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.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Several years ago on a particular evening my three-year-old and I were cleaning up the family room. This is during the time when he wanted to write and make letters but really it was only scribbling. For months he would ask for a piece of paper and sit at the table and write down his list for various things. It was such a routine for him that I bought a little notebook that would fit into his small hands.

Well, on this particular evening he came upon one of his many lists and he excitedly pointed it out to me. When I asked him what was on his list he replied, “Go grocery shopping. Show love together.”

Ohhhh, yeah . . show love. With life swirling around me and my little guy standing before me, little did he know how deep it sank on that day!

Oh, Father, it is wonderful that you use my children to remind me of what is important . . . to show love together!

Even now we chat about “showing love together” and make it practical for the smaller ones in our family by talking about what it means to show love. It’s something that goes quietly by the wayside until one day we realize what’s missing in the ordinary interactions 

I’m sure everyone here has a similar story of when God used your little ones to drive home a spiritual truth. I really do love how the Lord does that!

So, what’s on your list for today?

 How much I am like that with the Lord!

 There are soooooo many different things that catch my attention or make me look off to the side to see what is passing by!  O, I settle down again for a while but then I strain my eyes to look to one side or I twist right around at an unfamiliar sound.

 And then I remember . . .

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10

 In the midst of little ones and the chaos of newborns, infants and toddlers, it is almost impossible to carve out large chunks of time to be quite before the Lord.  You are legitimately busy caring for multiple, small children.  However, right in the middle of the blessings He has entrusted to you, you can quiet your mind and whisper up to Him your thanks, your praises, your concerns.

 As the busy holiday season approaches, ask the Lord to keep you mindful of Him and His ways and to quiet your mind . . . . even while the hungry mouths of your children are needing to be fed!

 Scripture Survival Kit

Toothpick:  To remember to pick out the good in others. (Matthew 7:1,  Do not judge, or you too will be judged.)

Rubberband:  To remember to be flexible.  God has it under control. (Romans 8:28,  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.)

Band Aid:  To remember to mend hurt feelings – yours or someone else’s. (Colossians 3:12-14,  Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.)

Paper:  To remember to list your blessings daily. (Ephesians 1:3, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.)

Gum:  So you can stick to it.  With God you can accomplish anything. (Philippians 4:13, I can do everything through him who gives me strength.)

Button:  To remember to button your lip when needed. (Proverbs 21:23, He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.)

Lifesaver:  To remember that the Lord is there to help. (Psalm 46:1, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.)

Candy Kiss:  To remember that Love should be a part of everyday. (1 John 4:7, Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.)

Puzzle Piece:  To remember that without God we are not complete. (1 John 4:12, No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. )

At the beginning of each school year, I always have such great intentions. Art! Music! Field Trips! Crafts! Soon, however, the weight of all that has to be done sets in and those grand ideas tend to get pushed to the back burner, or at least are not tackled quite as often as I had hoped.

I have learned over the years that if I can have all the supplies purchased and ready to go, I am more likely to do an art project or craft with the kids. I’ve also learned that if those supplies come in a kit, I am one happy mom. No need to run around to several different stores with all the kids in the van, hoping they’ll have what I need.

Shirley Gust of Shirley’s Prepackaged Crafts provides a terrific kit well-stocked and planned for homeschooled preschoolers. Each month’s kit has a seasonal theme and allows opportunity to practice cutting, gluing, basic writing (such as numbers and letters), and coloring.

The projects are simple enough for mom to pull out and scan the instructions in a few seconds–no major preparation time needed. Most days I could just peek in the box for the next project, hand it over to my five-year-old with a few instructions, then let her go to it. She adored each project she made.

While simple enough for a preschooler to grasp and not be frustrated, the projects are quite cute. During the month of March, for example, my daughter made a shamrock welcome sign, an octopus, and an elephant puppet. She used stickers, cut out bees and their hive, and practiced her numbers. There was nothing complicated or frustrating, and she looked forward to each new project with that sweet five-year-old excitement. And just for a fun and encouraging touch, each kit contains a certificate for mom’s use–print the child’s name on it, tell them what a good job they’ve done, and watch their little eyes light up.

Shirley’s Prepackaged Crafts offers a monthly kit that is mailed to arrive the last week of the preceding month. September’s craft package will arrive the last week of August; October’s craft package will arrive the last week of September and so on. You can also order a quarter’s worth of kits and not have to think about ordering again each month. Order cut-off for the next month’s kit is the 15th of preceding month.

I love seeing homeschool businesses do things nicely, and Shirley Gust certainly falls into that category. I think you and your preschooler will be blessed by Shirley’s Prepackaged Crafts.

Product Review by Kendra Fletcher, The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine, LLC, March, 2009

Well that’s a little sunsine coming our way! If you want you can check out the actual review here.

If you have a homeschool website or other outlet where you do reviews and would like to have a three month subscription sent to you send us an email.

As you begin this homeschool year, consider where your confidence rests. Is it in the Lord and His sufficiency or in the curriculum you’ve purchased? Is the curriculum needed? Of course! But it is the Lord who directs the paths of men and it is His mercy that sees us through each day.

Jeremiah 17:7 & 8
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Whatever this year holds, may you find yourself taking confidence in Him.

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.

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!