Why

Reasons I’m doing alphabet activities with Caleb:

• Boredom is a choice, and I’m not choosing it.
• Boredom spells trouble.
• It’s winter, and we’re stuck inside. When we do the crab walk, the stir crazies stay away longer. 
• It helps me think of fun things to do with Caleb.
• Caleb is enjoying it.
• It’s an opportunity to fill up our thoughts and time with good and true things instead of complaints or simple frivolity (although some of our alphabet activities are definitely frivolous). 
• Preschoolers understand more than I think they understand.  
• Translating attributes of God and Bible stories into a form that a preschooler can understand and retain challenges what I know and believe. 

I’m not doing alphabet activities because…

• I want Caleb to be the geekiest preschooler around.
• Caleb needs to learn how to read right now. He is the brightest, smartest kid around, you know.
• If we sing the B-I-B-L-E, Caleb and I will be more likely to get into heaven.

Daddy

Explaining attributes of an omniscient, loving Creator God to a two year old can be a challenge.  But a challenge that I think will pay off—both in my life and in Caleb’s.  The other day Caleb opened my Bible and pretending to read, said, “God loves me.  God loves Mommy.  God loves Sophia.”  Then he closed the Bible and was off to play some more.  Yes!  You’re getting it!  The God of the universe loves you.  Incredible, isn’t it? 

As I tried to explain to Caleb how God is “Daddy” to those who believe him, I came up with a few similarities between Father God and an earthly father.

A Daddy:

• loves.
• gives an inheritance, both materially (providing for physical needs) and emotionally/spiritually (leaving a legacy). Ephesians 1:3, 18-21; Philippians 4:19; Matthew 6:11
• disciplines. Hebrews 12:5-11
• listens. (Psalm 55:17 and many other Psalms)
• is in charge.
• comforts when his children are hurt. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
• teaches.
• guides.

A son:

• often looks like his father.
• mimics his father.
• obeys his Father (or rebels against him). 
• clings to his Daddy in uncomfortable or scary situations.
• belongs. Ephesians 1:4-5

What do you have to add to my list? 

Letter D

Attribute of God: Daddy
I spent too long trying to figure out how to explain “defend” or “deliver” to Caleb, and then as I was sitting and talking with him, it hit me.  Caleb knows what a Daddy is.  Let’s do that! 

Story: David and Goliath
Originally this was meant to tie in with the theme of God as our Defender, but we did it anyway. 

Song: Only a Boy Named David (Instead of watching this video, we just played and sang at the piano.)

Food: Donuts (for Daddy’s birthday); Dumplings

Common vocabulary: donut, drum, drop, dinosaur, dog, duck, Daddy, door, down, dump truck

People We Know: Daddy, Deborah, Aunt Dawn, Danielle, Miss Doris

Art/Craft: Making Goliath

Video: Various Stomp and other drumming clips on youtube including Fanfare for the Common Man.

Activities:

• Dropping stuff (cotton ball, soccer ball, piece of paper) over the staircase.  The scientific observation of fast and slow was a bit beyond Caleb’s concentration level.  He was more interested in saying “ready, set, go” or just dropping things over the rail. 
• Dominoes
• Drums: Pied Piper Percussion Ensemble concert at the mall. The focus that Caleb lacked while dropping things over the staircase was made up for during this 30-minute concert.  Sophia also enjoyed this concert, making friends and trying to take a nearby preschooler’s lunchbox. 

David and Goliath

With the help of the packing paper from these boxes, Caleb and I made an almost life-size Goliath this week.  Goliath was a little short because we don’t have 10 foot ceilings, his hands were mutantly small because I lack artistic skill, and he sported a green nose and various tattoos because Caleb had fun marking him up. After making Goliath, what else do you and a little boy do beside practice hitting Goliath right between the eyes?

Since Caleb was already familiar with the story, I tried to add more detail. (David was a shepherd. God prepared David by helping fight lions and bears.)  The biggest advantage of doing an activity like this is the extra time Caleb and I spent talking about what God did in this story while we drew Goliath, marked him up, and threw balls at him. 

Themes: God is bigger than any giant.  God is able to help you.

Source material: 1 Samuel 17, The Jesus Storybook Bible

I also listened to this clip from DTS Chapel of Rob Styler retelling the story of David and Goliath.  More appropriate for adults, it effectively brought together many of details of the story (that often get overlooked) into an interesting, relevant package. 

Gymnastics

We had the opportunity to go play at Twisters Gymnastics this week with a group from MOPS.  Caleb had a blast, and most of my pictures look like this:

So you won’t get to see how much fun he really had, but you can get the gist. 

Huge trampoline:

Block pit at the end of the trampoline:

Obstacle course:

Bear walk:

Caleb "Reads" to Sophia

Letter C

This week we did a combination of the Letter C and celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  We didn’t do a whole lot for MLK Day beside read books with pictures of people different from ourselves.  It worked well to talk about everything God created and then see that in picture and story form. 

Attribute of God: Creator

Story: Creation

Songs: God Made Me by Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame (Otherwise known as the blue song because of the video.  I’m tempted to buy the whole album. Warning: The song has been stuck in my head all week; no guarantees it won’t happen to you!)  We’ve also sung a simple God Made Me in the past. 

Craft: Glue clouds (cotton balls) to blue paper

Common vocabulary: cracker, cookie, candle, cake, cut, curious, crab, caterpillar, cup, crayon, colors, cut

Books: Looking out for Sarah, Susan Laughs, Global Babies, Some Kids Use Wheelchairs, Jazz Baby (Caleb likes all of these books.  I like all of them except Some Kids Use Wheelchairs.)

People We Know: Caleb, Grandma Carol, Cornel

Video: We watched “C is for Cookie” on Sesame Street, but Caleb wasn’t very interested.  Every time we tried to watch the video, he would beg for the blue song instead. 

Fun Stuff: Making cookies and the crab walk (not at the same time).  Caleb hasn’t mastered the crab walk yet, but it sure is fun to see him try!

9 months

We’re thankful for Sophia around here.  We can thank God for her flexible nature, her sunny smile, her contented disposition, and her health.

Eating: Actually eating some solid food now.  Unlike Caleb who wolfed down purees, Sophia refuses to eat much baby food.  She doesn’t make a big fuss about it, but she keeps her mouth firmly shut if she doesn’t like what’s being served or if she’s just not hungry.  Her best meals are breakfast and supper.  Her favorite food is applesauce.  Not surprisingly, Sophia slimmed down over the past few months and now falls in the 50% for height and 20% for weight (as opposed to 90th and 50th). 

Sleeping: Umm, yeah.  Sophia is just starting to be able to “make up” sleep if she misses a morning nap, which makes mornings out much nicer.  She still wakes up frequently at night (as our families can attest to from Christmas time).  We’re working on it.

Physical development: Sophia pulls herself to standing and cruises along furniture, which means a lot of things are now within her reach (including Caleb’s toys).  She enjoys walking behind a walker, but will not walk holding onto someone’s hands.  Miss Independent, maybe?

First word: “Boo!” as in peekaboo.  Loves the game! It’s also fun to listen to her jabber at her baby doll.

Separation anxiety hit pretty hard over the Christmas holiday.  Sophia likes Mommy and hates to see me leave the room or hand her over to the nursery volunteer, her aunts, or even Grandma! 

I’m thankful for what God is doing in you already, Sophia, and I look forward to all he will do in the future!

Jesus Heals the Blind Man

This is how I retold the story to Caleb this week.

The supplies:

Eddie, the Little People Mechanic from the Racing Ramps Garage, A.K.A. the blind man:

Once there was a man who had been blind since he was a tiny little baby.  When someone is blind, it means their eyes are broken.  Could he see his Mama? (no) the sky? (no) the tree? (no) the snow? (no) books? (no) food? (no) He couldn’t see anything. 

One day, Jesus and his friends met this blind man.  Jesus told him, “You are blind so that God’s glory would be revealed.”  Then Jesus spat in the dirt and made some mud.  He rubbed the mud on the man’s eyes.

Then he said, “Go, wash in the pool.”

The blind man did what Jesus said. He believed Jesus. And then he could see.  “I once was blind but now I see!” Jesus had fixed his broken eyes! 

Then sing the first verse of Amazing Grace:

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

was blind but now I see.

Source material: John 9, The Big Picture Story Bible

Themes I’ve been mulling over as we retold (and re-retold) the story:

• Jesus heals.
• Believe: Jesus is the Son of God.
• Miracles may require obedience.
• I may experience pain in order that God’s glory will be revealed.   
• Beware of assuming insight or knowledge when I have none.
  

Letter B

Attribute of God: Big

Bible Story: Jesus heals the blind man from John 9 and The Big Picture Story Bible.
We also pulled out the props for this story.  Caleb loved this and kept asking to do the story again.

Music: B.I.B.L.E.; My God is So Big; Button Factory from Wiggles, Jiggles, and Giggles (checked out from the library)

Craft/Art: This week Caleb is more interested in spinning in circles and getting dizzy than coloring, so we mostly finished up last week’s cards. 

People We Know: Great-Grandma Baker, Uncle Bruce

Lunch: Bagel, banana, green beans

Snack: Banana bug (made with 1/2 banana, PB, 2 raisins, pretzels, and a bit of creativity)

Video: B.B. King on Sesame Street and other Sesame Street videos.
We may also watch Buzz in Toy Story later this weekend.  Caleb hasn’t seen the movie, but he loves his Buzz Lightyear underwear.  Don’t you wish you had some?

Common vocabulary: bashful, bounce, blue, blueberry, bath, boom!, boat, bread, bear, bumblebee, book

Fun Stuff: Blindfold Basketball, Blindfold Tasting, making paper Boats like Curious George

Books: Looking Out for Sarah by Glenna Lang

Christmas at Home

I’ve been a bit negligent in posting pictures from Christmas. 

Our celebration at home included a simple lunch, singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, eating birthday cake, blowing up a birthday balloon, reading the Christmas story with our nativity set for props, opening presents, and playing with new toys. 

Just in case you’re under the impression that our kids sat docilely with their hands folded in their laps while we retold the Christmas story, this is Caleb kicking Jesus’ birthday balloon and Sophia chasing the birthday balloon.  And yes, that’s baby Jesus that Sophia is eating in the picture above.  

Letter A

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I planned several activities to help Caleb understand Christmas and worship Christ through the season.  As I did so, I realized that he was really enjoying having some planned activities in his day, so I thought I’d continue challenging him with various activities in the new year. 

To help me brainstorm, I’ve adopted a letter of the alphabet for the week.  Most of these activities are planned and created on the spot, without a lot of prep work on my part. 

This week we did a lot with the letter “A.”  I thought I’d record what we did here on the blog, so I can look back for ideas as we make our way through the alphabet, or even in a few years when Sophia’s ready for this kind of thing.   

Attribute of God: Awesome. (Additional ideas: “All” as in all-knowing, all-powerful, almighty)

Bible Story: Abraham
The story has never resonated with Caleb.  He doesn’t remember Abraham like he remembers Noah or Jonah, so I focused mostly on God’s promise to Abraham.  (Genesis 15:5-6 and Genesis 12:2-3) Caleb colored a picture of Abraham, added sticker stars, counted the stars, and identified the letters in Abraham’s name.  

Music: The Ants Go Marching, Awesome God
Caleb has been requesting “Awesome God” at breakfast, in the car, at the piano, and on YouTube.  Pretty fun.

Craft/Art: Christmas thank you cards
Hopefully I won’t spoil the surprise by saying Caleb was very excited about using glue and ink.

Snack: Ants on a Log
No recipe needed, unless of course you’ve never eaten ants before.

Video: Sesame Street “A’s Anatomy”

Common vocabulary: ant, alligator, afraid, apple

People we know: Uncle Anthony, Aria, Grandma
Grandma’s name starts with “A,” but Caleb got a bit confused because Grandma starts with “G.”