The First Easter Ever Illustrations by Dennis Jones

"The angel moved the huge stone away from the entrance.  Jesus was gone.  He had risen from the dead. The angel sat and waited.  He knew some of Jesus’ friends were on their way to the tomb.  He wanted to tell them the good news of Jesus’ resurrection."



The First Easter Ever is an abbreviated version of the story of Jesus' life starting with his years of ministry and ending with His ascension into Heaven.  The story is told in language that is engaging and that children can understand.

The illustrations are fantastic and are the primary reason why I chose this particular book.  They tell a story and are full of action. I even enjoy looking at them as an adult. The drawing of the angel sitting on the stone that has been rolled away was great!

This is a beautiful book to read to your children at Easter.  It seemed to be accurate majoring on God's love for humanity, and detailing the account of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.  It even includes the 40 days that Jesus spent with his disciples after God raised Him from the dead.

The only thing I felt was missing was that a large portion of Jesus' ministry, healing and miracles, was not included in the book.  That was a little disappointing for me.  It focused on sharing about Jesus as teacher, raising disciples, and being fishers of men, which is very awesome.  I would just liked to have seen some of the works of Jesus since that is how He demonstrated God's love for many.

One other thing to note is that when Jesus is baptized with the Holy Spirit, the book says "God appeared in the shape of a dove," which is not really accurate. Matthew 3:16 says, "After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him."  The Bible says "like a dove," not "as a dove."  These are two different things.  The phrase "like a dove" is actually a metaphor to describe the gentle way the Spirit of God descended.

I would recommend this book to families, churches, or anybody else who works with small children and would like a new resource for this Easter.  This would be a great book to include in an Easter basked.  My children are enjoying it, and I hope you can too!

God bless you as you celebrate another year of His Resurrection!  Happy Easter!

 

Beth

To read an excerpt, please go here.

 

Disclaimer:  I received this book free from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for a review. I was not required to give a favorable review.  The thoughts and opinions here are entirely my own.

Begin With the End in Mind

Begin with the end in mind. That’s something I keep thinking about. Being a parent is probably the most challenging thing I have ever done. I have these little people to shape and guide into the big people they are going to become. Where do I begin? At the end. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But think for a moment. No artist randomly just begins painting. They first get a picture in their mind of what their completed work is supposed to look like. They know what they are creating.

Our Father God is the Great Creator. All life comes from Him. He told Jeremiah the prophet, “Before you were in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart;”(Jeremiah 1:5) He also spoke through Jeremiah to the nation of Israel telling them in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you…” We should know the plans God has for our children and begin there.

We can ask ourselves several questions. What do I believe are God’s plans for my child(ren)? What natural talents and abilities do they have? What does God say about them? What does God say to do with them?

As homeschoolers, we have chosen to educate our children at home. Part of my reasoning for doing this is because I believe I am shaping the whole person, not just educating the mind. I have to include God’s plans and purpose for my child so I can get a clear picture of what I should be doing and stay focused on the masterpiece that with God's help, I am creating.

How do I determine the plans and purposes? I can pray. I can go to God and ask Him what I should be doing with my kids. I can pray for God to show me what natural gifting and abilities they have been given so I can help them cultivate and develop those gifts. I believe it is also important for me to be sensitive to them and keep my eyes wide open so I won’t miss something they might demonstrate interest in that will ultimately be a part of their beautiful picture. Most importantly, I must study the scriptures to find out exactly what God says that I must do and teach my children in order for them to be a success.

I know I am going to make mistakes. I already have. But I am constantly striving toward that goal of "training my children in the way they should go."(Proverbs 22:6) I believe that whatever they do, and whatever God has for them will ultimately glorify God and be an open door for them to share Jesus with their world.




(This post originally appeared at Growing Your Homeschool.)

Apples Are For More Than Just the Letter "A"

I interact with homeschooling families on a regular basis.  Lots of parents are often upset because their child is struggling with a certain curriculum. They want help as to how to make things work.  Many families with children with special needs are looking for resources to help them educate their children successfully. Families sometimes just don't know exactly how to resolve their issues.  If that is you, I want to challenge you to look at everyday life in the real world as a learning opportunity.

If your child is struggling with a specific curriculum, or if they are very young, and are struggling, I want to encourage you to just stop.  Stop what you are doing at the moment, and take a break.  Start looking at life around you for ways you can make learning fun.  Look at your day to day routine, and pick out some ways you can educate your child and have some joy and fun in your day.  You can always go back to the curriculum later.  I believe that children are learners by nature, and it doesn't have to be forced but will happen automatically, especially if applies to their everyday, walking around life.

With that in mind, I have created a little lesson for you based on some ideas I came up with simply by cutting up an apple for a snack for my children one day. Listed below are concepts that your child can learn just by studying an apple.

Apple begins with the letter "A." (Language Arts)

Apples are nutritious and contains lots of different vitamins and minerals. (Science or Health)

An apple can be cut into 1/2.  (Math)

An apple can be cut into fourths. (Math)

You can count the seeds. (Math)

You can cut the apple horizontally and find the star shape inside. (Math)

After you cut the apple horizontally, you can dip it in paint and use it as a homemade stamp.(Art)



Other activities you can do while learning with apples include:

-Learn the ASL sign for Apple.

-Draw or paint an apple.

-Learn to spell the word "apple."

-Plant apple seeds and watch them grow.

-Compare the different kinds of apples.

- Keep a running total of how many seeds you find in each apple you slice.  Create a graph.

-Look at pictures of books of apples.

There are so many things that you can do with just that one little element, and it can be so simple. I hope I have inspired you to think about your environment. My goal is to encourage you as you endeavor to educate your children that learning doesn't have to be hard for them or you.  Just look around and I am sure you will start to find many more ideas in your daily routine.

Many blessings to you,
Beth