’s chores is also a form of giving.  If you see or hear it happening, comment on their generous heart.
• Give dad a special treat (a couple M&Ms, chocolate chips or sticker) on his plate because he’ll be arriving home early and everyone is excited.

I realize this is the month of Thanksgiving but I am not going to address that topic this month.  I have found it easier to be thankful during this month with all the emphasis and wonderful suggestions out there on it.

But what of kindness?  It is good to know we have a Heavenly Father that treats us with loving kindness.  It warms the heart and is part of what makes this time of year so wonderful.

Kindness . . . not always easy, especially in our own families with those we know so well.
Kindness . . . actions that may seem kind, but what about the intentions behind them?
Loving kindness . . . out of something more than duty.
Loving kindness . . . does not look upon the person or object with coolness inwardly as the actions outwardly seem to say something else.

What of us during this busy time we are entering during November and December?

Loving kindness . . . are we making plans out of loving kindness?  How are we thinking of those who we will be with?

Loving kindness . . . we as weary parents can turn to the Lord who gives shelter and protection and His kindness to us is loving.

Loving kindness . . . our children can be “caught” displaying it.  Look for it this month and be encouraged with their tender hearts.  Those affectionate moments between siblings.  Those times when they encourage you by saying they are praying for you or the times they sense you are troubled and just come and tell you that they love you.

It can be very encouraging when you say out loud to your child, “Guess what?  You just served dad by putting away his clean socks.  I’m proud of you!  I think you just made the Lord smile!”

It’s hard to always see the bigger picture when you’re in the trenches of little children.  But they do serve . . . and so do you .  . . in many ways.  Our homes flourish with serving opportunities and children are often a part (or can be a part) of it.

Here are some simple ways you can encourage the young ones (and maybe mommy too!) with just how many ways they do serve.

• Helping with a happy heart
• Sharing a toy
• Setting the table
• Clearing their plate after a meal
• Pushing in their chair after a meal
• Saying an encouraging word
• Helping a sibling
• Waiting patiently
• Putting dad’s clean socks away
• Putting their own clean clothes away
• Setting toys out of the doorway so everyone can get through without tripping
• Being polite to others they meet (the mailman, librarian, Sunday School teacher, neighbors – those who you know and are not considered strangers)

This month’s certificate and project #1 focus on serving.  Have fun “catching them doing something good by serving” thereby bringing a smile to the Lord!  And be sure to brag on them to another adult so they overhear the wonderful thing they have done!

This craft needs:
Scissors
Markers / Crayons
School Glue
Tape
Paper plate (provided in subscription kit)
Straw (provided in subscription kit)
Sunflower seeds (provided in subscription kit)

Click on the sunflower pedals below to bring up a PDF file. Print two copies ideally on bright yellow paper. Then cut out the pedals by simply cutting around the outer most edges.  Take the paper plate (notice the circle shape), which is the center of the flower, and color the outer edges brown by coloring along the grooves.  Tape the pedals to the back of the plate with plenty of yellow peeking out.  Then glue the sunflowers seeds to the center of the paper plate.  Finally, tape the straw on to the back of the plate as a stem and let it dry before displaying upright.  For some reason singing You Are My Sunshine is always a big hit while completing this craft!