Gifts for Mothers by Kids!

Holidays are special events and create opportunities for homeschool children to create!  Thoughtfulness is taught by example and practice.  Service to others starts with doing simple things at home.  Ideas do not need to be complicated or difficult.  It is the small things in life that combine and build upon each other to create a multitude of blessings!  


Mother's Day is near.  It might not be possible for every child to take their mother out for a Mother's Day Brunch or to give her breakfast in bed, but there are other things they can do to show their love and appreciation to their mom.


Here are a few quick and easy ideas for making thoughtful gifts for the "mothers" in your child's life.  These are easy enough they can make one for mom, grandma, aunties, and neighbor moms who interface with them.  It's not too late to have them ready by this Sunday's Mother's Day!

This is a "Gift in a Jar" idea called Painted Desert Chili.  All the ingredients are layered into a quart jar, just like sand art.  The layers don't need to be flat, as the desert effect comes from a rippled appearance created by each ingredient as it is layered in.  Be sure to add the seasonings carefully along the edges of the jar so they can be seen.  Then fill the middle of the layer.  This way all the beautiful layers show on the outside of the jar.

Painted Desert Chili

Layer each ingredient in the amount and order given in a quart jar:
 
1/4 cup dried parsley
2 Tablespoons granulated garlic
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
2 Tablespoons dried onion flakes
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
2 Tablespoons cumin
2 Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons white cornmeal
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
2 Tablespoons granulated garlic
2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
1 cup dried pinto beans
1/4 cup small dried white beans
1/4 cup small dried black beans
Approximately 1 cup dried kidney beans

Attach these directions:

Pour contents of jar into 12-quart pot. Add:

1 medium diced onion
4 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 large can of tomato paste
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2cup brown sugar
49 ounces tomato juice
2 cups textured vegetable protein, re-hydrated

Fill remainder of the pot with water. Bring to boil, simmer for 2 and a half to 3 hours. Add salt to taste.

Add a color circle of fabric to the top of the lidded jar and tie with ribbon or raffia.  

This is a gift bag idea called You are a Blessing to Me Mix.  These little gift bags present a message of hope and gratefulness to the receiver.  Each ingredient represents a blessing.  The child who prepares the mix chooses what blessing to assign to each ingredient.  A blessing "key" is written on a tag to be attached to the gift bag before it is given away.  This recipe makes about 16 blessing mix gift bags containing about one-third cup each.  Use a cellophane goodie bag or zip-lock bags to package the blessing mix.  Then wrap in a circle or square of calico and tie with ribbon or raffia.  Attach tag with words of appreciation and a key to the blessing the child has chosen to apply to the ingredient.


You are a Blessing to Me Mix

2 cups Bugles brand corn snacks
2 cups small pretzels
1 cup candy corn
1 cup dried fruit bits or raisins
1 cup peanuts or sunflower seeds
1 cup M&Ms brand chocolate candy
16 Hershey's brand chocolate kisses

In a large bowl, gently mix all ingredients except Hershey's Kisses. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup mix in small cellophane treat bags. Add one Hershey's Kiss to each bag. Close bag.

Create a hand-written or typed tag.  Cut out tags and attach one to each bag.


Enjoy!  And be blessed!

Applying Work, Study, & Service

 Applying the study, work, and service method of home education can require that a parent-teacher think outside of the box.  Most people think of schoolwork, textbooks, copywork, and the three R’s when they think of a home-school curriculum.  But, the development of the intellectual is only one facet of education.  When combined with work and service, the academic aspects of home-schooling become one-third of a whole.  In the beginning it takes effort and concentration to figure out exactly how to apply study, work and service.  It is generally recommended that each aspect receives equal time.  Planning purposefully to achieve this goal is essential, although there is room for an ebb and flow on scheduling.   Over time it becomes easier and how it is applied becomes natural and unique to each family.

A formula that works well for any homeschool where the whole child is being developed is:


100% study
100% work
100% service

Children should be encouraged to experience life purposefully. They should be encouraged to learn and given time and freedom to explore. They are to give it their all. If they are deep in a subject and interested, they should not asked to stop learning because their time is up.  Decide early on that it is a mistake to halt or stunt a child’s learning.

The children should be encouraged to work each day. Routine chores should happen daily and occur each morning and night teach children life skills. As the children grow older, study melds its way into gainful work as they apply their education to skills that earn them money during their teens. The dividing line becomes blurred. They should always be encouraged to do their best work.

The children should be encouraged to be compassionate and to always think of others. Service can be something done as a planned event, but mostly should become a way of life — thinking of  family members, friends, neighbors, and others around the world. It can be mixed with study (writing a note to a shut-in or drawing a picture for a sick child) — or service, by keeping a continuous prayer and praise journal during family devotionals each day — or work, in a grandparents or neighbors yard in an effort to serve them because they were not able to.

Each one of these traits blends with the other and together they create a whole. One some days, more time can be spent in study, while on others more time spent on work or service. During our homeschool years, I first kept notations in my plan book (study, work, or service) but over time, as it became a part of our life learning, it became organic and just happened because of habit and inculcation into the thinking of us all. It becomes easier over time. In the initial stages of applying the formula for study,work, and service, it is important to be purposeful about implementing all three aspects of the program.

Planning each segment of the whole creates a home-school where study, work, and service becomes an integral part of learning and the creation of the whole child

Service, the Rent

 

Service is the rent that we pay for living.

 

Malaak Compton-Rock

Joy of Service

 

When considering love as the basis of true education, we can reflect upon the two great commandments of the new covenant. The first is God’s desire that we love the Lord with our entire heart, soul, strength, and mind [Luke 10:27] and the second is that we love our neighbor as our self [Matthew 22:39]. By doing this, we find that His power and strength recreates us into His image. God is love, and when we align ourselves to Him, this love reflects back into our hearts and is shown by the love we express to everyone around us. God does this not only for us, but for every being on the planet. You have probably heard it said that to our children, we represent God and His character. So, it is vital that we keep connected to divine love on a daily basis as we exemplify and reflect His character. By serving those in our homes we show God’s love. By modeling loving behaviors to those in our neighborhood, church, and to others around the world we teach our children the joy of service. Too often it is easy to get caught up in simple daily tasks, forgetting that God commissions us to serve not only in our family circle, but to those in need all around us. And what a joy and pleasure it is to be given the opportunity to home educate so that we can incorporate principles of service into our children’s hearts and minds as they inculcate the principle of love for themselves. Go, reach out, and touch someone today. And take your children with you.

Created for Service

 

“God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission — I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. Somehow I am necessary for His purposes, as necessary in my place as an Archangel in His — if, indeed, I fail, He can raise another, as He could make the stones children of Abraham. Yet I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep his commandments and serve Him in my calling. Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him. My sickness, or perplexity, or my sorrow be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life, He may shorten it; He knows what He is about; He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me-still He knows what He is about.”
 
~ Henry Newman ~

The Alphabet of Christian Experience

The development of character is an important facet of creating a child who is whole and emotionally healthy.  As a homeschool parent, it is important to not only help the child develop intellect through study, and a work ethic by giving opportunities for both useful and gainful employment, but an altruistic spirit by creating opportunities for service to others. Children from tots to teens can purposefully serve others, bringing joy to others lives, and growing beautiful hearts at the same time.  Service to others should be a family focus and an part of every homeschool plan.  Dr. Raymond Moore, sometimes called the grandfather of homeschooling, says that “when united with the heart, the head and hand move out in selfless service to others.  There is no discipline formula that can match this experience of work and service”  [Home School Burnout p. 135].

Implementing work and service into a homeschool program is sometimes called the ‘study, work, and service’ formula.  Applying the ‘study, work, and service’ method of home education can require that a parent-teacher think outside of the box.  Most people think of schoolwork, textbooks, copywork, and the three R’s when they think of a homeschool curriculum.  But, the development of the intellectual is only one facet of education.  When combined with work and service, the academic aspects of homeschooling become one-third of a whole.  In the beginning it takes effort and concentration to figure out exactly how to apply ‘study, work and service’.  It is generally recommended that each aspect receive equal time. Planning purposefully to achieve this goal is essential, although there is room for an ebb and flow in scheduling.   Over time it becomes easier and how it is applied becomes natural and unique to each family.

  

Writer, E. White, speaks of service to others as being a meaningful experience.  She says that “a company of believers. . .may do a work in the home, the neighborhood, the church, and even in ‘the regions beyond’, whose results will be as far-reaching as eternity.”  A few paragraphs later, she applies this principle specifically to the young, saying that “it is because this work is neglected that so many young disciples never advance beyond the mere alphabet of Christian experience”  [Desire of Ages p. 640].  How appropriate that she compares service to the alphabet of Christian experience.  Just as study teaches children the alphabet of academics, Christ’s alphabet reaches farther and deeper, shaping hearts and hands for eternity.

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister — so should we, by example and instruction.  Everyone is needed, both young and old.  Together as families we can develop a finishing spirit and see a job well done.

God's Law of Love

When considering love as the basis of true education, we can reflect upon the two great commandments of the new covenant.  The first is God’s desire that we love the Lord with our entire heart, soul, strength, and mind [Luke 10:27] and the second is that we love our neighbor as our self [Matthew 22:39].  By doing this, we find that His power and strength recreates us into His image.  God is love, and when we align ourselves to Him, this love reflects back into our hearts and is shown by the love we express to everyone around us.  God does this not only for us, but for every being on the planet.  You have probably heard it said that to our children, we represent God and His character.  So, it is vital that we keep connected to divine love on a daily basis as we exemplify and reflect His character.  By serving those in our homes we show God’s love.  And by modeling loving behaviors to those in our neighborhood, church, and to others around the world we teach our children the joy of service.  Too often it is easy to get caught up in simple daily tasks, forgetting that God commissions us to serve not only in our family circle, but to those in need all around us.  And what a joy and pleasure it is to be given the opportunity to home educate so that we can incorporate principles of service into our children’s hearts and minds as they inculcate the principle of love for themselves.  Go, reach out, and touch someone today.  And take your children with you.

Love, the Basis of True Education

True education is an education that educates the whole child.  God’s Word and revelations to us through nature show that love is the basis of true education.  Take a moment to think about this.  Love.  Our entire course of learning should be based upon this platform.  Considering this as the basis of all education makes me contemplate not only the academic environment, but how we as parents create opportunities and an environment for character development and service to others.  When we make the decision to homeschool, we usually think of what programs, textbooks, or worksheets we want to use.  But are we spending an equivalent amount of time establishing opportunities for character development and service to others?  Instead of making this an assumed by product of living in a Christian home, what if we established specific and tangible goals for the child’s character and expression of love to others through service?  It seems reasonable that by focusing on love, everything else will fall into its proper place.  Love.