Tuesday's Toolbox - This Week's Tool - A Christmas Tree
Mood:  bright
Topic: Blog Carnivals!

Ok, so one of the rules of Tuesday's Toolbox is that it has to be an everyday object. I know a Christmas tree is not an everyday object, but it is an object found in most homes for a least a week or so throughout the year. And it is useful to teach some lessons in life.

Biblical - Of course we would have to mention the obvious. Usually people either put a star or an angel at the top of their tree. This is an excellent opportunity to emphasize what Christmas is really all about - the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The tree could also be used to remind them of why Jesus came to earth - to ultimately die in "the tree" to provide forgiveness of sins.

Math - How about how many ornaments are on the tree? How many blue, red, etc? What is the difference between the amount of green ornaments and blue ornaments?

History - Look up the history of the Christmas tree. Be careful though! Some history may contain non religious content. Do you have any ornaments that have been handed down from one generation to the next? What about studying about the historical significance of those ornaments?

Science - Do you have a live tree? What about studying pine trees? Ecology? Forestry? Even studying plants themselves - why do you have to water a Christmas tree? Where does the water go? Why do you have to keep filling the base with water? 

Spelling and/or Vocabulary - Many words can be added to your word wall. For the younger kids - tree, bulb, pine, star, angel, etc. For the older - Christmas, ornament, present, coniferous, etc.

Language Arts - I could think of many creative writing topics:

• Describe the Christmas tree.
• What steps do you take in putting up a Christmas tree?
• What is your favorite thing about a Christmas tree?

Art - Have them draw the Christmas tree or a favorite ornament.

Reading - Many books and internet articles are available about Christmas trees.

Geography - When I was young my parents subscribed to a great program - I think through Reader's Digest - called "Christmas Around the World". Each year we would get a box containing a traditional ornament from the country of the year, recipe cards for traditional dishes from that country, and a large colorful book that described Christmas in that country. I have inherited those ornaments, and they are one of the highlights of our tree. Why not start your own tradition and adopt a country every Christmas. Learn about their Christmas trees, ornaments and traditions. Make your own book.

Life Lessons - My boys are always fighting over who is going to put on the first ornament, or put the angel on top. This can be a great time to teach patience, sharing, love for one another, cooperation, etc.

There are many unit studies, lesson plans, and resources for homeschoolers to use at Christmas. Some can be overwhelming. When you focus on just one aspect of Christmas, however, it can be less of a challenge and more fun to use as a teaching tool. Even non-homeschool parents are looking for something for their children to do over the school break. The Christmas tree can be a great teaching tool for homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers alike. Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.

 

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A New Challenge Is Coming?
Mood:  energetic
Topic: Ministry

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Men's Monday Meme - Question 2
Mood:  happy
Topic: Men's Monday Meme

 

 

Well, I only got two posts for my first Men's Monday Meme (and one was mine ). But, a lot of people seemed really interested and some said that they just couldn't think of a tradition, but they would check back again next week. So, I am going to forge ahead and post question number two! Here it is -

What are your favorite things about the holiday season and your least favorite things?

Now surely everyone has a holiday favorite and least favorite. I'm hoping to get a few more responses. I'm sure as my meme gets more exposure there will be more that participate. For those of you who are interested, here are the rules:

1. This is a man's meme, so the answers must be the answers from a man. Either the man can answer on his blog, or a wife can interview her husband for her blog. However, if the wife puts it on her blog, she must stay true to what her husband said.
2. You are encouraged to put one of the Men's Monday Meme buttons found to the left on your blog. Just copy the code below the button of your choice. The more folks who link, the more readers you may have to visit your blog.
3. You may answer the question any time during the week up through next Monday. After you answered the question, add the address to your post to the Mr.Linky below. If you could, please only add the direct link to the post to make it easier for readers to find the entry.
4. My answer along with a new question will be posted next Monday. The new Mr. Linky will be added at midnight Monday night.

And here is the new Mr. Linky:

 

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Men's Monday Meme - My Answer
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Men's Monday Meme

Drum Roll Please...rat-a-tat rat-a-tat rat-a-tat!

This is it - my answer to my first Men's Monday Meme question -

Is there a favorite holiday tradition that you had when you were young and would like to pass on to your children or grandchildren?

I really have two holiday traditions that we have always had. Let me start with the least important one. We have always had the tradition of opening the package that came from the farthest away on Christmas Eve. That usually was a package from one of my cousins that lived a few states away. We lived in Pennsylvania for most of my growing up years, and we would always get together at Grandpa Tinkel's house in Indiana for thanksgiving. All of the aunts, uncles and cousins would be there and that is where we would always draw names for Christmas gifts. The rule was that you couldn't draw a name of someone from your immediate family so that ruled out my brother or sister. So it was always someone from Indiana or maybe even from Texas (my dad's youngest brother and family lived there)!  We usually had a big Christmas Eve service at our church, so it would happen after that. It was always a big and exciting night. We have family that lives all over the USA now, so it is still exciting for my kids to open up one on Christmas Eve. You never know where it's going to be from!

The second, more important tradition is that we always read the Christmas story from the Bible before opening gifts on Christmas 'Day. I love doing it, but it always brings a pang of sadness. My dad, "Pop Pop", was always the one that had that honor. Even after we were married, we made it home most Christmases and even when we couldn't, we always knew that Pop-Pop was somewhere reading the Christmas story usually from the Gospel of Luke. Pop-Pop died eight years ago but we carry on the tradition. It helps us to focus on what we are really celebrating at Christmas time - the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It really shouldn't bring me sadness, for I know that while we are merely reading about Jesus' birth, Pop-Pop is actually sitting at His feet and praising Him for the sacrifice that he made when He left His perfect home in Heaven to be born into this sinful world. All so that He could someday die for our sins. That is what we are truly celebrating at Christmas, and that is the main tradition that I want to pass down to my children.   

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What Will I Miss and What Will I Not Miss as My Children Grow Older?
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: The Kids

Most of you have seen the widgets that I have on the left hand side of my page. What are widgets? They are those things on the left side that you can press and go to a particular site. My "Men's Monday Meme" buttons are widgets, for example. As are the two from BlogFrog that are in the middle of the left column.

BlogFrog is a community of bloggers that I joined partly to gain more exposure for my blog, but also to learn from other, more experienced bloggers. In the blog frog community forums, they have a discussion area. You can either start a discussion by asking a question, or join in a discussion by answering a question or responding to someone else's answer. One of the questions recently was asked by Sarah (not my Sarah) from Kingdom Twindom. Her question was more in the form of a statement "I'm really going to miss that!" She went on to discuss what she was and wasn't going to miss about her children being toddlers. Others joined in the discussion and offered comments such as "I will miss the cuddling" or "I'll miss the babytalk", and then added that they would not miss "Changing diapers" and "Having to buckle them into their car seats".

As I began thinking about what things I would miss or not miss, I became a little more melancholy. Not depressing or anything like that, just kind of sad at the thought of my boys growing up. I thought I would share my response with you in today's post. Here it is in it's entirety.

 Hope you don't care if a dad jumps in here!

There are many things that I will miss as my children grow older. We have three boys - 13, 9, and 3. If God chooses for us to not have any more children, I will miss not having a baby to hold, sing to and put to sleep. I will miss the baby talk. I'll miss the running and jumping into Daddy's arms, and, as much as I complain about getting old, I'll miss the wrestling and piggy back rides. As my sons leave the home, I will worry and miss having them under the protection of this home that God has provided.

I could post a long list of what I won't miss, but when it gets right down to it, I don't know if there is anything I will actually not miss - even the diapers. Although it's an inconvenience, I will still miss the climbing into our beds in the middle of the night. Although I want my children to love each other, the sound of bickering is better than no sound at all. All parents want their children to be mentally and physically healthy, but some of our best times and discussions have happened in the waiting rooms and trips to the children's hospitals and traveling back and forth from therapies (my oldest is a cancer survivor with an artificial eye, my middle has asperger's syndrome and my youngest also has sensory issues - currently being tested for asperger's as well).

I guess there is nothing that I would not miss, because, I know that every year that passes, and every stage that is grown out of, is another year and another stage that can't be recaptured again. And, although there are actions and disagreements among my boys that I pray will stop, I can't really say that I won't miss them, because I know that at any time God could choose to take one of them from us. We have been through the darkness, and we are enjoying the light with our boys, and, although there are trials, we really enjoy each day with them.

Boy that sounded really depressing for this season. I didn't intend for it to. But when I got to thinking of what I wouldn't miss, I realized that there really wasn't anything at all.

Tim

 

 

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