A Net in Time

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It is finished

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Jesus’ Crucifixion was the subject of our last devotional time, today we’ll be discussing John 19:28-30.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:28-30

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Jesus was hanging on the cross. He has been crucified, and is now just awaiting death. Everything was finished. It was done, there was no going back. Yet, there was this thing….this fulfillment of scripture that needed doing.   Jesus said “I thirst”. 

They gave Jesus some sour wine on a hyssop branch.   When he was done drinking he said “It is finished”, and then he died. 

My Thoughts

 I find these verses curious, so I want to think on them a bit.

Jesus knew, hanging on the cross, that it was finished.  Everything that he had come to do was at completion.   Done.   He fulfilled the mandate that had been given to him.

Now…how do I explain the next bit of my thinking. It was finished but yet… it wasn’t.  You see, Jesus still had to die, he still had scripture to fulfill, he still needed to be risen from the dead.  He still needed to fulfill that part of his story. 

But his crucifixion.. this he had accomplished.   This part was done.

Then he says (to fulfill scripture) I thirst.

I thirst

This had me wondering, what scripture did he fulfill.  I asked Pastor hubby and he directed me to to the commentary by Carson called “the gospel according to John”.  On page 619 Carson, after talking about some different scriptures it could allude to, points the way to Psalm 69.

“Better still is Psalm 69:21 (They… gave me vinegar for my thirst). This Psalm has already been cited twice in this Gospel…..and the particular verse, Psalm 69:21, not only includes specific reference to thirst, but is apparently alluded to in John 19:29-30. …… John wants to make his readers understand that every part of Jesus’ passion was not only in the Father’s plan of redemption but a consequence of the Son’s direct obedience to it.”

Do you see it?   Do you see what Carson is saying?   John wants us to know the Jesus, even though it was finished, was so in tune to the need, to his desire to fulfill everything his Father wanted done, that he said “I thirst”.  He did everything he needed to, to fulfill scripture. 

Do you see the love Jesus had for us?

He made his statement, had his drink, made his declarative statement “It is Finished”.

and then.. and only then… he died. 

It is Finished

Do you notice though that Jesus didn’t just slip away.  He didn’t die a surprised death.  John tells that “he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”  That’s sounds like a deliberate action to me.   He bowed his head (action) and gave up his spirit (another action). Jesus always acted on behalf of his people. Isn’t that just the best thing?

Simplification is Best

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I have a niece that I really like talking to.  She wrote an art piece for the blog a bit back, and she’s a burgeoning author.  She’s an articulate young lady and recently she is needing to put together a one page synopsis of her book.  Taking ALL that information, and finding a way to put it on one page.  She’s needing to simplify, and as I read this chapter in Writing Tools, I am learning that simplification is best.

Simplification is best - making complex writing easier

We have a new Brazilian student living with us this week.  He’s a nice boy, but like the one who just left, his English leaves something to be desired, but UNLIKE him, he has a better command of written English.

Whenever a new student arrives I am reminded that using small words and slowing down the cadence of my speech, assists in understanding.  (and when all else fails, Google Translate is our friend).  🙂  There is so much that is new that it can be overwhelming.  Canadian society and mannerisms is a complex organism that takes time to digest.

It’s the same when we write.  When we have a complex situation or problem, making it simple helps your reader.

Prefer the Simple over the Technical

Assuming that you are not writing for a technical audience, clarity with simpler words and shorter sentences, better helps your reader understand the material.

Rather than using longer words, use shorter.  Make your points plain.   Doesn’t mean you need to talk stupid, or down to people, you are just using the words you need to make it plain, and therefore easier for your readers to understand. 

Simplicity can also be conveyed, through the use of words that spark the imagination.  A careful, complex crafting, using plain english, that melds the imagination into a complex whole.

Remember your first decision…. you want to inform people of something, whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or prose.

What you are doing now is using your words, your short, concise, imaginatively complex words, to convey your thoughts.  You are helping your reader understand your words in as clear a manner as you can.

How to do that?

The more you know your topic, the more time you spend with it, making sure you know all the minutiae of it.  The clearer you can be in writing it.  I saw this often when my hubby was putting together a sermon.  He’d complain that it wasn’t coming together and then say… I need to study and research it more.

It’s hard work to do the reporting, researching, and critical thinking. It’s impossible to make things clear to your readers if it’s not clear in your own head.   Do the work and then tell your readers “here’s the message”.

Then What?

  1. Revise your work.  Study the words you use, can they be shorter, more concise?
  2. Any complicated passages that you can rewrite?
  3. Is there additional research that you need to do to make the matter more clear for your readers?

Jesus calls us o’er the tumult

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Jesus calls us o’er the tumult is a hymn I was reminded of as I poured through the pages of my hymnbook.  Listen close, do you hear his call?   Do you hear him call you from your daily tasks into a life that is better?  One filled with reward?   Keep your ears open, the call is real. 

I recently did another song by the author of this hymn.  Cecil Alexander also wrote All Things Bright and Beautiful.  She was the author of a good 400 hymns, 6 of which are still in current day Irish Hymnals.   She used the money she made from her books/music to fund charitable works in her community.   (source)

Lyrics

Jesus calls us over the tumult
Of our life’s wild, restless, sea;
Day by day His sweet voice soundeth,
Saying, Christian, follow Me!

As of old Saint Andrew heard it
By the Galilean lake,
Turned from home and toil and kindred,
Leaving all for Jesus’ sake.

Jesus calls us from the worship
Of the vain world’s golden store,
From each idol that would keep us,
Saying, Christian, love Me more!

In our joys and in our sorrows,
Days of toil and hours of ease,
Still He calls, in cares and pleasures,
Christian, love Me more than these!

Jesus calls us! By Thy mercies,
Savior may we hear Thy call,
Give our hearts to Thine obedience,
Serve and love Thee best of all.

Lost Boy’s Gift

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The Lost Boy’s Gift by Kimberly Willis Holt offers hope to youngsters  struggling to find their place when family situations change.   Will Daniel find what he needs to meet the challenges before him?

From the Cover

Nine-year-old Daniel must move across the country with his mom after his parents’ divorce. He’s leaving behind his whole life―everything―and he’s taking a suitcase of anger with him. But Daniel is in for a surprise when he settles into While-a-Way Lane and meets his new neighbours.  These neighbours are Lemonade Girl, the hopscotching mailman, the tiny creatures, and especially Tilda Butter. Tilda knows how to look and listen closely, and it’s that gift that helps Daniel find his way in that curious placed called While-a-Way Lane.

What you Get

Daniel is an interesting young man, such a mix up in emotions and thoughts as you would expect of a boy his age.  Topping off the mix is a mom working long hours and an absentee Dad.    You can feel the angst produced in this lad. 

But While-a-Way Lane…. it’s got a call upon this young lad, what might he learn?   What treasures await?  Well that.. I can’t tell you.  🙂

I can tell that you the Daniel is a well-developed character as is Tilda Butter.  Humour appears in the form of other characters, not quite as well developed, but adding unique elements to the story line.

Moderate length chapters move the story forward at good speed, some surprises await, and situations arise that should delight young readers. 

My Thoughts

Recommend? It’s hard to say as my thoughts are mixed. I know that my lad wouldn’t have been interested, but my lad is from a solid two-parent home and is very sure of himself. For children that are struggling to see their good when their family situations run amuck, The Lost Boy’s Gift, might be just the book they need to read.

It’s a book that offers hope to youngsters, helping them to see how to make connections, and how to see their own unique abilities.

The Lost Boy’s Gift
Kimberley Willis Holt
Christy Ottaviano Books
Trade Paperback, 224 pages, 8-11 years
Chapter book, Fiction,
Separation, Intergenerational Friendship, Divorce,
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

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Building in Bunnies

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I’ve been pondering this word build since late last night.  So many different directions this word can go in.  I thought about doing a post mixing all my thoughts together but that just doesn’t seem the way to go.   Ergo I’ll go in the direction my heart most leans today. 

building in bunnies, a tale in mentoring

Monday past
I had a chance a boy to meet
His mom ‘longside
“Remember me”? The query came.

“Lincoln was the bunnies name. A black and white”
Ah.. memories flood back the bunny show!
How I love to watch the kids
To encourage their efforts, much it means.

A chance to help To encourage a lad
Raising bunnies Wasn’t all that bad.
It’s fun to see the bunnies grow

But even better to watch that interest grow
To Build knowledge, to answer questions
An interest to show and wait for
that quick grin, the nod of understanding.

To mentor A youngster with bunnies it means
Less death, less hurt, Less difficulty.
For all concerned, bunny and lad alike.

Yesterday a bunny rehomed
Off with a younger brother of that self-same boy.
So many questions asked, so many more to answer.
And me… just an email away.

And today, a reaching out down
A young rabbit down,
The question of why

So questions were asked
What causes this thing, help me to know
What steps I need to take
To protect the rest that I own

Mentoring happens from both sides you see
There is always someone who
Knows more or better yet has gone through it before
And so grins of delight are felt
As two parties grow.

Building in bunnies,
like with anything else
is a two-way street
Mentoring and learning goes a long way.

Four Essentials of Child-Led Learning

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Guess what!   Amanda agreed to guest post for me today.  Isn’t that great?  Welcome her with me to my blog today.  🙂  She’ll be talking about Four Essentials of Child-led learning.   Student led learning has taken us through world war 1 this year.  

“Mommy, what’s this?” Sicily questioned as she pulled out her kids’ meal toy.

“It’s an arctic fox.” I replied.

“Oh! I like him.”

“Would you like to see if we can find a YouTube video about an arctic fox?”

We headed to the tablet to look up videos on the arctic fox to learn a bit more about this little stuffed animal she got.

The video we found was a snippet from a documentary with an arctic fox searching for food. These little guys hop up and nose dive into the snow to catch small prey.

Sicily giggled non-stop while watching the fox catch mice in the snow.

From there we read books, did a few process art creations, and even pretend we were arctic foxes hunting for mice in the snow.

This love of arctic foxes extended into more arctic animals, so we started to study the polar bear, penguins, and orca.We learned about blubber, ice, and how penguins stay dry.

All this learning from a single fast food kids’ meal toy.

That’s the beauty of child-led learning. One small experience can spark months of learning and many different avenues to travel down.

What is Child-Led Learning?

In our house we follow a child-led approach to learning. That means I follow my kiddos interests for topics of study. Then I follow their lead with academic skills as well. I wait until they are 100% motivated and ready to learn each specific skill.

But it wasn’t always so smooth. I had many failures in our quest to learning at home. But through all those failures and over 11 years of teaching experience, I’ve discovered the 4 essentials to child-led learning.

4 Essentials to Child-Led Learning

Child-led learning doesn’t mean you have to give up all control. You are responsible for the 4 essentials.

When you get these 4 essentials to child-led learning correct, your days become peaceful and your child begins to learn quickly.

Child-Led Essential # 1: Encouraging Environment

You’ve probably heard from a Reggio approach to learning that the environment is the third teacher.

Well I’ve always been an overachiever. I strongly believe that your environment is the first teacher.

Your environment is more than just your homeschool room. It’s your whole life style.

Child-led learning is more of a lifestyle than a learning approach.

This also includes the experiences you give your child, and most importantly your everyday experiences. Have your kiddo help you do household chores, including help pay the bills, cook dinner, and fold the laundry.

The environment in which you provide your child and the experiences you give them, is what ultimately decides their unique learning timeline.

You control the environment.  The environment controls what your child learns.

Your child controls WHEN and HOW they learn.

Child-Led Essential #2: Relaxed Routine

Having an environment that supports your child’s interests and the skills you want them to learn isn’t enough.

You need a relaxed routine that gives them plenty of time to explore in the environment you created.

On a typical day, we plan to have 2-3 hours in our homeschool room with no structure except our morning meeting.

During this time, my kiddos explore whatever I’ve place in the environment. There are always open ended toys, learning games for specific skills they are working on, and invitations to play, create, and explore.

I have a table with materials/books from our current theme for them to explore at any moment.

We try to follow the Montessori 3 hour work period. During the first hour, my kiddos explore and choose freely what they want to play/learn.

The second hour, called false fatigue, usually ends up with them dancing, playing music, or chasing each other around in a circle. This is the hardest part, but according to Montessori it’s needed to reach maximum concentration.

 This second hour is sort of like their coffee break. I tend to leave a snack on the table once they hit this time that they can choose to eat if they want. Most of the time, we cut back on a lot of the chaos of this hour because they almost always choose to sit and eat a snack.

About 45 minutes later it starts to get quiet again. The kiddos are entering the third hour where deep concentration happens. Their brains are ready to learn new and more challenging skills.

 This is the time I will invite them to do the works I want them to do. Sometimes I will ask them to join me in an activity whereas other times I will sit down and start working on the activity myself. Most of the time they will join me, but not always. It’s their choice.

Child-Led Essential #3: Simple, Child-Led Activities

Learning doesn’t require a huge storage of materials or complicated activities. I rarely go out and buy new materials. We use what is available around the house or out in nature. Many of our activities are done with rocks and sticks.

Have you ever heard the saying “Less is More?”

It’s so true when it comes to educating our kiddos. The simplest of activities will be the ones that attract them the most and will have the most learning.

Why?

Because with simple activities and materials, the brain only has one thing to concentrate on.

When you have a bunch of moving parts their brains will most likely focus on the skill you don’t want them to learn.

Take for example, the ever popular preschool activity of tracing letters on a line.

It seems simple, but is it really?

In order for the child to trace on the line, they need to first have the development and strength in their eyes to focus on the lines.

Then they need the hand strength and hand-eye coordination to be able to stay in between the lines.

On top of that, they need good fine motor skills in order to hold the pencil correctly, so they have the pencil control to stand in between the lines.

And last, which is the main goal of this activity…

They need to form the letter correctly.

In order to do this activity perfectly, your child needs to be developmentally ready in all those areas which doesn’t happen until around 5, sometimes even 6, years old.

Keep it simple…

Hand them a blank piece of paper and a pencil.

Their only focus then will be on letter formation.

With enough practice, your child will begin to write smaller and smaller as their muscles develop. There is no need to ever introduce lines until about first or second grade.

Child-Led Essential #4: Trust the Process

This essential to child-led learning is the most important, but the hardest of them all.

You must trust the process, trust yourself, and most importantly trust your child and their unique learning timeline.

Remember…

You control the environment.

Your environment controls what your child learns.

Your child decides when and how they will learn it.

Set up your environment for success by providing materials/books for learning about their interests and the skills they are ready to learn then trust that your child will learn what needs to be learned on their own timeline.

Ready to get started with child-led learning? Click here to download our getting started guide.

To learn more about how we implement child-led learning into our homeschool preschool, click here for our Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Preschool.

About the Author

Amanda is the owner of Learning Through Experiences where she helps beautiful mama’s homeschool their kiddos using a child-led approach without spending a lot of time planning & prepping. She is a former elementary and preschool teacher with over 11 years experience. Amanda has 2 kiddos of her own, Sicily & Kade, who follow this exact child-led approach that she advocates. Amanda is the creator of Learning Through Experiences: A Child-Led Curriculum. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and relax in a bubble bath.

Sharks Never Sleep

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HEY!   Did you know that sharks never sleep?   I know… weird eh?  But seriously, sharks need to keep moving in order to breathe. This is one of many fascinating facts about sharks that you will learn in Sharks Never Sleep.  You will also learn about real life shark attacks, how people are trying to protect both sharks and people and the varied opinions about sharks that abound.  

From the Cover

A Gripping Investigation into our complex relationship of fear and fascination with sharks.  In an attempt combat fear with facts, author Brendon McAloon, takes us on a journey around the world in search of true stories of extraordinary first-hand encounters with these oceanic predators.  Travel from Australia to the United States, South Africa and beyond.  Meet with scientists, conservationists, shark-attack survivors, shark lovers and shark haters.  Meet fear with fascination. 

What You Get:

Four parts make up the contents of this tome.  

Part one focuses on shark attacks.  Fear rides these pages. 

Part two presents us with not only the shark haters, but those who love sharks as well.  I was delighted to see the Shark Lady profiled. 

Part three profiles encounters that people had with shark.  This section also contains photos pertaining to details given in this book.   

Part four helps us to further understand there are no easy answers.  How does one protect a fierce predator, and yet defend those who use the waters those predators live in?   No easy answers.  Culling, Shark Nets, Hunting bans, Beach closures, and Monitoring sharks.  More research is needed to determine what will work best.

My Thoughts

Mr. McAloon presents us with many cases of shark attacks, show-casing well the need to more study into the whys of increased shark attacks.   He helps us to understand why there is such a divide between protecting these apex predators and simply culling them. 

He shows well why the divide exists… if only because there is no simple answer to “the shark problem” at waterfronts throughout the world.  Human activity doesn’t help either. 

Do I recommend it?   

This book would be a great addition to a study on sharks.  Helping the student see in stark detail why this is such a divisive topic.   It’s not what I call an easy read.  It’s not fun to read about men who hunt sharks with delight, nor to read about sharks that kill. Is it necessary?   Yes, because that is how we broaden our understanding of the issues surrounding sharks and shark attacks. 

Sharks Never Sleep: first-hand encounters with killers of the sea
Brendan McAloon
Hardie Grant Books
240 pages, middle school, trade paperback
Sharks, Ecology, Marine Life, Animals, biology
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Click on image for amazon link.
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