Amazing Missionaries!

My children & I were blessed to get to meet the missionary pilot & his wife who took over in Equador after Nate Saint & Jim Elliot & the other missionary men were killed. I was so inspired by these missionaries who were willing to give up their lives to show God's love to people who had never known that kind of love. I was even more inspired by the missionaries families willingness to not only forgive the Indians, but also to befriend them & have a relationship with them. Such a powerful example of forgiveness!

This is a picture of the five missionaries that went into the jungles of South America to show the love of God to the Auca Indians who knew nothing but killing and being killed.

If you have not heard the story, I encourage you to check out these resources:

I have seen all three of these DVDs & they are all very moving. "The End of the Spear" is a Film based on the story of what happened between the Aucas and the Missionaries. Though not everything in the movie is true. "Through the Gates of Splendor" is a documentary by Elisabeth "Betty" Elliot ( Missionary Jim Elliot's widow). "Beyond the Gates of Splendor is a documentary by Steve Saint ( Misssionary pilot Nate Saint's son). I highly recommend these three videos for anyone interested in learning more about the story. (Viewer discretion is advised for ages 13 & under.)

For younger children I recommend watching this movie to begin with until they are old enough to handle the others:

This is an animated movie of the missionary story that begins when the five boys were in school. My kids watched this and said it was not scary at all :) It also has a cd-rom that includes a pdf printable activity book with comprehension questions.
Our whole family enjoyed this one!

Now that our missionary theme is over, we will be moving onto another topic. But I am sure this story of love, sacrifice & forgiveness will live in our hearts & not be forgotten.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."--Jim Elliot

A Dolphin Tale - Review

Dolphin Tale is inspired by the amazing true story of a brave dolphin and the compassionate strangers who banded together to save her life. Swimming free, a young dolphin is caught in a crab trap, severely damaging her tail. She is rescued and transported to the Clearwater Marine Hospital, where she is named Winter. But her fight for survival has just begun. Without a tail, Winter's prognosis is dire. It will take the expertise of a dedicated marine biologist, the ingenuity of a brilliant prosthetics doctor, and the unwavering devotion of a young boy to bring about a groundbreaking miracle-a miracle that might not only save Winter but could also help scores of people around the world. 

I organized a homeschool "fieldtrip" group to go & see this movie & thanks to the Homeschool Movie Club & Warner Bros. we were sent official Dolphin Tale merchandise for our group!  It was a really great family movie, very touching & inspiring. It is so great to be able to go & see a family-friendly movie with no violence, nudity or foul language. This movie will be added to our library eventually:)


This is picture of my girls right after seeing the movie with the merchandise:

Room Reorganization

Another school year is in full swing & I decided to reorganize the kids room & our homeschool room. We do not have a lot of space, but I did my best to get everything on the proper shelves and put away somewhat neatly. This is the girl's room. The white shelf to the left has two shelves for books & the bottom is a toy chest. I got this at my Aunt's thrift store in Modesto. The little table & chairs in front of the window is from IKEA. The cubby shelves are from Target & my husband screwed two of them together to secure them. The armoire on the right is from Craigslist. The bed is a daybed my friend G let our family have-Thank you G-you are such a blessing!:)

This is a very small loft that we are using for our homeschool room. It is more like a storage room than a room we can really work in, but we are thankful for the space. The two shelving units & the desk are from IKEA & work great in this small space.

What do all of your homeschool rooms look like?

See the Light Shine- Art Program

Impassioned to teach children Biblical truths in a fun and unique way, See The Light founder (Pat Holt) set out to develop a children’s art education DVD series that was compelling enough for today’s child and affordable for today’s parents and educators. Featuring art teacher and master artist, Pat Knepley, the ART CLASS DVD series (9-disk set; 36 lessons) integrates progressive art tutorials with art history appreciation and Biblical truths. Along with their personal instructor, Pat, children will learn step-by-step how to draw without the necessity of a workbook or expensive art supplies. Finally, parents do not have to be art experts to teach their children art instruction and appreciation!

I came across this program & decided to try it. After the first DVD of lessons-we were hooked! I thought because I don't know how to teach art it would be best to have them taught by someone else & who better than a master artist with a Biblical perspective on DVD format at a price I could afford! It was a win-win. So I popped in the video thinking I can get some work done while the kids do their art, but I found myself drawn to the video wanting to actually participate with my children. This is a WONDERFUL program & I HIGHLY recommend it!:)

We also purchased:

The Easter Story - Crossmaker  (16 minutes)

Dominic, the son of a carpenter, finds himself drawn into the unforgettable trial of the man called Jesus. Share in this amazing adventure that takes Dominic from Christ’s crucifixion to a place of redemption, and a face-to-face meeting with the risen Christ.  See The Light chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann draws her stunning interpretation of the Easter story.

Art Lessons - 

GLORY!  See The Light artist Heidi Shorts teaches the art of Creative Lettering (28 minutes)

He is Not Here! He is Risen! See the Light Master Art Teacher Pat Knepley leads budding young artists in a step-by step drawing lesson using chalk pastels. Plus, create your own black light reveal! (32 minutes)

Three Crosses on a Hill See the Light’s Jim Pence gives a water color tutorial as young artists discover The Joy of Art. (25 minutes)

Bonus Features!

- Revel in original contemporary music performed by “Breathing Room” recording artists Jan Roper and Kevin Dukes while watching Gloria Kohlmann draw her remarkable art expression of the Easter story.

- Watch and Hear the Plan of Salvation, clearly and creatively presented as you have never seen it. (7 minutes)

- Hear See The Light chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann’s commentary as you watch the Easter scene being created.

- Meet the See The Light team.



When you are done drawing with the Crayola extreme colored pencils, you put the black light up to your drawing & IT GLOWS! It is SO cool!
This is my finished creative lettering with the black light on (this picture doesn't do it justice to how beautiful it really looks in person):

Check them out at:
http://www.seethelightshine.com/