Join young Billy and Beatrice, squabbling siblings, as they visit imaginary neighborhoods in different time periods, and even blast off into outer space! Engaging with oddball characters like Mr. Whom (a balloon), Mr. Sour Hour (a vulture) and Mr. Darwinkle (a bearded moose), they come to grips with Big Questions, like the nature of God, time, evolution, death, and the biggest question of all: where did everything come from?
Did you know we learn most of our ideas visually. One great strategy for thinking is to use graphic organizers like mind maps and concept maps. One such organizer use is 4-Square Writing:
These can be used from primary school all the way to university. Try to see how many ways you can think to use this organizer. For instance, put a topic like “Habitats” in the center, then write “First” “Then” “Next” “Finally,” one in each of the 4 squares and dot jot 4 kinds of information you can talk about “Habitats” for.
Frederick the mouse was different from his family. While they gathered food for winter, he gathered words.
QUESTION: What sorts of jobs are for word-gatherers?
One of the most well-known defenders of the Christian faith is Lee Strobel, with his best-selling books like The Case for Christ and the movie based on it. Strobel has also re-written his books to sell his message to a kid audience:
Activity: Read one of Strobel’s books for kids and say what you think of the arguments.
What things do we need to be doing to care for our planet that we really aren’t doing yet?
Did you know that some of the biggest problems eye doctors see in children is blurry vision and brightness of vision, which is directly relate to video screen use. Eyeglasses help when you are reading, and sunglasses are a must when going outside, especially in bright situations like the sun glaring of the snow. Give your eyes a rest and cut back on screen time!
When you are having a disagreement with a friend, one good strategy is to express how you feel using I-Statements. Focus on the behavior you don’t like and how it makes you feel, not calling the other person names like “jerk” or “loser.”
For example:
I FEEL lonely
WHEN YOU Ignore me
BECAUSE I have no one to play with
NEXT TIME Please include me
When talking about topics that are very important to people like religion, there is no need to lose friends just because you disagree with them. Be respectful. Say things like:
“I understand your point of view, but I disagree with the reasons you give fo what you think.”
Be open to changing your mind if your friend presents good evidence. If all you are doing is trying to be right no matter where the discussion goes (A Right Fighter), that’s not really a very meaningful conversation.
If the discussion gets too heated, change the topic and agree to disagree for now with the plan to pick up the conversation again later when both of you have calmed down and are thinking more clearly.
Oklahoma’s education leader Ryan Walters recently declared that every teacher had to use the Bible in class. The leader of one of the largest districts now says his staff won’t comply: “We are not going to require our teachers to teach from the Bible.”
Hemant Mehta notes with the new school year beginning in a few weeks, Nick Migliorino, superintendent of the Norman Public Schools, which serves over 15,000 students, said in an interview with the Norman Transcript that his district won’t be participating in this charade.
“I’m just going to cut to the chase on that. Norman Public Schools is not going to have Bibles in our classrooms, and we are not going to require our teachers to teach from the Bible,” Migliorino said. “The standards are clear and our curriculum is very clear. And we’re not going to deviate from that. I don’t know. I’m just going to be direct on that one.”
…“We’re gonna follow the law, we’re going to provide a great opportunity for our students, we’re going to do right by our students and right by our teachers, and we’re not going to have Bibles in our classrooms.”
Not so long ago, children were expected to say the Lord’s prayer in school. In fact, you might even detect the Christian message in your afternoon cartoons. Here are a couple of examples from extremely popular cartoons The Flintstones and Charlie Brown:
The Flintstones:
Charlie Brown:
There is currently a movement to put the 10 Commandments into schools in the states and secular activists are working hard to combat this.