Dr. James White, (December 17, 1962 - ) director of Alpha and Omega Ministries in Arizona, is a Baptist theologian who has devoted his life to publicly defending Christianity through moderated debates worldwide. He has completed nearly two hundred debates in locations such as Sydney, Australia; Toronto, Canada; London, England; throughout South Africa; and throughout the United States.

His published works and debates examine topics such as Islam, Roman Catholicism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormonism, and various topics within Christianity, such as KJV-only-ism, Calvinism, and the Trinity. White also hosts a popular podcast, The Dividing Line, a grab-bag of responses to and discussions of theological topics, political events, recently released books, and White's speaking engagements. Currently, White is a pastor/elder at Apologia Church and a professor of Greek and Systematic Theology. He and his wife reside in Arizona and are the parents to two grown children; five living grandchildren round out his family. ¹

Enjoyable Works

Dr. White co-authored the following children's books with Kevin Johnson. They serve as excellent introductions to subjects that older children should be equipped to deal with. Dr. White has also authored a plethora of theologically focused books that older teens and adults would find beneficial.

These two books could be used as a vehicle to introduce teens to an author who can help them mature in their theological understanding as they grow into adulthood.

Geography

Although originally from Hennepin County, Minnesota, Dr. James White has spent most of his life in the State of Arizona. The last of the contiguous states to enter the Union, Arizona offers a variety of geographical features, from deserts to evergreen forests and mountain ranges to large, deep canyons. God's hand is clearly seen throughout this sixth largest state.

One of the most well-known features of Arizona is the Grand Canyon. One of the world's seven natural wonders, the Grand Canyon displays God's majesty.

Approximately one-fourth of the land of Arizona is composed of Native American reserves, home to twenty-seven different tribes. The largest group of Navajo within the United States resides in Arizona. The name of the state is derived from the O'odham word for "small spring"; the O'odham are a tribe living in the Sonora Desert. Head over to the Providence Report Missionary Updates page and click on North America on the map to read a summary of missionary work amongst the O'odham people.

Interestingly, Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time, though there are small regions within the state that do. Although deserts abound, there are sections of Arizona that are conducive to producing crops, such as lettuce, spinach, cantaloupe, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and watermelon. ²

Copywork

Often Christians only consider pastors or others who have completed considerable Biblical study to be theologians, but, in this copywork, Dr. James White reminds us of the truth. As always, adjust the length of the copywork to the ability of each of your children.

As parents, our desire is to cultivate a robust Biblical worldview in our children, teaching them what they believe and why they believe it. If your own Biblical knowledge or understanding is lacking, be willing to learn alongside your children. Incorporate apologetics into daily conversations, increasing the rigor as your children grow and mature. Below are some ideas of ways to include theology into daily life.

• Talk about how God reveals Himself in two ways – through the world around us and through the Bible. We can learn about God from the Bible and from the natural world.

• Discuss that without God, there would be nothing; God is the first cause of everything.

• Explore God's design for Earth – a planet perfectly suited for life; compare Earth to other planets to see God's kindness and that the properties of Earth were not established by chance.

• Help children understand the veracity of the Bible. Discuss the difference between fiction and non-fiction books, how the Holy Spirit directed what the Biblical authors would write, and how we look to the Bible to find answers to questions. Make the Bible the source of answers within your home; find passages to explain principles of Christian living, to demonstrate the character of God, and to remind us of God's promises to us.

• Take time to answer questions that arise, researching answers if needed.

Extensions

God has given us multiple means of knowing Him – the Bible and nature. Studying the Bible is critical to developing a solid theology in our children. A good facet of theology to begin a more a thorough study is the character of God. Understanding the attributes of God is a topic that can be simplified for younger children and made more thorough and complex as children mature. Begin by listing some of God's attributes and describing them in two or three levels of complexity, depending on the spread of ages of your children. Include supporting Scripture references as appropriate, particularly with the highest level and an illustration to support your younger children's learning. Here is an example of three levels of complexity for God's omnipotence.

What other attributes of God are foundational for understanding His character? The table below provides some other attributes of God to teach to your children.

Within nature, we are given ample opportunities to explore the majesty of God's creative hand. The Grand Canyon is a perfect example of God's handiwork.

Children can explore its splendor through digital tours; there is a brief mention of millions of years in the introductory section, but this could easily be avoided if desired. In addition, the following video provides a quick overview of some of the animal life and grand views with the canyon.

To extend learning, have children sketch an animal of their preference from the video (or print off a coloring page of the animal) and include facts about the animal around the perimeter of the picture. Coloring the animal and having each child share what they've learned about the creature completes the activity.

Additional Resources

The following links provide resources that can be used to build the foundation for your children's Biblical worldview and help introduce them to Christian apologetics. With each resource listed, consider your family's understanding of various doctrinal issues. Each resource may contain differing views on non-salvific issues; as a family, we use these differences as an opportunity to thoroughly discuss our family's theological understanding.

1. Apologia

3. Case for Christ for Kids

4. Picture books Apologetics

5. Cold-Case Christianity for Kids

6. Keeping Your Kids on God's Side

7. Recommended Books for Training Children | Monergism

8. Amazon.com: James R. White

Footnotes

1. James White - Alpha and Omega Ministries (aomin.org)

2. Arizona - Wikipedia

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Clive Staples "C. S." "Jack" Lewis (November 29, 1898 - November 22, 1963), a well-known writer, scholar, and theologian was born in Ireland, the younger brother to Warren, with whom he was very close. When Lewis was only four years old, his dog Jack was killed by a car. Devasted by this loss, Clive adopted the nickname "Jacksie" and later simply, "Jack". Lewis learned to read at an early age and particularly enjoyed animal stories written by Beatrix Potter. Together with Warren, the world of Boxen was created. Boxen is a fictional world run by animals; in many ways Boxen became a precursor to the world of Narnia.

Lewis spent much of his younger years at boarding and preparatory schools. He fell away from his faith as a teen, fully embracing atheism. Jack returned to Christianity in his early 30s having been heavily influenced by his close friend J. R. R. Tolkien. Both he and Tolkien served as faculty at Oxford.

Lewis' embrace of Christianity heavily influenced his writing as he began composing apologetic works supporting Christianity and planning fictional works with Christian themes weaved throughout each one. During World War II, Lewis and his brother, Warren, opened their home as a refuge for the children of London to escape the war. This practice of protecting children from the shock of war laid a foundation for the beginning of some of his Narnian tales. C. S. "Jack" Lewis died of kidney failure just shy of his sixty-fifth birthday. Half a century later, a memorial was constructed in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey with the following quote inscribed on the floor.

In the years following his death, statues, societies, murals, and nature reserves have been created in his honor and countless families throughout the world have enjoyed his works of fiction and have been edified by his apologetical works. ¹

Enjoyable Works

Geography

C. S. Lewis was born in Ireland, an island in the north Atlantic known as the "Emerald Isle" due to its green landscape and abundant rain. The island of Ireland is actually home to two countries – Northern Ireland (under the rule of Great Britain) and the Republic of Ireland (an independent country). A land of low central plains with surrounding coastal mountains, Ireland has the most castles (more than 30,000) of any other country.

Ireland exports potatoes, lamb, and beef and is well-known for having no snakes on the island. Although potatoes are a primary export of Ireland, a potato crop failure in the mid 1800s devasted Ireland. During this potato famine, one million people died, and two million people were forced to leave Ireland in order to survive. Ireland is also well-known for Saint Patrick who returned to the land of his imprisonment to lead the Irish to Christianity. ²

Using Google Earth to explore the beautiful castle and fortress remains in Ireland allows your children to have an accurate view of landmarks that they may never see in person. Additionally, exploring some in "street view" allows children to digitally walk around each castle.

Alternatively, a collage of all things Irish could be constructed. Cut the outline of Ireland out of cardboard (or simply cut out a capital I) and encourage children to glue images reminiscent of Ireland on the cardboard to make a collage. Ireland for Kids is a starting place to research Ireland to find additional images for the collage.

Copywork

In this copywork, C. S. Lewis reminds us that our lives should be lived out so that people are drawn to Christ. Lewis lived this admonition throughout his life and was cognizant of it as he authored a variety of books.

Extensions

Studying the geography of Ireland calls for additional explorations about potatoes, castles, and Saint Patrick. Native to Incan settlements in the Andes Mountains of Peru and Bolivia, potatoes were introduced to Europe by the Spaniards who colonized South America. Potatoes can be prepared in a variety of ways – baked, mashed, roasted, as a thickener, or as a flour, to name a few – and are full of nutrients such as fiber, vitamin C, niacin, thiamin, and protein. Could potatoes be a good choice to add to your garden? ³

Throughout Ireland, castle designs remain somewhat consistent, high walls surrounding towers built on a hill or beside a river or the coastline. Children can use their own castles (whether smaller ones using Legos or other blocks or something larger such as cardboard boxes or couch cushions).

Patrick was kidnapped from his home in England and taken to be a slave in Ireland. He escaped after many years and returned to England. He began theological studies and later returned to Ireland to share the Gospel. He led large numbers of Irish to Christ and established churches throughout the country. Patrick used shamrocks to explain the trinity; children could also make their own shamrocks. Squishing the end of an empty toilet paper roll, dipping it in green paint, and using it three times as a stamp gives a shamrock; children could then write "Father", "Son", and "Holy Spirit" in each leaf.

The St. Patrick Story from The Torchlighter Series (above) and the portion of this Veggietales episode (below) depict the story of Saint Patrick in child-friendly ways.

Additional Resources

Other books providing additional information about C. S. Lewis at a variety of reading abilities follow.

Footnotes

1. C. S. Lewis- Wikipedia

2. Facts About Ireland

3. Potato - Britannica

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One of the principal reasons my family and I created Equip the Faithful was to help provide tools and resources for Christian believers to enrich their walk with God and to equip them to live in faithfulness through trying times. Helping facilitate the formation of a robust Christian worldview in each of our readers is our ultimate goal.

Christian Worldview Development For Adults

A major focus for me this year has been the maintenance and enhancement of our companion site, Providence Report. It has undergone significant technical improvements to reduce load times and support a greater variety of content types. Every week, I curate stories from a host of sources to present important news and information of direct interest to Christians. Faithful readers will notice that Providence Report features content from a spectrum of viewpoints. Inclusion of a snapshot means that I believe it is important for a Christian to be aware of and adds value to the reader. It does not necessarily mean that I endorse all of the views espoused by that contributor. It is still necessary for the Christian reader to use discernment and filter the information provided through a Biblical lens.

It is my belief that reading the articles, listening to the podcasts, and watching the videos on each Weekly Digest will go a long way towards informing our readers and helping them develop and strengthen a Biblical Christian worldview.

As we've warned previously, Providence Report is not intended for children as it includes material discussing many of the evils facing our nation and world today. However, I believe that every Christian adult has an obligation to be aware of what is happening in our culture and to be doing their part to be salt and light in a sinful and dark world (see Matthew 5:13-14). We, like Paul, are empowered by the Spirit to destroy strongholds, to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and to take every thought captive to obey Christ (see 2 Corinthians 10:4-5). The only way we can effectively fulfill this obligation is to be informed and to develop a robust Christian worldview.

Christian Worldview Development For Our Children

As a Christian homeschooling family, we are personally committed to teaching our children to think Biblically and to measure any and all claims against the teaching of Scripture. We want them to respond to claims of truth like the Bereans of Acts 17:10-12, examining the Scriptures to see if these things are so.

We know that not all of our readers have children in the home, but for those that do, I want to take a moment to discuss the importance of intentional worldview development for our children. It has become obvious to many Christians that public schools are no longer a safe environment for children or a healthy place for them to develop their worldview. The enemies of our Faith understand that the best way to attack Christianity is to undermine the faith of our children and to ultimately turn them against the God of the Bible. Infiltrating public education has afforded our enemies an opportunity to shape the minds of millions of our nation's children. Sadly, we've allowed a hostile movement to reshape our schools to the point where they are now indoctrinating children to adopt an explicitly anti-Christian worldview.

In recent years the homeschooling movement has grown, in part bolstered by the events of the pandemic. Another of our main focuses this year has been to develop support material for homeschooling families. We have been highlighting one author each month as well as providing enriching activities developed by my wife for use by parents and their children.

I believe that in present day America, homeschooling is the best option for Christian children and should be the normative practice for Christian families. When homeschooling is not possible, I encourage enrollment in a Biblically based Christian private school as an acceptable alternative. I also understand that external factors have made providing a Christian education a difficult choice for many, and some feel that they have no choice but to keep their children in public schools. While I would encourage parents to prayerfully consider doing whatever it takes to get their children out of public education, I pray for God's grace in helping Christian families develop a Biblical worldview no matter their circumstances and hope that the materials on this website provide a benefit to all.

In the coming years it is our family's hope and desire to greatly expand both Equip the Faithful and Providence Report. We pray that these tools will be used by God to inform and encourage Christians around the world and prepare them to take a bold stand for Christ in a hostile world. If you wish to support us in this effort, please consider a membership or a one-time donation.

Thanks and God bless!

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Kirk Cameron (October 12, 1970 - ) is an actor turned author who values educating children about traditional values. He has partnered with Brave Books as an author of three children's books. Brave Books values faith, family, and America through creating partnerships with authors who create stories that occur on Freedom Island; their books provide a springboard to have deeper conversations about issues children will face in a Biblical way.

Cameron was born in California, near Los Angeles, and is the brother to three sisters. One sister, Candace Cameron Bure, held the role of DJ on Full House. Kirk Cameron's acting career began at nine with a cereal commercial; as such, much of his schooling was completed on set. Kirk Cameron is perhaps most well-known for his role as Mike Seaver on the show Growing Pains during the late 1980s and early 1990s. During this time, he was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. Cameron was an atheist in his early teens, but came to faith at age 17 during his time as Mike Seaver. He began insisting that scenes mirror Christian morals and values. Over the years, Cameron held other roles and has made multiple guest appearances on television shows. Eventually Kirk Cameron left mainstream media, only making appearances on Christian productions, such as Fireproof.

Cameron is a founding partner of Ray Comfort's ministry, The Way of the Master, a resource for evangelism. As parents to six adult children, Kirk and his wife understand the importance of creating memories and valuing family; they are the founders of Camp Firefly, an all-expense paid camp for terminally ill children and their families. Kirk Cameron continues to reach children and their families by hosting story-hours at local libraries throughout the country. ¹

Enjoyable Works

Geography

Would you like to increase your child's interest in learning basic geographical terms? Guide them through the process of creating their own island or country. Brave Books has created a fictional world called Freedom Island, the setting for all adventures and lessons learned, complete with various geographical features.

Your child's island could be themed around a favorite subject or hobby. For example, a child who enjoys horses may create a horseshoe-shaped island, complete with horse themed names for each geographical feature. The number of required geographical features and complexity of the island can be adjusted to match each child's ability. In addition, each child could work independently or could work together to create one island. If your child has difficulty deciding on the shape of the island, try placing one cup of rice in a small bag, pouring it out on paper, and tracing around the rice to obtain a basic shape for the island. Geography From A To Z is a must-have resource when exploring geography with children. This resource provides thorough definitions of an abundance of geographical terms, each one carefully illustrated.

Copywork

As a devoted Christian, Kirk Cameron reminds us and our children of the valuable gift of God's Word that we have been given. This is a longer copywork; allow younger children to select a sentence to complete.

Extensions

Kirk Cameron's children's books provide opportunities to further explore the fruit of the Spirit and the life cycle of seeds.

The character qualities that are developed in a Christian as a result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are collectively known as the fruit of the Spirit and are listed in Galatians 5. This fruit of the Spirit activity packet gives children multiple ways to practice Galatians 5:22-23 as they commit this passage to memory. A small poster of the verse to display and to use to complete the additional activities is included as well. For young children, write each character quality on a plastic fruit and have them gather them in a basket.

A fun activity to do with children of all ages is to observe the germination of a seed. Place a bean (lima or kidney beans work well) in a bowl of water to soak for twenty-four hours. Then place the bean in a glass jar with a wet paper towel pushing the seed along the side of the jar. Place the jar in a sunny location. Each day, children can sketch the progress of the germination process and rewet the paper towel, as necessary. Children should be able to see each stage of germination within a week. Each stage of germination could be made out of playdough, salt dough, or air-drying modeling clay. Gail Gibbons' book on seeds leads children through the process of germination, providing scientific details in an easily understood manner.

Additional Resources

More information about Brave Books can be accessed by visiting bravebooks.us.

Footnotes

1. Kirk Cameron - Wikipedia

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John Robert McCloskey (September 15, 1914 - June 30, 2003), a well-known children's author who wrote and illustrated eight picture books, was honored with two Caldecott medals and two runner-up recognitions. Born in Ohio, McCloskey and his two sisters were particularly interested in drawing, music, and inventing. He studied at Vesper George Art School and the National Academy of Design, preparing him to pursue his passion of writing and illustrating children's books. He and his wife enjoyed raising two daughters and spent summers on Scott Island in Penobscot Bay, Maine. McCloskey wrote and illustrated eight picture books, establishing much-loved Maine as the setting for half of them. In 2000, Robert McCloskey was named a "living legend" by the United States Library of Congress. His books have been enjoyed by families for their nostalgic tone and simplistic way of life. ¹

Enjoyable Works

Geography

Many of McCloskey's picture books are set in the United States' most easternly state, Maine. God has designed the beautiful Pine Tree State with a variety of landforms, particularly along the coast.

Geography From A to Z: A Picture Glossary is a must-have glossary to learn geographical landforms; descriptions of each landform are succinct, yet thorough and easily understood. The coastal landscape of Maine is dotted with islands (p.24), isthmuses (p.25), atolls (p.8), archipelagoes (p.7), peninsulas (p.34), bays (p.9), and capes (p.7).

Using this resource, children can illustrate each of the landforms found in Maine and combine them into a booklet. Each child could complete a booklet or could work together to create one booklet for the family.

The landscape of Maine is well-known for its vibrant fall foliage, lighthouses, forests, and rocky coastlines. The twenty-third state added to the Union in 1820, Maine also celebrates scenic lighthouses along the coast and forests over 90% of its land. Maine produces nearly all of the United States' blueberries.

Copywork

Mr. McCloskey's character, Lentil, learns to play the harmonica and delights the town with his joyful music. This copywork is a good reminder to us that we should work diligently to develop the talents God has given us and to use our talents to honor God and to help others.

Extensions

Robert McCloskey wrote about what he knew and enjoyed – nature, the coast of Maine, animals, music, and small-town life – and created stories that children of all ages have been enjoying for decades. As a way of continuing his delight of nature, families would enjoy creating seasonal nature boxes. Each child would decorate a shoebox and fill it with found objects in nature from that season – a seashell, empty bird nest, rock, feather, leaf, stick, bug, acorn, seed, etc. Completing a leaf or bark rubbing allows children to really notice the details in these items.  

McCloskey is probably best known for his family of ducks finding their new home in Boston. Ducks are found on every continent except Antarctica, and some species are migratory. They eat grasses, fish, small amphibians, and worms. God perfectly designed ducks, including particular features that allow them to thrive in their habitat. Ducks' bills are shaped to filter food from the water; their feet are webbed for optimal swimming while still providing stability upon land; an oil gland in their skin allows ducks to consistently waterproof their feathers; ducks' feet have no nerves or blood vessels and are able to withstand cold temperatures; finally, ducks' wings are designed to be able to fly non-stop for vast distances. Younger children can color and glue feathers on this duck, while older children match the unique feature to the correct location on the duck.

In addition, rubber ducks provide fun manipulatives for children of all ages. Interacting with them in a tub of water adds an extra layer of fun.

For young children, write letters on the bottom of the rubber ducks and ask children to recognize the letter or make the sound when picked up from the water. Numbers could also be written on the bottom and children could select the correct number of cheerios for the duck to eat. Children could also use the ducks as manipulatives for practicing basic addition and subtraction problems. Older children could practice their watercolor technique by following along with this tutorial.

McCloskey is equally known for Blueberries For Sal and the adventures had while seeking out deliciously sweet blueberries. Creating memories while reading this book can be something as simple as picking blueberries as a family, using them to bake a dessert, and crafting a blueberry basket full of blueberries from brown construction paper and blue painted fingerprints.

Additional Resources

Footnotes

1. Robert McCloskey - Wikipedia

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Phil Lollar (August 6, 1956 - ) is well-known for his significant contributions to Focus on the Family's Adventures in Odyssey audio adventures series. Lollar has contributed as a voice actor, director, producer, and writer for more than 250 episodes. He has also contributed to Jungle Jam & Friends, The Radio Show, Little Dogs on the Prairie, 3-2-1 Penguins, and Paws and Tales.

A natural-born communicator, Phil began acting at age five and won multiple acting awards throughout high school. He studied directing, music, and film-making in college and began using these skills at Focus of the Family after completing his studies. Phil and his wife have one grown son.

In addition to audio contributions, Phil has authored the following:

• The Complete Guide to Adventures in Odyssey
• Little Dogs on the Prairie: The Great Train Set Robbery
• Little Dogs on the Prairie: Yippee Ti-Yay, Happy Birthday Book
• Welcome to Odyssey: The Start of Something Big
• The Blackgaard Chronicles
• Young Whit Series

Phil continues to use his God-given talents to create entertaining media that also presents scriptural truths for children of all ages. ¹

Enjoyable Works

Geography

One of the best ways to organically learn the location of each of the United States is by completing puzzles. Completing these puzzles often will greatly aid in this endeavor. Here are some of our favorites.

Starting in middle to upper elementary school, children will begin to identify all of the United States and their capitals. Flashcards provide basic practice but can also be used in a variety of ways. These flashcards also include a third column demonstrating an item or person well-known in each state. Cutting out each row and folding on the dividing lines will create quick flashcards. These flashcards can also be separated and set up to play memory match. For younger children, select 5-10 state and capital matches to master at a time. With the state side of the card up, call out the capital and have children place a figurine on the correct state on a map or puzzle.

Learning the states and capitals by region can be particularly effective, as children are less likely to become overwhelmed by the number of states. Finding a song that includes the states and capitals also will aid in children's memory work. Finally, including visual cues, whether based on the shape of the state or by coloring a state on a map in accordance with what is found there is an easy way to provide additional ways to remember states, capitals, and their locations. For example, Louisiana is shaped like an L, Michigan like a mitten, Oklahoma like a pot, and coloring California orange or Georgia in a peach color will remind children of the respective fruits from those states.

Copywork

Phil Lollar skillfully weaves Biblical truths throughout the conversations that occur within the adventures that the characters in Odyssey have. Mr. Whitaker, "Whit," in particular, teaches the children of Odyssey foundational Biblical principles. This copywork demonstrates part of such conversations where Whit teaches the children that their interests are God-given for His use.

We should encourage our children to recognize the variety of interests that God has given them and to seek out ways to use those interests and skills to impact the world for Christ.

Extensions

Within the fictional town of Odyssey, Whit was well-known as an inventor, creating an ice cream parlor and discovery center for the children to enjoy. For example, he created an Imagination Station, where children have adventures that teach them more about God. Most of Whit's inventions are successful and add new tools for children to explore. The character qualities of determination, curiosity, and creativity are written into the nature of Mr. Whitaker; children listening to or reading about Mr. Whitaker are exposed to these qualities as well, demonstrating their necessity in becoming an inventor. Whit also has an exhibit in Whit's End called "Whit's Flop", his first invention which did not succeed. Through this exhibit, Whit teaches kids that failure is inevitable and should not be seen as the end of exploration.

Continuing in this venture, children will explore various inventors and their inventions from throughout history. Using this table, children can make flashcards or separate them to create a memory match game. Children will be fascinated to recognize the many inventions that they rely upon daily--light bulbs, printing press, telephone, automobile, and the dishwasher. For a fun activity, try going without the telephone, light bulbs or the dishwasher for a period of time.

Children could select an inventor, complete more research about him or her, and create a poster or brochure highlighting the work. To create a brochure, turn a piece of paper on its side and fold into thirds. Be sure to include the following information along with other facts of interest:

• name and picture of inventor
• birth and death date, as applicable
• invention(s)
• any failures
• historical events during the inventor's life
• importance of invention
• how life would be different without the invention

Additionally, providing children with a box of supplies – paper, glue, string, container, etc.– gives them a chance to explore and create inventions of their own.

Additional Resources

Explore more Adventures in Odyssey themed material by visiting Christianbook's Adventures in Odyssey shop.

Footnotes

1. Phil Lollar - Wikipedia

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Elwyn Brooks "E. B." White (July 11, 1899 - Oct 1, 1985) was born in New York the sixth and youngest child of Samuel and Jessie White. E. B.'s older brother taught him to read and encouraged him to explore nature. As such, E. B.'s love of nature, that permeates each of his books, began. While continuing his education at Cornell, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was the editor of The Cornell Daily Sun. After graduation, E. B. worked for United Press and the American Legion News Service. His early career involved writing articles for various newspaper and essays for magazines.

His focus was changed to writing children's fiction when a niece was added to his family. His first children's book, Stuart Little, was published in 1945; Charlotte's Web in 1952; and Trumpet of the Swan n 1970. He artistically weaved his love of farms, equipment, animals, seasons and the weather to create family favorite stories that have stood the test of time. A polite, quiet man, E. B. White was nominated for and awarded many literary awards, such as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, the Newberry Honor, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. A literary award, the E. B. White Read Aloud Award, was created in his honor to recognize books that make enjoyable read-alouds. ²

Enjoyable Works

Geography

E. B. White's The Trumpet of the Swan follows the tracks of a boy discovering a family of swans on a fishing trip to Canada. The country of Canada is divided into land areas called provinces or territories, not states. Provinces have more autonomy from the federal government than states do, while territories have less. Many areas in Western Canada provide ideal habitats for Trumpeter swans--marshes or lakes with bulrushes or beaver dams. Using the graphic found on Nature Conservancy Canada's site ( NCC: Trumpeter swan - natureconservancy.ca ) and the map of Canada in the above link, children can identify where Trumpeter Swans are likely to be found throughout Canada. Older children could use the second page of the blank map of Canada to identify each province by completing the cut-and-paste activity.

Copywork

E. B. White encourages your child to take reasonable risks when their pursuits or assignments seem insurmountable. This copywork gives encouragement to persevere, even when the next right step seems difficult. For older children, point out how parenthetical phrases, such as "like an acrobat", are surrounded by commas.  

Extensions

One of God's most fascinating creations is the spider. From the variety within species to the types of webs that are spun to the details found within the anatomy of these arachnids, God's handiwork is evident. Spiders are the only creature to have species on each continent. Spiders are captivating creatures.

Spiders, although arachnids, are often incorrectly categorized as insects. Children will learn about the differences and similarities of between insects and arachnids by completing this Venn diagram activity.

Spider species can be classified into five groups: wolf spiders, hunters, sac spiders, funnel-web spiders, and orb-weavers.

Below are some of the various types of webs that spiders spin, each one intricately designed to suit the needs of each spider.

Spiders have unique characteristics: spinnerets, chelicera, abdomen, cephalothorax, and legs. A spider's body is comprised of two main parts: the fused head and thorax, called the cephalothorax, and the abdomen. Spinnerets are silk-producing organ located at the base of the abdomen. Chelicerae are the spider's mouthparts and may be shaped like fangs or pincers. A spider's legs are segmented with a claw at the end and are used to sense vibrations, sounds, smells, and wind. In some species, legs can be regenerated. ⁴ Children can practice spider anatomy by writing the name of each part on the line or cutting out each part and paste it in the correct place; younger children could simply color the spider.

Because spiders cannot turn their head, God designed them to have enough eyes to give them peripheral vision and be able to see predators. Spiders usually have eight eyes although the arrangement of eyes will vary among species. These eyes usually can only differentiate between light and dark for most spiders. Jumping spiders, wolf spiders, flower spiders and net-casting spiders, however, can see clearly and more colors than humans are able. Because of their eyesight, spiders' bodies are covered in hairs which they rely on to locate their prey and to avoid predators. ⁵

Other fun projects for children could include:

• Sketching their own spider web (perhaps adding their name in the middle), tracing over it in glue, and adding glitter to it.
• Creating a spider web in a doorway using painter's tape. Throw "flies" at the web to see if they will get stuck or will be able to escape. Balls of paper or balled up socks could be used as the "flies".
• Create a spider web on the floor using painter's tape. The activity could be adjusted for the age and topics that need reviewed and could include simply walking the lines, placing sight words throughout the web, or placing numbers throughout the web and calling out addition problems.
• Catching a real spider web. Find a spider web outside suspended outside. Hold a piece of dark paper behind the web and slowly spray paint over the web. Lay flat to dry.

Additional Resources

Footnotes

1. White Literary LLC, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

2. E. B. White - Wikipedia

3. E. B. White Read Aloud Award - Memphis Public Libraries (memphislibrary.org)

4. Spider - Wikipedia

5. How spiders see the world - The Australian Museum

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Douglas Wilson (June 18, 1953 -   ), a prolific author and Reformed pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, has been a vital advocate of a robust and Biblically grounded Christianity. Through online outreach and cultural engagement, he has been a lightning rod for controversy as well as a catalyst for positive social change, truly impacting our world with the light of the gospel. Having spent most of his childhood in Annapolis, Doug joined the navy following high school. He later attended the University of Idaho where he met and married his wife, Nancy.

He and his wife have been blessed with three, now adult, children and many grandchildren. Two of his children, N.D. Wilson and Rachel Jankovic, have also authored books for children and young adults. Doug has endeavored for decades to build facilities that glorify God within the town of Moscow -- Christ Church, New Saint Andrews College, Logos School, and Canon Press. A proponent of classical education, Doug and the other founders implemented this method of education in Logos School and New Saint Andrews College.

Doug also uses his gift of communication to maintain a blog and corresponding YouTube channel, Blog & Mablog, where he addresses current cultural issues from a conservative Biblical viewpoint; in addition, Doug has authored more than fifty books with something for every age group. Wilson’s ability to clearly express Biblical concepts to any audience while maintaining the integrity of the message is refreshing and makes his works go-to resources for information on nearly every theological topic or cultural issue. ¹

Enjoyable Works

Geography

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Europeans began settling colonies in the New World for a variety of reasons -- mainly religious freedom and political freedom. By the late eighteenth century, the colonies worked together to earn freedom from Britain during the American Revolution and establish the beginning of the United States of America.

Using the above map of the United States, children can complete this map of the thirteen colonies. Please note, for simplicity, children are labeling a map of the current state boundaries; the boundaries for several colonies were slightly different during the time of the American Revolution as the western boundaries had not yet been fully explored and claimed.

Copywork

Pastor Doug Wilson has been gifted with the ability to deliver theological truths in somewhat shocking ways that resonate with the reader. In his book, Exhortations: A Call to Maturity in Worship, Wilson includes the following exhortation to remind Christians that hearing and studying the Word of God should expose areas in need of attention within their lives. Use this copywork as an opportunity to teach children to recognize the prodding of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Extensions

Being able to commit lists of information to memory is a lifelong muscle that needs frequent exercise. While rote memorization could be used, children often excel when additional modalities of learning are incorporated into their memory work. Educational theorist and psychologist, Howard Gardner, published much work about the uniqueness of each child, stating that each child has strengths in at least one of the following areas -- verbal, auditory, logical, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential.

As Christians, we know that our children are unique individuals, made in the image of God, and are given a variety of strengths. Inviting your child to learn in a variety of ways will make the process more delightful and the information to be remembered. Putting the list to music, drawing a composite picture that incorporates cues for each word, or assigning actions for each word can be effective strategies.

One constructive approach is to create a story incorporating the words from the list or clue words that point back to the original list and illustrating key pieces of the story. By rereading the story and looking at the illustrations, children can memorize a list of items in the correct order. Here's an example of a story to help memorize the thirteen original colonies.

The method of making learning cater to the strengths of the child ensures a more enjoyable experience for all. For example, instead of always copying spelling words in a notebook, try using paint, sidewalk chalk, blocks, or shaving cream in the shower to practice each word. Other fun activities could include speaking into a karaoke machine or spelling words to grandparents over the phone. With a little creativity, learning can come alive for our children.

Additional Resources

Williamsburg, Virginia and surrounding areas provide opportunities for educational experiences and gaining insight into what life was like in the American colonies. Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown are living museums that bring the time of the Revolutionary War alive for families. See firsthand what a town would be like, what jobs men and women would have, what food would be grown and eaten, and even a drum and fife corps. Colonial Williamsburg also offers virtual tours and special events for homeschooling families.

A children's video series, The Liberty Kids, a fictionalized story about a young boy named James during the time of the American Revolution, uses a child-friendly approach to explain the events of the time period. This series is also available as a DVD collection.

For additional works and resources by Douglas Wilson, please visit Blog & Mablog and Canon Press.

Footnotes

1. Douglas Wilson (theologian) - Wikipedia

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Johann David Wyss (May 28, 1743 - January 11, 1818), a Swiss pastor, purposed to write didactic, quality literature that families could enjoy together. These stories feature families working together to overcome difficulties, children learning moral and life lessons from their father, and families acknowledging God's sovereignty, His goodness, and provision. Wyss, his wife, and four sons enjoyed many outdoor activities together, such as hunting, fishing, hiking, and studying nature.

In addition, the family spent much time reading and discussing stories full of adventure. After being inspired by such adventure found within the pages of Daniel DeFoe's Robinson Crusoe, Johann David Wyss authored his only work, The Swiss Family Robinson, a book with a similar style of adventure but with an emphasis of the children looking to the father for wisdom and knowledge. This clearly moral book has Christian themes throughout and matter-of-factly demonstrates gratefulness to, contentedness in, and reliance upon the Divine. The book became a family effort, with sons Johann Rudolf Wyss editing and Johann Emmanuel Wyss providing illustrations. ¹

Enjoyable Works

A classic tale of a family's adventure and reliance on God through challenging circumstances, The Swiss Family Robinson provides families with an engaging storyline and opportunities to learn about ingenuity and survival skills. Children (and adults, alike) will be encouraged to trust God and be content with his sovereignty through all circumstances of life.

The Swiss Family Robinson

Geography

An excellent resource for explaining and demonstrating geographical terms, Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary by Jack Knowlton would be an effective addition to any homeschool. Being familiar with the terms in this book will provide students with a strong geographical background and will encourage creativity in the following activities.

According to Knowlton, an island is "a piece of land that is smaller than a continent and completely surrounded by water" (p.24). Children will practice identifying islands on a world map, will create an island of their own while integrating geographical features into the design, and will track the family's movements throughout the island during a read-aloud.

Identifying Islands

Children will identify a selection of islands found throughout the world. This activity can be easily adapted to meet each child's ability, with the youngest child identifying any island and older children working through levels one and two.  

Create an Island

Once your child can identify an island on a map and can explain its characteristics, let's provide an opportunity for them to artistically apply their knowledge. Children will create their own island incorporating at least five of the geographical terms found in Geography from A to Z. Children should begin by sketching their design and finalizing the shape of the island and the final locations of the geographical features. Then each feature, surrounding bodies of water, and the island should be named. Once this plan of the island is complete, children can work on their final version of the project, selecting an idea from the table below or suggesting one of their own.

Tracking Movement

As a part of reading The Swiss Family Robinson as a family, track the family's movements, animals encountered, and adventures on a map created from a paper market bag. Cut a market bag apart so that is lies flat. After each reading session, add details to the map. This gives children a visual element to the practice of narration and, over time, will improve their ability to recall details. Older children could create their own versions and compare maps after completing the book.

Copywork

In The Swiss Family Robinson, Father reminds his family to notice God's working in their lives. We also should teach our children to look for God's provision, goodness, and protection throughout our lives. This copywork can be shortened if needed or completed using cursive for additional challenge.

Extensions

The Swiss Family Robinson provides a springboard for further exploration of survival skills, skills that are often lost from one generation to the next. When we teach our children how to build a shelter, find safe water, navigate, forage, and perform basic first aid, we are ensuring the safety of future generations and carrying on the traditions of those who have come before us. Pick a skill or two to practice this summer!

A sensibly sustainable tree house inspired by The Swiss Family Robinson, this multi-level lodging has many interesting features, such as roof gardens, bridges between levels, and an arc which provides shade and a wind-break.

Additional Resources

Footnotes

1. Johann David Wyss - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

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Gertrude Chandler Warner (April 16, 1890 - August 30, 1979), best known for her series The Boxcar Children, had a lifelong dream of becoming an author. Born in Connecticut, this middle child would gift a handwritten book to her grandfather each year for Christmas. Gertrude loved reading and nature studies. She enjoyed her favorite book, Alice in Wonderland, studying and collecting butterflies, moths, and wildflowers, learning about birds, and creating a butterfly garden. A sickly child and young adult, Warner did not finish high school. Gertrude Chandler Warner never married and used much of her time to volunteer for organizations such as the American Red Cross.

The ideas for the adventures that the Boxcar children took came to her while she was recovering from various ailments. Warner would consider what she would like to do as a child, what adventures she would enjoy and also incorporate her love of nature and exploration.

Gertrude Chandler Warner wrote the first 19 books in the Boxcar Children series. Since then, other authors have added nearly one hundred books written in her style to the series. For Warner, quality literature for children needed to include the following characteristics:

• Kindness must be demonstrated to siblings.
• Characters must be respectful and mannerly.
• The diction must be high quality, with complete sentences and no slang used.
• The storyline must include suspense, wholesome entertainment, and adventures. ¹

Enjoyable Works

The Boxcar Children series chronicle the adventures taken by four siblings, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. In the original book, the orphaned Cordyce children (the children's last name is changed to Alden in the updated versions) learn to survive on their own, living in an abandoned train boxcar until they are reunited with their grandfather. Each book within the series is set in a unique location and details a mystery that the children work together to solve. The first 19 books are written by Warner and are easily recommendable. The remainder of the series began to be published in the 1990s and includes things that are common of that time period. Consideration should be given before distributing the rest of the series as independent reading.

#1 The Boxcar Children

Geography

Because of Warner's deep appreciation for nature, and specifically butterflies and moths, children will learn about the migration pattern of three species of butterflies found throughout the world. Click the links below to learn more about each of the following species within the Lepidoptera family. ²

• Monarch butterfly ³
• Caper White butterfly ⁴
• Painted Lady butterfly ^{5, 6}  

Use this map to demonstrate the migration patterns of these types of butterflies.

Extensions

Gertrude enjoyed studying butterflies and even created a garden for them to enjoy. Let's explore God's design for butterflies. Butterflies complete metamorphosis, the process of changing into an adult creature through multiple stages. Butterflies go through four stages:

• egg
• larva (caterpillar)
• pupa (chrysalis)
• adult (butterfly)

An exciting venture to complete is to raise butterflies from caterpillars. Kits are available that include everything needed for this task. Children will be fascinated by the visible changes to the caterpillars as they eat and grow, crawl to the top and form chrysalises, and emerge as butterflies.

To further visualize the stages of metamorphosis, children can select from among the following activities.

1. Metamorphosis playdough mats: children use playdough to make each stage of a butterfly's life cycle. Print and laminate these mats for ease of use.

2. Pasta metamorphosis: children use various types of pasta to illustrate each stage. For example, a small white bean (or piece of barley) could be used to illustrate the first stage (egg); a spiral noodle could illustrate the second stage (larva or caterpillar); a medium-sized shell could illustrate the third stage (pupa or cocoon); and a farfalle noodle could be used to illustrate a butterfly. Dividing a paper plate into quadrants and sketching a twig and leaf in each one provides a place to glue each piece of pasta. Finally, painting the pasta will transform the demonstration into a reference piece.

Finally, children can explore the symmetry found in butterflies through a painting art project. Simply print an outline of a butterfly, fold in half vertically, and paint only one half of the paper. Fold the painted side onto the other side to complete the design.

Additional Resources

A reading checklist of the first nineteen books to check off as each is completed

Gail Gibbons' Monarch Butterfly Workbook

Gail Gibbons Migration book

Footnotes

1. Gertrude Chandler Warner - Wikipedia

2. 3 Incredible Butterfly Migrations - Australian Butterfly Sanctuary (australianbutterflies.com)

3. Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar: Everything You Need to Know - AZ Animals (a-z-animals.com)

4. Belenois java - Wikipedia

5. Vanessa cardui - Wikipedia

6. Painted Lady Butterfly: Identification, Facts, Lifespan, Pictures (butterflyidentification.com)

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"And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power."

1st Corinthians 6:14

He is Risen!

There is a temptation to allow the trials and difficulties that we face in this fallen world to distract us from recognizing the inheritance that we have in Christ Jesus. God is forever merciful though and today He graces us with an opportunity to reflect on His love and to remember the reason that we have hope for the future.

No matter how dark things may become as we traverse the valley of the shadow of death, the light of the Resurrection always breaks forth and renews our hope and faith.

On Good Friday, Christians the world over consider how the weight of our sin was borne by the Lord as He hung upon the cross. He laid down His life willingly for us in order to grant us the gift of salvation by grace.

Yet Christ's salvific work did not end with the crucifixion.

No, today we remember that He Is Risen!

The fact that Christ is no longer in the grave, that He overcame death and was raised up with a glorified body, is the reason that we as Christians have hope for our future. The Bible depicts Christ's Resurrection as the firstfruits. His Resurrection is a prelude to the General Resurrection, which will occur at the last day. Our bodies will be raised up just as His was!

We have hope for the future. Yet, the Resurrection also gives us hope for the present. Colossians 3:1 reminds us that since our life is hidden with Christ in God, we therefore have already been raised with Christ! We can live in the power of the Resurrection here and now!

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:11 (ESV)

God is using Christians, living in Resurrection power, to spread His Kingdom on this earth today. Christ must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. Then at the end, after every other enemy is vanquished, the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Christ gave us a foretaste of that great day when He, as the firstfruits, was raised from the dead.

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.”

1 Corinthians 15:21–27a (ESV)

I pray that God gives us the grace to appreciate the fullness of what it means to be in Christ as we celebrate His Resurrection today. Imagine what would happen in this world if everyone claiming the name of Christ truly laid hold of the promises given to us.

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Bill Martin, Jr. (March 20, 1916 - August 11, 2004), children's author of more than three hundred books, was born and raised in Kansas to a middle-class family of six sons. Martin struggled with reading until college when he began to memorize the poetry his professors read aloud and could finally make the connection between the audible and written words. He earned his doctorate in early childhood education; his primary goal was to unlock this connection for young children by creating memorable literature. Following his doctorate, Martin taught various courses within the English department at high schools in Kansas.

During World War II, he worked as a newspaper editor for the Army Air Force. During this time, Bill Martin, Jr. wrote his first book, The Little Squeegy Bug, which sold more than one million copies after being praised by Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1972, Martin became a full-time writer, focusing on the rhythm of words within children's poetry. In doing so, Martin intended to repeat words and phrases so that children would commit them to memory and be able to find those words on a page and eventually read them. He won dozens of literary awards; the Bill Martin, Jr. Award for Kansas' best children's picture book was created in his honor in the mid 1990s. ¹

Enjoyable Works

Martin's ability to capture children's attention through rhythm and interesting animals has placed the following books among his most well-known and most-enjoyed works.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

Ten Little Caterpillars

Geography

Bill Martin, Jr.'s books highlight animals from around the world and can present a great opportunity to expose your children to coordinate systems used to identify geographical locations.

This activity provides practice in plotting points of latitude and longitude.

Cartographers, astronomers, and navigators, even in ancient times, have sought ways to thoroughly describe locations on the globe in a uniform manner. In the third century B.C., Eratosthenes developed what would be considered the first system of latitude and longitude. However, his beginning line of longitude passed through Alexandria and lines of latitude passed through known cities, meaning that they were not equally spaced and often not straight lines. In the next century, Ptolemy updated this approach to include curved lines to account for the curve of the earth. Although this manner included many errors, the basis for the modern approach of labeling latitude and longitude finds its basis in Ptolemy's method. A basic understanding of latitude and longitude is presented in the following video.  

Copywork

Bill Martin, Jr. expresses his personal understanding of the impact that reading aloud can have on a child in his statement below.

Reading aloud accomplishes so much in helping our children learn to read and become lifelong learners. Even beyond the academic benefits for our children are the connections and memories we can create with our children when reading aloud to them. Pair reading aloud with an activity--having milk and cookies, them folding laundry, reading on a picnic blanket or in a fort with a flashlight--to create memories with your children.

This copywork has two options: copying the quotation or copying animal names. Younger children may enjoy focusing on the animal names, while older children could practice on both pages, first copying the quotation and then selecting animal names to practice using cursive writing.

Extensions

This month's extension gives children practice sorting objects. This pre-math skill is frequently overlooked as families focus on counting and basic calculations. ² Children of all ages benefit from multiple opportunities to practice this skill in a variety of settings. The first group of activities are geared toward the youngest of learners, perhaps up through age five; while the second group is created with slightly older children (ages six through ten) in mind. Each activity can be adapted to a child's ability by optimizing the choice of animals--increasing the number of animals may add some complexity, while reducing the number of animals may make the older activities accessible for younger children.

This link provides the animal cards needed for each activity. Print these animal cards on cardstock and/or laminate them for durability. The sorting mats needed for each activity are provided below; in addition, alternatives are provided in italics. Possible solutions are included at the conclusion of many of the activities.

Youngest Learners (up to age 5)

Assist children as they sort the animal cards by each of the following criteria:

By color

• Color Mats
• Any singular-colored object could be substituted. For example, ask children to place green animals with a green block or black animals on a black plate.
• Some animals may be difficult to sort as they are multi-colored. Depending on your child, these animals could be removed from the activity, placed in their own "many colors" category, or placed in the closest matching color category. For example, a zebra could be placed in the "black" or "white" category, a "many colors" category or removed from the activity.

By where they live (wild, pet, farm)

• Where Animals Live Sort
• A toy farm and a toy house could be substituted for farm animals and pets. Any other container could be used for wild animals, as they are not farm animals or pets.
• Some animals fit multiple categories. This leads to an opportunity for good discussion. Allow children to place animals in the category of their choice if they can accurately support their selection.

By number of legs

• Number of Legs Mat
• Toy animals with 0, 2, 4, or 6 legs could be substituted. For example, ask children to find animals with no legs like a toy snake, two legs like a toy bird, four legs like a toy dog, or six legs like a toy insect.
• This activity would be a good opportunity to discuss God's creative handiwork through symmetry. Animals have an even number of legs; any anomalies are due to the Fall.

By size

• Choose 3-5 animals for children to order by size.
• Including more animals or animals that are similarly sized would extend this activity to older children.
• Particularly with younger children, be sure to select animals that have obvious categories. For example, by selecting the frog, sheep, and hippopotamus, children can more easily classify their sizes.

Memory matching game

• Animal Cards (print twice)
• For the youngest of children, select a few animals and place the matching cards face up to allow children to practice the idea of finding the same animal. This can be extended to include more animals while playing with the cards face up or beginning to play face down. Even the oldest child will be challenged with this game if all thirty pairs of cards are in play.

Middle Learners (ages 6 to 10)

By continent or ocean

• Continent Sort
• Please note that some animals may reside in multiple continents. Students need only place each animal card on one continent or ocean.
• To add a challenge to the activity, ask students to place animals in places where they do not live. After doing the activity once, you may want to remove Antarctica as a choice for where animals do not live.

By number of syllables

• Syllables Mat
• Have younger children clap along to find the syllables within a word. For example, children would clap twice for the two syllables in "pan-da." Two syllable words are easiest for children to recognize.

By type of eater

• Type of Eater
• This activity provides opportunity for children to be introduced to parts of words and how studying their derivation can help us know the meaning of new words. For example, omnivore is comprised of "omni" (all) and "vore" (one who eats or devours), so an omnivore eats all foods. Likewise, herbivore comes from "herb" (plant) and "vore" (one who eats or devours), so an herbivore eats plants. Finally, carnivore comes from "carne" (meat) and "vore" (one who eats or devours), so a carnivore eats meat. Introducing Latin roots such as the ones listed above will expand children's vocabularies quickly.

By alphabetical order

• Select three to five animals to alphabetize by family name, i.e., use "panther" rather than "black panther."
• Increasing the number of animals or selecting animal names that begin with close letters in the alphabet would increase the difficulty of this activity.

By biomes

• Biomes Mat
• Earth is divided into five basic biomes based upon similar climate: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra.
  • Aquatic biomes are either freshwater, such as ponds, rivers, or lakes, or marine, such as the ocean, coral reefs, or estuaries.
  • Grassland biomes are either tropical savannas or more temperate prairies.
  • Forest biomes include tropical, temperate, and taiga or boreal. Boreal forests are found in high altitudes with mostly snow as precipitation.
  • Desert biomes include both hot and cold deserts.
  • Tundra biomes are treeless areas characterized by frigid temperatures.

Additional Resources

DK Encyclopedia of Animals

Children's Atlas of God's World

Footnotes

1. Bill Martin Jr. - Wikipedia

2. EJ1309800.pdf (ed.gov)

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Each month around the author's birthday, we will be publishing an article featuring a children's author that our family enjoys. Although each article will vary somewhat, basic information about the author, our favorite works from the author, a geography activity, copywork page, and a themed activity will be included. These are not intended to be a full study of any author or topic. Rather these should be considered enjoyable, enriching activities that may spark further investigations.

During the month of January, we will focus on Alan A. Milne.

Although most remembered as a children's author, the London-born A.A. Milne (January 18, 1882 - January 31, 1956) received a mathematics degree from Trinity College in Cambridge. By 1906, Milne was working at the Punch, a newspaper in London, where he perfected his humorous poetry and whimsical storytelling. He did serve during World War I as a signaling officer and was discharged following an injury. Upon discharge, Milne focused his efforts on writing and published plays, novels, and poetry for his son, Christopher Robin. A.A. Milne enjoyed this most of all and compiled these works into novels that have been enjoyed for generations. ¹

Enjoyable Works

The following are A. A. Milne's most treasured works. Each is written in a simplistic style with wit and humor infused throughout each tale. These work best as read-alouds, giving parents the ability to edit-on-the-fly; some tales contain mild joking that may not be deemed appropriate by all families.

Winnie the Pooh

Now We Are Six

The House At Pooh Corner

When We Were Very Young

Geography

A. A. Milne spent his life in London, England. England, a part of the United Kingdom approximately the size of Alabama, is surrounded by the North Sea to the east, the Irish Sea to the west, the English Channel to the south, and Scotland to the north. Show your child where these locations are on a map, atlas, or globe.  

Also, see if they can find Ashwood Forest, a forest between London and the English Channel to the south, the basis for the famous Hundred-Acre Wood pictured below.

Conduct a picture study of the map of the Hundred Acre Wood, encouraging your children to look for details, e.g., the different types of trees, the curve of the stream, the labeling of Christopher Robin's favorite places. After thinking about their favorite place (maybe their backyard or their bedroom), have them design a map of the space. This map can be as realistic or whimsical as your children wish. Maybe they include labels such as "the place where I read" or "my experiment area" or "my climbing tree." Encourage them to include various geographical features (hills, rivers, valleys, caves, lagoons, etc). Geography From A to Z: A Picture Glossary by Jack Knowlton is an excellent resource for introducing children to geographical features. Using watercolors to paint their map will make it feel as though it could be found among the pages of A. A. Milne's works.

Copywork

“A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.”
-Eeyore

This copywork, created for middle elementary students, gives children the opportunity to practice handwriting and grammar skills. For younger children, select a phrase or individual words to practice.

Extensions

It pretty much goes without saying that extensions for learning about A. A. Milne would include bees and honey. Today we will study the parts of a bee, how a bee tells other bees about good food sources, and the honeycomb. We'll also create our own honeycomb and practice scissor skills. Finally, book recommendations to further study bees will be provided.

Bees are categorized as either solitary (living in the ground with each smaller group having its own hive) or social (large swarms of bees working together in one hive, making honey, and tending their queen). We'll focus on social bees for these activities.

Parts of a Bee

Because bees are insects, they have three main body parts: the head, the thorax, and abdomen. The head houses the pair of compound eyes, the antennae, and the mouth with a proboscis and mandible. The thorax, the mid-section, is responsible for ensuring mobility and support of the bee; all six legs and two pairs of wings are found on the thorax. Bees gather information about their surroundings using their antennae and the hair that covers their body. Some bees carry pollen in pollen baskets on their hind legs. ²

Communication

Bees communicate with those in their hive to share the location of food (nectar and pollen) through a sort of bee dance.

If a bee...

• moves in a circle, other bees know that the flower is nearby.
• displays wagging movements, other bees know that the flower is far away.
• moves straight, right or left, other bees will know the direction that the flower is in. ³

Your turn! Display bee communication cards and have your children select an object around your house. Then have your child use bee dance moves and see if the others watching can arrive at the correct object.  

Construction

Social bees construct their own hives and hexagonal honeycombs. Children can read more about hives, honeycombs, and honey in The Life and Times of the Honeybee by Charles Micucci.

Supplies:

• paint (light brown or orange would work well)
• an empty paper towel (or toilet paper) roll
• scissors
• yellow construction paper

To explore the shape of a honeycomb, slice a thin strip from an empty paper towel roll, bend it slightly (to approximate a hexagon) and stamp the shape repeatedly onto yellow construction paper, making sure that one side of the new stamp is touching the previous stamps. Children could sketch bees or use their thumb (and add black stripes) to stamp a bee.

Flight Pattern

A bee's flight makes good scissor cutting practice. Various abilities are included in this activity.

Additional Resources

We hope that you and your family enjoy these books and activities. Check back for the next featured author and a sweet recipe involving snow.

Keep loving your blessings and pointing them to Jesus!

Footnotes

1. A.A. Milne | British author | Britannica

2. Bee Identification | Common Bee Types (beeswiki.com)

3. Ibid.

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