Genesis 11

1. Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 

2. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

3. They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used bricks instead of stone and tar for mortar.

4. Then they said "Come let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

5. But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.

6. The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
7. Come let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
8. So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9. That is why it was called Babel - because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
10. This is the account of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.

11. And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12. When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.
13. And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
14. When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
15. And after he became the father of Ever, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16. When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.
17. And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18. When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.
19. And after he became the father of Rue, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20. When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.
21. And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22. When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.
23. And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24. When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.
25. And after he became the father of Terah,  Nahor lived 119 years and had others sons and daughters.
26. After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27. This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.
28. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.
29. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Naohor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
30. Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.
31. Now Terah took his son Abram,, his grandson Lot son of Harn, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his sonAbram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.
32. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

My Thoughts:
As I was typing this chapter I was drawing a total blank on anything to write about it. Genealogy is really not my thing, and there's an awful lot of it in this chapter. I know it's there for a reason and that it's necessary but I always struggle to get through it. Then verse 31 jumped out at me, especially two words - "they settled." They started out for Canaan, the land God had chosen for his people, but before they got there, they settled. They never reached the destination they had set to reach.

How often do I settle for something less than ideal? Maybe because I am afraid of what's ahead that I cannot see. Maybe because I think I'm satisfied with where I am and do not want to put forth the effort to push on to a better place.

 But God always has something good in store for me (and for you) if we refuse to simply "settle" and instead walk with Him to the Promised Land he has for each of us.

At one time Michael took his naps in his room in his own bed but now he has to take them in the playroom on a mat on the floor.

Why?

Because he decided that it would be fun to open up these windows, you know the ones way up high on the second story and lean out and yell at everyone going by. Oh and it wasn't in the room that opens over the porch roof, it was the room with a drop straight to the ground.

And when Doug installed stops on the window frames so that windows could only be opened far enough for ventilation but not far enough to lean out of, he decided to throw out all the contents of his room that he could fit through the available space instead. These windows do have screens but I've watched him slide the tabs on either side of the screen and slide it right up.

At night I sit with him until he falls asleep but in the afternoon there are other children that need my attention as well so now he has to be where I can see him.

Establishing Learning Centers

There are two points to consider when planning a learning environment that includes learning centers.

1. How will it be customized to include the learning styles of each participant?

2. How will the planned activities and the child's environment compliment one another?

Typical learning centers to consider are blocks, housekeeping, art/writing, table toys (manipulatives), sensory table, library, music, science and computers. Life skills, social skills, risk taking, and responsibility with freedom are important lessons children are learning while using centers and interacting with each other. Children should feel that this is a place where they can trust and feel safe.

There are a number of points to consider when setting up learning centers.

1. Separate noisy areas from quiet areas.

2. Each area should be clearly defined. Children need to know where the boundaries are for the toys that belong in each learning center. Traffic patterns should naturally flow in a way that keeps children from interrupting each other and also discourage running.

3. There should be enough space in/at each learning center for more than one child to play comfortably.

4. Resources near each play area should be relevant to that area.

5. Ensure that caregivers can clearly see into each area.

6. Each learning center should be accessible to each child regardless of handicaps or disabilities.

7. There should be plenty of storage for the supplies needed in each learning center so that the children are able to keep things reasonably neat without too much difficulty.

When setting up learning centers remember that this does have to be expensive. Dividers can be created by hanging a curtain, or by putting up and office cubicle divider. Art shelves can be made from inexpensive materials or purchased second hand. Just remember to make sure surfaces are washable.

An organized and properly arranged environment makes it easier for children to choose constructive activities. An organized environment also makes it easier for the children to play in an orderly way and to keep their surroundings neater. Some things to remember are to makes sure all toys and materials have their own storage space. Make sure items are within easy reach of the children and are easy to put away again. Ensure that the learning centers are easy to get in and out of.

Pay attention to what children play with a lot and what they seem to be losing interest in. Often even minor changes to the learning center, such a slight rearranging, or a few inexpensive new toys or supplies can spark new interest.

Learning centers are a fun and creative way to give children a learning experience customized to their needs and interests. I hope this article has given you some inspiration in creating learning centers for the children in your care.

Tent City

Nearly every afternoon when the younger kids go down for naps, the older kids pull out all the big blankets and sheets they can find and turn my living room into a tent city. 

Here is today's construction. And Holly brought dress up clothes so the fun is even better.

Matching Fun

One of our favorite activities is to take our animal memory matching game and match up all the animals. I find the pictures of each pair of animals, and lay one of each face up in front of us. The rest I hold in my hand. Then one by one I hold up a picture of each animal and ask one child if he/she can find the match for it in the cards that are face up. They enjoy finding the matches, talking about the different animals colors, sounds and other characteristics and the sense of accomplishment they feel when they find a match.

Gears

These Gears building pieces are always a favorite here.I love watching the children get creative as the practice their fine motor skills. And the whole interlocking gears system is fascinating to them.

Grow, Baby, Grow!

We are so glad to have Kaleb back with us after a four day hospital stay. And this was the second hospitalization in two weeks. Kaleb weighed 8lbs. 6oz. at birth and at three months old only had only gained about one pound. He ate well, but nearly everything he ate came back up. The first time he was hospitalized his formula was changed. At first it seemed to be working but then he started spitting everything back up again. This time they've changed his formula again and also begun adding rice to his formula. This seems to be working well. He is more alert, happier and sleeping better, and best of all, when he eats it stays where it's supposed too. 

Kaleb and Austin. Austin absolutely loves this baby.

Michael is also very fascinated with Kaleb.

Here Kaleb's older sister, Destiny, came over to check on her "baby bruver."

The little boy in orange is Kaleb's other sibling, Landon. Both Destiny and Landon watch out for their baby brother.

My Conversation Buddy

Every day while the kids play outside and I supervise CJ likes to comes sit in a chair next to me and tell me everything that's on his mind. Often he draws or writes while he talks. I've learned about trucks, lawnmowers, building, and many other interesting things during our talks.

Thank You, CJ, for making sure I'm never bored.

Genesis 10

1. This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah's sons. who themselves had sons after the flood.
2. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras.
3. The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.
4.The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim and the Rodanim.
5. (From these the maritime  peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with it's own language.)
6.The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan.
7. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah a nd Sabteca.
8. Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth.
9. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord, that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord."
10. The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh, in Shinar.
11. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah
12. and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.
13. Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites Naphtuhites,
14. Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.
15. Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, 
16. Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,
17. Hivites, Arkites, Sinites
18. Arvadites, Zemarites and Hemathites. Later the Canaanite clans scattered
19. and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
20. These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.
21. Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.
22. The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.
23. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech.
24. Arphaxad,was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.
25. Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.
26. Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
27. Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
28. Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
29. Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
30. The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
31. These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.
32. These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

My Thoughts:
I wonder if the enormity of what the sons of Noah were doing was clear to them. So much of what we know now was being established then. Elise touched on this idea in the comments to my Genesis 9 post.  A structure for society was in the making.

Party Mix

Michael, Trinity and I made party mix this morning for snack later today. 

Measure and mix together 10 cups of favorite cereals such as corn, rice or wheat chex and cheerios, nuts and pretzel sticks.

Melt 6 tbsp. margarine, stir in one tbsp. seasoned salt and 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce. Pour over cereals, nuts and pretzels.

Mix well.

And of course you have to do a taste test to make sure everything is well seasoned.

Pour (or spoon, as Michael prefers) into two 9x13in. pans

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Let cool.

Enjoy!

Weekend

I somehow didn't get one single picture this weekend. In fact, I don't even know where my camera is. But there were things going on, everyone was busy.

Doug finished painting Amanda's room so now this week we can start getting it set up the way she wants it. She's excited about that and so am I. I'm especially excited about getting all her things out of the upstairs hallway and back into her room.

Austin left Friday with the church youth for a youth retreat. He had fun swimming, canoeing, and hanging out with the other youth. He came back Sunday afternoon.

Amanda spent Friday night at her friends' house. Then Saturday her friends were here for the night. So she had a good weekend as well.

Sunday afternoon the company that Doug works for (McKee Foods, Inc.) as a machinest had their company picnic so we went to that. Lots of free food, rides and games for the kids, and swimming. Unfortunately, I forgot the sunscreen and we all came back burned. But we had fun. 

And that, in a nutshell, was our weekend.

How the Curriculum and Environment Work Together

Understanding how children learn (How Children Learn) helps us to understand how to set up and develop the learning environment. Curriculum  and learning environment are most effective when they compliment each other. The learning environment should include both teacher directed and child directed activities.

When planning the learning environment the following areas should be considered

• Content
• Process 
• Product

CONTENT

Content of curriculum and environment should be connected and both should be connected to the individual learning styles of the children. 

 Learning centers are a great way to

• provide self-initiated and directed activities
• provide learning experiences that meet individual abilities
• provide learning activities that compliment individual learning styles

PROCESS

 The teacher's role is to create an environment that encourages the processes of discovery, problem solving and independent thinking. The environment should provide multiple methods of learning and take into account the learning styles of the individual children. Skilled teachers work hard to ensure that each day's experiences are interesting and exciting.

PRODUCT

When determining if a skill has been learned by the child, observation is key. Does the child understand how to use the material provided? What can the child complete or accomplish independently? Your observations provide information on how each child learns best so that you as teacher can ensure the best learning experiences for the child.

Daily Adventures at Rose's House Wednesday June 9, 2010

Since my laptop has decided it suddenly cannot communicate with the printer the kids are stuck with worksheets and coloring pages that I have leftover from previous lessons until this newest glitch gets sorted out. I've just been putting them out and letting them decide whether they feel like doing them or not. Sometimes a change in routine is good for us anyway.

A few more peaks into our day.

Silly?

Setting up office

It's been a wonderful, busy day. And now I'm exhausted. I'm headed to bed early to rest up for more fun tomorrow.