A Science "Experience"

    The Lord has been helping me teach my kiddo's His truth in new ways.  For a while we would read a bible story and then act it out! They loved that.  The other day I did a "science experiment" Bear miss understood me and now calls an experiment and "EXPERIENCE."  I kind of love that.  Teaching through experience, as an adult I still benefit so very much from a good visual or word pictures.  This is a gift God has given many of our pastor's they give us examples to help the truth of God's word stick in our brains long enough for us to get out and live it! 
     So I wanted to share about our experience!  For weeks now I have been teaching and learning with the kids the sign language for the scripture 1 Cor. 13:4-8 

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails.

     So, I got a jar and a rubber band and had Troy snag 4 army guys.  We strapped the army guys to the jar. I asked the kids where does the love that we have been learning about come from. "God!" Bear shouts, good one Bear.  I explained not only does love come from God, but we get to love because God lives in us by the Holy Spirit. (Troy and Bear have invited the Holy Spirit to live in them and Christ to be their Lord) We need God to pour His Holy Spirit in us continually because we leak! 

     Next I took food coloring and had them shout out one aspect of love form memory.  "Its kind, It doesn't boast, always protects!" Every time they said one I would drop color into my big jar of water.  This was just a visual of how beautiful those aspects of God's love is.  So all those things are in the Holy Spirit and when we start to get crunchy attitudes with each other we can ask the Holy Spirit to refill us with love. AND HE WILL! (Side note: I usually teach my kids whatever I am learning so that its fresh baked spiritual bread!) I began to pour the colored "Spirit" water in to the jar in the middle of the army men.  I told the kids the jar was  me and the men were Paul, Bear, Troy and Abi. As the water filled the small jar they were excited but giggles broke out when it over flowed and I shouted look at all that love getting all over you guys! 

     Each of them had a turn to color their water and would say Holy Spirit please fill me so I can love my family.  Then they would pour.  It was exciting every time.  We of course had to contrasting it the nastiest thing we could think of.  Duke's poop (our puppy). How much more pleasant and refreshing it is to be refilled with the living water of the Spirit to splash love on one another that our stinky flesh! 

    I don't want to post about this as a "Ta Da!" Look how clever I am but as an encouragement to Mom's or others with little ones. Use whatever gift you have to teach them the truth of God's word in a way that there little minds can "experience" it! 

*We also talked about how the Holy Spirit refilling us might look different for each person. That God has given us gifts to love one another in different ways just like the different colors we used to color the water. 

BOOKS

     How we do books

     Some may think this is not a worth while thing to share but book play a big roll in our home so I wanted to share anyways. Its sad but I am gong to confess I did not start really reading to my kids until Abi came along. I had a friend encouraging me about reading books to my kids right at the same time as God was giving me a new identity. I have always struggled with reading, writing and anything academics so I just didn't read to my kids. My husband did and let me just say I love listening to him read. He does voices and accents. He makes it really fun. 

     I do read to them now almost everyday. That's the goal anyway because its not just the reading that's wonderful. Its the discussions on life that come with it and the snuggling close. 

     We also use books a buffer. If there is a crazy moment or Mom and Dad just need to go in the other room and talk or that crazy 30 min. before dinner. Every one grabs books and sit far apart and "reads". Troy is actually reading many words our of regular books now and the excitements is contagious! Bear is wanting me to teach him to read as well. Abi will sing any entire books to you by memory! (Mainly hungry Caterpillar) Books have brought so much joy and enrichment into our lives. 

     How we do it. Every couple of weeks or when I can see that the books we have don't hold their attention any more we go to the library. I try to time it with a story/ craft time but not always. The kids usually don't look at books at the library and I don't mind that. Our library has such rockin' toys and kid computers that if I was a kid I would gravitate to them as well. While they are all occupied I walk around the library and pick our 40-50. I don't put alot of thought or effort into it cause lets face it there is a whole rest of our day to live and I'm not going to read every book before I pick it. We use a suit case on rollers. I am a little embarrassed when I have 30 lbs. of books making the suit case wheels ever so loud on the tile floor but then I get over it. 

     When we get home we load up our book shelf. In our current home the kids have their special toys in their rooms. We have toys that belong to everybody down stars and no toys in the upstairs living room. Just books. The books are right by the snuggliest place in our house and a constant joy in our home. 

Our little book shelf

Mamo enjoying books with Abi

Busted took a book to the bed room :)

Blurry, but this is Paul and Abi
picking out books to read

Troy and Abi again 

This was a craft time at our library! I love the library! There
wasn't space at the tables this day so we created on the floor. 

     Oh, yeah....when we have library books in the house ALL other books are put in a box and up our of reach in a closet. I can't handle the stress of loosing a library book. Also the library books don't leave the living room unless a parent takes them to another place in the house to ensure a timely return. So that it. I post these "How we do it's," not to show off or say our way is the best, its just what works for us and if its encouraging to another I like to take the time to document. If nothing else maybe my Abi will be encourage if she gets to be a homemaker some day.