The SG Notebook

Something else new has been added: Our first writing contest. It’s been about three years now that we’ve been posting the Speakables writing activities on our site, and it recently occurred to us that a contest would be in order. From time to time, depending on how it works out, we want to have more of these contests. God willing, we’d like to someday offer better prizes and add more categories. We’ll see. It all depends on quite a lot of things, so we’re taking it one at a time. What do you have to lose? Let your second to fifth graders give it a try. Especially you homeschoolers! Go to our Speakables Home page. You can get to everything from there.

For His Glory,

Maxine

Eritrea. I know my geography was never very good, but I don’t believe I’d ever heard of this country until recently. Not until I read all the information on the Persecution Blog regarding the many sufferings of Christians there. This month we’re featuring an article about a boy named Joseph from that country. Go to our Child of Courage page for the link to this article and please read it to your children. Have them think about the response questions on our page and perhaps make the lists that are suggested there. It might be a worthwhile activity for them during this season of hustle and bustle. A good time to get them to stop and think about the things that really matter. Always good for the soul.

Blessings. Talk to you soon.

Maxine

I notice that the Persecution Blog has a post featuring Miriam, our Child of Courage for this month and last month. You might want to visit and read more about her there. You might also want to have your children go to our Child of Courage page and Bulletin Board to read the thought questions about her family. They will be featured until the end of October. See our various activities geared towards “Helping Children Grow,” where you can find this particular feature under “Helping Children Grow in Compassion.”

Take care, Maxine

Focus this month is on Vietnam. Our Child of Courage is a girl named Rachen. Follow the link to the VOM site to read the entire story. Have your children think about this for a bit. How important it is that they know about these things.

Also, go to the Persecution Blog to read about Pastor Y Wo Nie. Perhaps your children could write him a little note. What a practical way to teach them about true Christianity and to help them along in that sweet character trait called compassion.

Talk to you soon.

Maxine, a/k/a Nanna

Come on folks! Give our puzzler a try. Stretch the mind a little bit. Of course, this is a good mind exerciser for children, especially older ones, but we welcome you “old” folks too. Even though you’ll find the guessing game in the Speakables section, it’s open to all ages. Go over and see if you can do it.

Talk to you soon,

Maxine, a/k/a Nanna

Welcome to April. Welcome Spring. Time to focus more particularly on the resurrection of our Lord.

Unfortunately for me, it’s also time to do the income taxes. So that, on top of the other busy goings on here, crowds out much that I’d like to be doing. All I’ve posted so far in the children’s area is a new Gems devotional. Hopefully, as things quiet down a bit, I can post a few new Speakables, here and there.

Showers are forecast for tomorrow, typical of April. May the Lord shower you with His blessings.

Talk to you soon.

Maxine (a/k/a Nanna)

It seems that this is the month to talk about China. China is the featured country in the VOM magazine and at the VOM children’s website. So my hero post for this week was chosen with that in mind.

Gladys Aylward. Read her story to your children from the online Glimpses for Kids. Ask your young ones to tell you how feet and walking fit into her story. Ask them to remember what she did for almost 100 orphaned children. Ask them why they think she was a heroine.

Don’t forget about our “Child of Courage” page in our Speakables section. This month we’ve been focusing on the children in the Chinese schools. If you print out that article and let your kids read and write about it, maybe God will put a love for China into their hearts. Perhaps they’ll want to pray for that land and who knows, by God’s grace, they might want to go there someday, as Gladys Aylward did.

Maxine (a/k/a Nanna)

This is a wonderful song to teach your children. Fanny Crosby wrote it around 1880 and her love for the Savior comes through. Sing it with your children, helping them to learn the words. Then, use it to teach them of Jesus. Let us help you do that at our Speakables hymn activity page.

 This would be great for your homeschool Bible time!

 Maxine (a/k/a Nanna)

Pakistan is a place that’s very dear to my heart. We have some dear Christian friends that have come here from that country, and they would be the first to tell you that most of what you read about what’s going on over there is true. So this month’s “Kids of Courage” page is especially meaningful to me.  Please go read the story of a special young Sunday school teacher over in that foreign land. And then, pray for the Christians there, encouraging your children to do the same.

Maxine (a/k/a Nanna)

I guess I am going to just have to face it. I am not going to be able to make changes to the writing activities as often as I had hoped. When I first went into it, I intended to make these changes monthly, then it was semi-monthly. Now I realize it will have to be even less than that. Please forgive me, but it’s necessary to prioritize in favor of more significant matters here at SG and in our household. PLEASE come visit often to see what’s going on here—hopefully the situation will not be too stagnant. And please use these activities to your heart’s content. We want them to be useful. We want to see your children enlarge their thought processes while enjoying themselves. So use these little offerings however it suits your fancy. Let me know if you have any ideas—they are most welcome! And don’t forget the puzzles—get your kids to try them because they are really good for making the old gray cells in the head get to work.