iLearn... sort of

A friend of mine recently complained to me that her first-grader hated a certain part of her workbook curriculum. My advice? Don't do it! My goodness, in first grade, all learning should be fun. As our children progress, we will have to teach them that life requires activities we don't much like. But at such a young age, I advocate finding fun ways to teach the basics. One of my kids loves, loves, loves workbooks. You know I love that--it's certainly easy on the teacher! But I've had to be more creative with my other students.

We use games. I love active games. I came up with one for spelling this morning that needs some modification to work with the mix of temperaments in my family. The kids were hitting a balloon into the air to keep it from hitting the ground when it was time for school to start. Instead of pulling them away from their fun to begin the tedious process of spelling, I added this twist to the game: I called out a spelling word, and with each balloon bop, the child had to name the next letter in the word. They were begging me for more words! (Tempers ran hot when the smarter kid "stole" the letter from the rightful caller.) So next time, I'll probably make the same person spell the whole word, requiring one letter with each bop.

When we actually sat down to our school table, the kitchen remodel obscured our education--literally. The cloud of dust choked and blinded me, so I announced recess. During our playtime, I scouted iPhone apps for spelling games for second graders.

I found no good ones.

I've spent the entire morning trying to find an excellent phonics app to teach my second-grader to spell. His reading fluency tops fourth grade, and most of the phonics apps aim to teach reading fluency. Spelling and reading do complement one another, but they are entirely different skills. Similarly, when you're learning vocabulary, defining a vocabulary word takes a different skill set than being able to come up with the word when given the definition.

Apple's genius marketing plan has me stuck using iProducts. Any universal app I download on my iPhone can also transfer to other iPhones, iPads, or iPods. I recently learned that students at our local Christian school are required to lease an iPad as part of their education. I've resisted buying a $500 piece of glass for my clumsy children, but I've decided now that if I were rich, I would absolutely buy each of my children an iPad (with the indestructible case) for supplementing our education. Unfortunately, the recent Steve-Jobs-less update has changed the way the app store categorizes the apps and made it incredibly difficult for me to narrow down the fields for browsing my specific desires. Even searching for an app by name often yields incorrect results.

I never have any trouble making the kids sit down to play an app--I only have trouble making them take turns! I welcome anything that reduces friction and fighting in my home. I wish I could find a good app that teaches phonics for spelling in a game setting (instead of a flashcard setting).

Here are some apps for iPhone I've had success with:
1. TeachMe Kindergarten, TeachMe First Grade, etc. My 4-year-old twins have finished the first grade app and are working in the second grade app. I credit this app with their advanced learning.
2. Save the Sushi--a math game.
3. Rocket Math--a math game that's basically flash cards, but the players earn money to buy rocket pieces and launch rockets after each session. My kids can't get enough of it.

If you're looking for iLearn apps, join the Facebook group Apps for Homeschooling. They often offer promo codes and personal reviews of new educational apps, including appropriate age range. Plus, they have a section of free apps. And that's why I have no more memory on my phone.

A good reason to buy an iPad, right?

Lined in Gold

I heard today at my ladies' Bible study that the registration fee of $25 only covers one quarter of the actual cost of my participation in Community Bible Study. For you right-brained people, that means that the organization claims it costs $100 per person to provide the materials for our Bible study each semester.

Oh. My. Word. Is the stinking notebook lined in gold?

Why do we make the Bible so inaccessible to the lower class?

Stuff for my stuff

I admit it. I'm kind of a pack rat. But I go through phases where I get overwhelmed with all the mounds of stuff I've accumulated and give it all away. And then, you guessed it, I go replace my stuff.

My true weakness is a great bargain. If I see a shirt for a buck, well, of course, I have to buy it! It doesn't really matter how it fits or how I like it. As such, Craigslist is my vice! Recently, however, I found two enormous wardrobe/armoire pieces to hold some stuff.

See, that's the thing with stuff. The more you have, the more you have to have. You have to have stuff to hold your stuff. You have to have stuff to clean your stuff. You have to have stuff to protect your stuff. The stuff can master you, if you let it.

So here's my P.S.A. for the day--Save Yourself! Say No to Stuff!

The Magic Prayer

My husband shared with me yesterday that years ago, he had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a stranger who seemed genuinely interested, but when the point came to actually pray a prayer of repentance and surrender, an urgent need pulled the stranger away. My husband's witnessing teammates lamented that the stranger was so close to accepting Christ and yet was pulled away at the last minute before he could pray the sinner's prayer (as it is often called). Chris was taken aback by their poor theology. 

Want to know a secret? The Sinner's Prayer is not in the Bible.

Not possible, you say. How did people become Christians if they didn't pray the Sinner's Prayer? Throughout the chapter of Acts, the author, Luke, records that people believed and were added to the number of those being saved. Does belief require a prayer?

I have always been pressured to proselytize weekly, if not daily, based on the Great Commission passages, where Jesus basically says, "Go everywhere and be my witnesses." A few people have created programs intended to ease the intimidating task of telling people they are sinners going to Hell who need to repent and surrender. They always end with the Sinner's Prayer, whereby the heathen admits to God his need for him and requests, oh so politely, that the Jesus come into his heart.

I call it, "The Magic Prayer."

In fact, there's nothing magical about the Sinner's Prayer. Saying the prayer won't secure your place in Heaven. If you said the magic prayer and your life didn't change, I attest that you didn't believe at that time. My modern-day paraphrase of Matthew 7:22 reads like this: "Jesus said, 'Many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, didn't we faithfully attend our church outreach program; didn't we go to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night; didn't we give a lot of money to the church and other charitable organizations; didn't we organize the men's breakfast and women's potlucks; didn't we go on mission trips to other countries; didn't we preach in your name?" And I will say to them, "Depart from me, I never knew you."'"

The Magic Prayer has blinded many church-goers of their true state of despair apart from Jesus. When you come to a true point of understanding the wretchedness of your unrighteousness, true repentance, and absolute surrender to obey Jesus in actions, words, and reactions on a daily basis, you often need no prayer. The Spirit changes your heart. "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become new."

Examine your fruit. The fruit of the Spirit listed in Gal. 5:22 never mentions giving a lot of money or attending a church service or filling out a form or doing a Bible study workbook or eating with people you deem a lower class than yourself or helping the needy, although those things may occur as a result of salvation. The fruit of the Spirit deals with your attitude and motivation: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

If you examine your fruit with an honest heart and still have trouble identifying your true heart motivation, look specifically at your reactions. People often have the volition to affect their actions--I can choose to behave in an appropriate way to avoid consequences, to earn social standing, or for recognition, or a variety of other reasons. It's much more difficult to reign in our reactions--the first thought we have toward a person or situation that confronts us in an urgent or demanding way. Check your reactions against the fruit of the Spirit. If love, joy, and peace rarely make their home in your heart, consider heavily whether the Spirit resides there at all.

The road to Hell is paved with the Magic Prayer. Don't be deceived on your way.

Yard Sale Woes

So, last night, I itemized our budget. This morning, for the first time this year, I hit the yard sales. (Get the connection?)

I do love the bargains to be found every chilly Saturday morning before sunrise--it's the "chilly" and "before sunrise" part I despise!

I headed out in search of three things--bikes, bookshelves, and a crib. I found none of them. I did, however, stock up on cold-weather clothes for my girls. (It was marketing at its finest, 55 degrees outside!) Then I spent three hours sorting, folding, and putting them away! Sometimes I wonder if all these nice clothes are more of a burden than a blessing.

Then I tried on a few clothes I had bought for myself. The savvy consumer buys clothing in her own size. I tried. I really did! But no one made her yard sale into a department store, and apparently, I was buying from the junior's department. Let's face it: I'm not a junior. I love my size... as long as I buy clothing that actually fits... which I failed to do at the Juniorama yard sale with all the cute, medium-sized clothing. For KIDS.

At least my girls can enjoy them. In three years.

Sigh.

Postmodern infield

The premise of postmodernism in philosophy eschews absolutes in favor of relativism. I daresay it has inundated even baseball. The Braves lost to the Cardinals in Chipper Jones' final run for the World Series title tonight, ostensibly on an "infield fly" called last-moment in the outfield. To be fair, the Braves did make several throwing errors to put them behind, and the Cards should have made that now-infamous catch, but they didn't. How can an umpire call a ball an infield fly when it's halfway between the dirt of the infield and the warning track? The rulebook states that an infield fly must be "easily caught" by an infielder and the infield fly must be called with a fair amount of time. While the short stop should have caught it, he was not in position to catch it until it was nearly on the ground. I'd say that's not "easily caught" by minor-league standards. Maybe it is by major league standards. And the poor ump must have been on slow-motion if he waited that long to call it! It nearly hit the ground before his hand went up.

So, when the next batter walks, he doesn't walk in a run. He just walks.

Or maybe, in the postmodern baseball world, he skipped.

Rant over. Now the real issue--the Braves' fans threw glass bottles and debris from all levels of the stands in protest to the bad call. They endangered the health and safety of the men on the field, and they delayed the game because they didn't get things their way. I fear American people haven't been taught how to effectively and maturely deal with frustration and conflict, and it will cause harm and distress their whole lives. We have lost the art of maturity.