BJU Press Blog

Meredith

Christmas Books to Read and Treasure

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Christmas books
It’s Christmas week. Mom comes to find me, her hands clasped around something behind her back. The gift is often wrapped, but whether it is or not, she usually makes me close my eyes, adding to the suspense. Except it’s not a complete surprise—I know what’s coming, but not because I’ve gone around looking for my presents like some of your kids do. This special just-before-Christmas gift has become a tradition in our family.

What is this gift? You can probably guess by the title of my post, and if you’re thinking “a book,” you’re right. More specifically, it is a Christmas book.

Christmas books come in all shapes, sizes, and genres. Some are beautifully illustrated with poetic words that are great for reading aloud; others require imagination to see the delightful story. Among my favorites are illustrated retellings of the original Christmas story.

In hopes that your family might be inspired to create a new tradition, here are some Christmas books that are favorites for Mom and me:

“The Quiet Little Woman” by Louisa May Alcott

The touching story of a young orphan girl who longs for friendship, love, and belonging, this short story can be read in one sitting, but if you do a read-aloud session, I’d recommend sharing the reading between a couple of participants. Mom and I prefer reading every other page so that we can both enjoy viewing the illustrations in our copy. Read reviews on Goodreads.

Benjamin’s Sling by Eileen Berry

My autographed copy of this Christmas picture book actually traveled home with me one Christmas break. When I found out that Mom had gotten her sister to wrap the book and ask me to transport it home, I had a good laugh! This retelling of the nativity is told through the eyes of a shepherd boy and is written in poetic form. Buy the book.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Christmases past, present, and future are reflected on in this classic novel, and Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge is brought face-to-face with the effects of his actions. You have probably seen different film versions, as I have; but the book is almost always better! Download the free eBook from Amazon.

“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry

Your teens could get caught up in the mushy love of a young couple secretly planning gifts for each other, but don’t let them miss this story’s deeper message. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. Read reviews on Goodreads.

The Secret Santa of Olde Stonington by Mark Kimball Moulton

A native New-Englander, Mom taught me to love this story with its poetic flow and impressionistic-like illustrations. The title might give the impression that the book is about Santa Claus, but don’t worry.  It’s a good read-aloud book that tells how an old man tries to meet the needs of others in a small seaport village in the 1700s. Read a review on Goodreads.

Christmas Crossroads by Elizabeth Raum

What path would your child takes on the way to visit Jesus on the very first Christmas? This novel for seven- to nine-year-olds lets readers choose the actions of one of three children who are traveling for that very purpose. Each decision point brings a twist in the plot and a new adventure and provides a unique way for kids to imagine what the first Christmas would have been like for someone their age. Buy the book.

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

My grandmother introduced me to this Christmas book, but Mom and I have also enjoyed it together. One dark night a new tradesman comes to town. The local children have a secret wish for the kind of business they hope he’ll open—a candy store. Woven into this imaginary story is the significance behind the candy cane’s shape and colors. It’s a fun story to end with a sweet treat! Read reviews on Goodreads.

Chickadee Winter by Dawn L. Watkins

A favorite author from my childhood, Dawn Watkins skillfully communicates the essence of childhood dreams, memories, and concerns in this classic story. It recounts young Jack’s homesickness during the Christmas season and the special role his grandfather plays in making new memories. Buy the book.

What Christmas books would you add to this list?

10 Exciting Summer Activities for Homeschool Families

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All right, admit it. Not all summer vacations are created equal.

Perhaps you remember figuring this out as a child when the neighbor kid returned from a mega theme park. After telling lots of cool stories, he asked where you were going on vacation that year. And somehow the idea of a weekend camping trip lost a little of its luster when compared to the excitement of the fast rides and thrills of a theme park.

The hard part for a child to learn is that it doesn’t matter so much where you have an adventure as much as who you have the adventure with! Some of the best childhood memories can spring from times when family members have little but each other. All it takes is a bit of imagination, resourcefulness, and creativity.

If your family—like most—just can’t seem to coordinate time and finances long enough to pull off a flashy vacation, don’t give up! For the family determined to have a good time together and make fun memories, there’s no need to even leave town.

Try these fun ideas for an unforgettable summer:

  • Go on a photo scavenger hunt with the whole family. Make a list of cool and wacky items to find around town—a statue of a lion, an ice cream shop, a blue kite, and such—and take fun family pictures with each item. To provide more of a challenge, set yourselves a time limit or divide the family into two teams. Maybe your town has something like Greenville’s Mice on Main©.
  • Instead of going to the city pool or recreation center, find out whether there are any natural or manmade lakes or reservoirs in your area and if they’re open to the public. See whether you can find any information on how they were made, and then turn that into a summer field trip—with a picnic and an afternoon of swimming to finish up. If there are several, try to visit each lake or reservoir over summer break, and have the family rate them as to which ones were the best.
  • If you have very little ones, a summer camping trip may seem like too much of a hassle. But camping out in the backyard is certainly doable! Set up a tent (borrow one from a friend if you need to) and roll out sleeping bags for the whole family. Then, stoke the fire for dinner and some storytelling! (Depending on local ordinances, you may need to use a deck fire pit instead of building a fire directly on the ground.) A dinner of roasted hotdogs and toasted marshmallows will fill tummies nicely, and campfire songs and exciting stories told around the fire will make for a wonderful and memorable evening.
  • Have each of your children set a goal for the summer break. It can be any kind of a goal—frivolous (“I’m going to make my brother laugh every day”), practical (“Learn to ride a bicycle”), or slightly outlandish (“I’m going to touch my nose with my tongue”)—just so long as it’s the goal that child wants to pursue. Then have them chart their progress—they might have to get creative in how they measure it—as the weeks go by so that they can see how far they’ve come over the summer.
  • Join a summer reading program, but don’t just do it just for the children. Get everyone involved and track how many pages the entire family reads over the course of the summer. The program prizes will provide children with motivation to read, but you can spice it up even more by throwing in your own incentives for siblings who help each other reach their goals by reading out loud. Find some great books to read in these posts.
  • Invite friends over for a halfway Christmas party—play Christmas music, drink frozen hot chocolate (you can find great recipes online), do a white elephant gift exchange, go caroling in your neighborhood, and have a contest to see who can perform the best wacky summer skit version of Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol.
  • Plan a family theme day. As a family, decide on a theme—pirates or a favorite children’s story, like Secret Garden or Alice in Wonderland—and a specific day to celebrate it. Then brainstorm about decorations, food (there are lots of themed party recipes online), activities, costumes, and props—even what accents you’ll use. Make sure everyone is involved in the preparation and can contribute to the adventure.
  • Hold game tournaments. Incorporate board games, electronic games, and physical games to challenge the skills of family members in different arenas. You may even want to purchase a brand new board game that appeals to the whole family. Learn how to play it and then include it in your tournament matches.
  • Choose a skill that interests the whole family—maybe rock-climbing—and take lessons together throughout the summer. Not only will you be equipping your children with another skill but you will also be doing it in a way that provides quality family time.
  • Pile into the family car and try to get lost in your city! If you’ve lived there a long time, it might be a little difficult, but there are countless roads that will surprise you with the interesting things they hide. Stop at places that look interesting. Also, this is a great opportunity to help your children learn how to follow a map. Let one child be the navigator and trace your route on the map. Then have him practice giving directions accordingly. Alternatively, each child can chart a route on an individual map before leaving home and then take turns following the route as navigator.

The potential for summer fun is practically limitless. Learning can happen in the most surprising places and at unexpected times. And wonderful memories can be created without ever leaving town. All you need is a good imagination, a spirit of adventure, and some dedicated family time. So set the cell phones aside, turn off the TV, log off the computer/tablet, and go have some summer fun your family will never forget!

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What Benefits Does BJU Press Spanish Offer Homeschool Families?

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Most of us took some time in high school or college to study a foreign language. For me, the only option available in high school was Spanish. So I took my required foreign language courses—all three of them.

By college, my understanding of the Spanish language helped me test out of first semester Spanish. And truth be told, my textbook from second semester was full of tic-tac-toe and other word games. But my final grade proved I already knew that material too.

I’d like to share how the BJU Press secondary Spanish curriculum contributed to my success as a language learner because I know it can give your junior high or high school student a solid foundation in the Spanish language too.

3 Benefits of BJU Press Spanish

The courses focus on developing communication skills, but they don’t neglect the vocabulary and grammar skills that make clear communication possible. By emphasizing clear communication, the curriculum seeks to prepare your son or daughter to share the gospel with Hispanics in their own language. And to do that effectively requires mastery of both the words and the syntax.

Vocabulary

Your teen is introduced to everyday words in groups by focusing on specific contexts, for example family relationships, talking on the phone, or cultural events. The words are seen on paper (usually with an illustration) and heard on the included recordings. Opportunities for students to listen to and model their pronunciation after native Spanish speakers come in the CD sets included with the subject kits. Also included in the back of the student text are reference tables and a glossary. These pages provide additional help for vocabulary words such as the calendar months, numbers, and the gender of a specific word (masculine, feminine, or neuter).

Grammar

A high school student who becomes familiar with the new words and sounds can also begin to understand Spanish grammar. The verbs are covered in depth since they must agree with other parts of speech, especially the nouns and pronouns.

Each lesson in the student text presents key verbs and other parts of speech for your child to learn. Examples of grammar concepts are given in the context of how they should be used. The student activities manual includes more oral and written exercises for your high school student to apply what he or she is learning. And all the correct answers are provided too!

When I began to learn the structure of Spanish, my understanding of English was also strengthened. How everything works together became clearer. Your high school student will probably have a similar experience—and maybe his or her English grade will go up!

Learning clear communication (vocabulary and grammar) allows your high school student to see the structure of the Spanish language and understand it. It also engages your child in critical thinking because the curriculum provides a grid to use in choosing the best part of speech by understanding the proper tense and gender. But there’s also a third unique benefit to BJU Press Spanish curriculum.

Video Lessons

If you have any hesitation about teaching your teen Spanish, it will probably ease your mind to know that someone else is available to teach these lessons. BJU Press offers Spanish video lessons that your high school student can use. Our Distance Learning teachers are fluent Spanish speakers, but they also speak in English so that the student doesn’t become frustrated during the lessons. The video sessions are around thirty minutes in length, and each course lasts a whole school year. Meet Mrs. Kuhlewind, our newest Spanish teacher.

Today it amazes me the words and conversations I can recall and understand when I happen to hear something in this beautiful language. Much of that understanding can be attributed to the thorough education I received using the BJU Press Spanish curriculum. My belief is that it can benefit your high school student the same way it did me.

English 2: Developing Young Writers

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Writing has always been one of my favorite things to do. My mother would transcribe oral stories I retold as a preschooler. (It’s true! You can read about it here.) Then when I was in the elementary grades, we would “publish” a book each year as a compilation of all my homeschool writing projects. I loved sharing my stories, haikus, and book reports with adults. It made me feel important when they would comment on my work.

Now when I learn about a new language arts textbook that teaches children why writing is valuable and shows them how to do it successfully, I get pretty excited! The new edition of English 2 is one such textbook. It brings together both the writing and grammar elements that your child needs to be an effective communicator for God’s glory. Included in the English 2 Subject Kit are the following pieces.

 

Student Worktext

The strength of this student worktext is in its alternating chapters of grammar and writing instruction. You can read more about how the BJU Press elementary English curriculum builds a solid foundation with this approach. There’s also a strong biblical worldview connection between understanding what God communicates through language and how your child can use this gift to serve God and love others.

It appeals to visual learners with the cheerful colors, consistent icons, and engaging activities that prompt critical thinking. The illustrations are done by some of my favorite in-house artists and capture interest on each page.

The student worktext also provides hands-on learners with writing project examples to use as models and grammar exercise pages to practice new skills.

You can get a more detailed look at the grammar and writing chapters when you watch my English 2 walkthrough video.

Grammar focus: These chapters develop critical thinking skills as new concepts are introduced and applied in exercises. Each chapter follows the same model: learn, apply, and review. Also included are journal pages where your child has the opportunity to do some free writing without the constraints of a specific project and without receiving a grade.

Writing projects: These chapters come in between the grammar ones so that your child is prepared to use correct grammar needed for his projects. We introduce literature links to some published works as real-life examples. The five-step writing process and sample writings provide a framework to follow so that your child knows the step-by-step process for completing his goal—whether it’s a poem, personal narrative, letter, or research report.

Teacher’s Edition

This book takes your child’s learning to another level while simplifying your life at the same time! It shows materials needed for each lesson, provides questions and prompts to engage your child, and gives you all the answers for each student worktext page in one easy-to-find location—right within the reduced student pages for the corresponding lesson. View the teaching resources and Chapter 1 of the English 2 Teacher’s Edition.

Tests and Answer Keys

These two pieces provide the assessments your child takes to gauge his understanding of the concepts being taught as well as the correct answers for you to measure your child’s comprehension. They also offer you suggestions for grading.

Explore all the BJU Press English and Writing & Grammar subject kits on our website.

Our Distance Learning Teachers Have Quite the Character

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There wouldn’t be Distance Learning daily video lessons without our teachers. They’re the ones who generate the excitement, script the lessons, and bravely face the camera on recording days. How would you like to do all that? I didn’t think so—me either.

Sometimes because of all the seriousness of recording lessons, you only get to experience one side of these teachers’ multi-faceted personalities. So without further ado, let’s view a “different” side of three of our Distance Learning teachers.

Miss Jessica Ingersoll

As an elementary Distance Learning teacher, Miss Ingersoll enjoys many things, and near the top of the list is being your child’s teacher. Watch “Meet Our New Teacher” for some fun facts about Miss Ingersoll. See what similarities your child can relate to. You can view a sample daily video lesson for her courses at the links below.

Mr. Bill Harmon

As a secondary Distance Learning teacher, Mr. Harmon tackles the subjects your child (and you) might find difficult. His unique approach creates memories your family will never forget. Watch “Experiencing Chemistry with Dry Ice” for a sample of how he conducts scientific experiments on camera. And yes, in case you’re wondering, he’s this crazy off camera too! Take a look for yourself by viewing a sample daily video lesson for each of his courses at the links below.

Mrs. Debbie Overly & Distance Learning Families

Elementary Distance Learning teacher Mrs. Overly shares a funny anecdote about an early filming experience in “Homeschool Families Share About Distance Learning,” an interview style video from a homeschool convention. You’ll also hear from other homeschool parents and students about their experience with Distance Learning video lessons. Mrs. Overly is well known and loved by her students. She includes many demonstrations and hands-on activities in her daily video lessons to help your child learn. View a sample daily video lesson from each of her courses at the links below.

Your family has the opportunity to meet several different Distance Learning teachers and attend their workshop sessions at homeschool conventions this year. Follow our BJU Press Homeschool Facebook page for announcements about where the teachers will be, and sign up for our customer appreciation events.