Family

Family
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Read Aloud

Do you read to your children?   Do you share great stories of adventure?  Do you read stories to your children that encourage them to live lives that glorify God?  Do you read the Bible to your children?

Reading aloud to my children is  a big part of our day.  I generally have a historical fiction and a biography that I am reading to the children in addition to our daily chapter in Proverbs and Psalms.  Caedmon and Jackson get extra time as we snuggle on the couch to read picture books together.

I found this sweet poem that depicts a child's view of what happens when mother reads aloud and thought I would share with you today.  If you are not reading aloud to your children I encourage you to do so.  I have so many precious memories of time spent with my children and a good book.

When Mother Reads Aloud
  Anonymous


When Mother reads aloud, the past
     Seems real as every day;
I hear the tramp of armies vast,
I see the spears and lances cast,
     I join the trilling fray;
Brave knights and ladies fair and proud
I meet when Mother reads aloud.


When Mother reads aloud, far lands
     Seem very near and true;
I cross the desert's gleaming sands,
Or hunt the jungle's prowling bands,
     Or sail the ocean blue.
Far heights, whose peaks the cold mists shroud,
I scale, when Mother reads aloud.


When Mother reads aloud, I long
     for noble deeds to do--
To help the right, redress the wrong;
It seems so easy to be strong,
     So simple to be true.
Oh, thick and fast the visions crowd
My eyes, when Mother reads aloud.
     


Now the little boys have removed the cushions from the couch and are preparing a nice, cozy spot on the floor for our time of reading together.  Grab a book and join us!!  Do you have a favorite book that you have shared with your children?  A book that has inspired you?  A book that has blessed your family?  I would love to hear about it!!









Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Movies, Anyone?

Last year we decided to join Netflix to get movies for our family viewing.  This has been almost addictive for us, but we have really enjoyed seeing some wonderful movies that we had never heard of before.  We have watched some of our old favorites like Follow Me, Boys and Johnny Tremain.  We have spent many evenings enjoying Jane Austen's books brought to life in many different versions.  We have found a new British favorite series called Cranford which is simply delightful!!  We LOVED the HBO series John Adams which stayed so true to McCullough's book of the same title.

One of the neat things about Netflix is that as you return movies (via prepaid envelope) you get an email asking you for a review.  The more movies you review the better Netflix understands what type of movies you enjoy and sends you listings of movies that you might enjoy based on your ratings.  Ingenious!!

A couple of our favorite movies that were recommended by Netflix were Gifted Hands:  The Ben Carson Story and The Greatest Game Ever Played.    Gifted Hands is the incredible story of a young black man raised by a single mother.  He has a difficult time growing up, but due to his mother's strength and integrity and God's blessings upon his life he becomes a pediatric neurologist who saves many lives.  He becomes world known in his field, but gives God all the glory.  I have seen the book that this movie is based on in the CBD catalog for many years.  This was truly an inspiring movie.

The Greatest Game Ever Played is about a  young amateur golfer who learned the game of golf by caddying at the golf course across from his home.  He comes from a poor immigrant family and is thrown into the "golf club" culture where he is slighted.  He overcomes tremendous odds to win a big golf tournament.  This was a wonderful story that really intrigued some of my children.  Like a good living book it enticed them to "do" something with what they had learned.  One day Aaron mowed our front lawn very short, got the post-hole digger out and made a one-hole golf course.  As there are no golfers in our home, he, Jackson and Kaelan gathered plastic baseball bats and balls and put them in a bucket.  A tomato stake with a red bandana on it became the flag.  Aaron was the golfer, Kaelan with a small clipboard and pencil was the score keeper and Jackson, carrying the bucket of bats and balls was the caddy.   They had several days of fun "playing" golf on our new golf course.

Books have always been a way to teach and inspire my children.  Now, with the selections that we can find at Netflix, movies are teaching and inspiring them as well.
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