BJU Press Blog

Guest Writer

This post was written by a guest writer for BJU Press. If you have any questions regarding this post, please direct them to [email protected].

Tips for Family Fun Night

by

ideas for family fun night
Does your family need a change from the everyday routine? Does it seem like everyone is off by themselves absorbed in their own interests? Do you see your children draped across the furniture, their expressions glazed with boredom?  Time to plan a family night! These are great opportunities to bond as a family, have fun, and build stronger relationships with each other. It can be challenging to spend quality time together, especially when one or both parents works outside the home and have only the evenings and weekends with the rest of the family. But with some forethought and planning, you can schedule an evening full of memory-making activities your entire family can enjoy. Here are a few ideas to get you started as you plan your next family fun night.

Game Time

One of the best activities you can share as a family is playing games together. Even the very young can play simple ones such as Old Maid or Go Fish. With so wide a variety of card and board games available, your family can enjoy hours of fun interaction. Plan a start time, pop some popcorn, and clear the table for games—and put the phones away. You don’t have to be limited to the card and board versions, either; try some tried-and-true classics like charades, doggy doggy where’s your bone, blindman’s bluff, or hide and seek. Or, get creative and make your own board game!

Movie Night

Another easy amusement is watching a movie together. This is something we do with our daughters every so often, and they always get excited about it. After the movie is chosen, the girls change into their pajamas and grab their “snuggle essentials,” like their blankets and stuffed animals. I let them pick a special snack to munch on during the movie, and then we all cuddle up together and start the film.

The More the Merrier

You could also consider inviting another family to join yours for the evening. This is a wonderful way to reach out to families who may be struggling spiritually or who simply need some encouraging fellowship. Plan simple snack foods and several different games everyone can play; set out a puzzle for people to work on; prepare a few easy crafts for little ones to make. Or you could go somewhere nearby for an activity such as bowling or skating. This past Christmas we went over to some friends’ home for dinner, and then we all piled into their van to tour a local Christmas lights display. It was something simple, but we all had a very enjoyable time together and made some special memories with our friends.

Pick a Theme—Any Theme

One more suggestion is to plan a theme night and implement it in food, games, and other activities. For example, some friends of ours recently had “Grinch Night” with their family and wore Grinch-themed clothes, ate Grinch food, and watched the Grinch movie.

Whatever you choose for your next family night, make the most of your extra time together!

• • • • •

Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

Scripture for Discouraging Times

by

Scripture for Discouraging Times
The holidays are over, school is back in session, and you’re only halfway through the school year. So you may be feeling a little down in the dumps the first week into the new year. Maybe your children are lagging behind in some of their subjects. Maybe you’re struggling with managing your school schedule. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed and stressed with everything going on in your family. Or you may be just plain worn out and tired! Whatever the case, we all face discouraging days. Platitudes such as “Hang in there,” “This too shall pass,” and “Everything will work out in the end” sound nice but fail to provide any real encouragement in the end. Only God’s Word can give us the consolation we need when we feel downcast.

Hope for Discouraging Times

I would like to share some of my favorite Scriptures—ones that I turn to whenever I face discouragement.

Psalm 61:2 “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Psalm 94:17–19 “Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.”

Psalm 121:1–2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”

More Encouragement

If you’re feeling physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually drained, 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 is an excellent passage to meditate on:

“He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

What a beautiful paradox that the weaker we are, the more powerful Christ becomes in us!

Perhaps you’re tempted to believe you have failed as a parent. Even though you’ve disciplined, exhorted, encouraged, and prayed for your children, it seems as though nothing is getting through to them and you’re not seeing any visible changes in their lives. Galatians 6:9 is a verse I have turned to many times when I have felt this way:

“Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

We can confidently claim the promises of God’s Word because we know He is true and faithful and will always keep His promises. Our circumstances or children may not change right away, but our attitude will; and then God will be able to work in our hearts and change us. The next time discouragement attacks your soul, combat it with Scripture.

“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).

• • • • •

Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

Twelve Days of Christmas Writing Activity

by

Christmas writing activity
If you enjoyed the Twelve Days of Thanksgiving activity Rebecca posted, you may also enjoy this Christmas writing activity! Encourage your children to keep a journal entitled “Twelve Days of Christmas Meditations.” The idea is for them to write about a different topic each day, reflecting on God’s goodness in all the different gifts He has given us. Ultimately, these reflections should lead them to our most precious gift, His Son who laid down His life for us. Feel free to use these topic suggestions or come up with your own; the possibilities are endless! You can even use this printable visual as a writing prompt for each day.

“On the twelfth day of Christmas, my Lord God gave to me . . . ”

One Only Begotten Son

What better way to start this journal than by thanking God for His unspeakable gift, our Lord Jesus Christ? Find some prophecies about Him in the Old Testament and how they were fulfilled in the New Testament.

Two Testaments

We can also praise God for giving us His complete and perfect Word. Explain how Jesus is the central theme in both the Old and New Testaments.

Three Talents

God has graciously given us different skills and abilities. Choose three talents the Lord has blessed you with, and write how you can use them for His glory.

Four Glad Seasons

Write about your favorite aspects of each season of the year and how each one points us to our Creator.

Five Bible Servants

List your choices for the top five individuals in Scripture, and explain why they are your favorites.

Six Precious Verses

Write out six Bible verses that have special meaning to you. If you just can’t limit yourself to six, feel free to list more!

Seven Special Creatures

Praise the Lord today for seven of His most unique mammals, insects, birds, fish, reptiles, or amphibians—any creature you find amazing or interesting. Again, you don’t have to choose just seven!

Eight Promises Given

Write down eight of God’s precious promises given to us in His Word.

Nine Faithful Heroes

Make a list of nine people who have made an impact for Christ and on your life as well. Write a short explanation of why you included each one. They can be missionaries, evangelists, pastors, or anyone else who has affected your life either in the past or in the present.

Ten Fingers and Toes

Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.” Spend some time in your journal today praising God for how He created your body and reflect on how you can use it to serve and glorify Him.

Eleven Carols Ringing

So many carols, so little time! Write down eleven Christmas carols you enjoy singing at this time of year; see if you can find some “new” old ones you’ve never heard before and try to learn them with your family.

Twelve Favorite Things

God has so richly blessed us with all kinds of things! List a dozen of your favorites, and spend some time thanking the Lord for them. Examples include a favorite toy, book, stuffed animal, souvenir, food, article of clothing, and so on.

As your children work on their journals, encourage them to think of ways they can give back to their good and gracious Giver.

• • • • •

Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

4 Christmas Science Projects for Your Homeschool

by

candycanes for Christmas science
As Christmas approaches, your kids are probably getting more excited about the holidays and less enthusiastic about school. Why not combine science learning with a holiday theme? Explore these four exciting Christmas science projects for your homeschool.

Christmas Slime

If you haven’t made slime with your kids yet, consider trying this homeschool science experiment around the holidays. There’s nothing quite like the amazement on a kid’s face when a simple combination of glue, borax, and warm water turns into the perfect play material. To add a Christmassy (or Christmessy) touch, use sparkly green or sparkly red glue.

As you create the slime, talk about the elements necessary for the project and explain the chemical reaction that’s involved. You can explain the nature of the polymer molecules in the glue, and how the borax in water results in borate ions that connect to those polymers, changing their behavior.

Festive Cranberries in Soda

What makes soda bubbly? What happens when a small dense object is dropped into a liquid filled with carbon dioxide bubbles? Pour a glass of Sprite®, carbonated water, or another clear carbonated beverage. Next, drop in a few cranberries.

Since they’re dense, the cranberries sink at first. But watch as the carbon dioxide bubbles collect around the cranberries and carry them up to the top! As those bubbles pop, the cranberries will sink again, and the process will repeat continuously. This homeschool science experiment should keep your kids fascinated for a while, and you’ll get the opportunity to talk about buoyancy, density, and the properties of carbon dioxide.

 Dissolving Candy Canes

How do different liquids affect the state of a solid—in this instance, a candy cane? Fill four clear jars about halfway with different liquids—one with cold water, one with hot water, one with cooking oil, and one with vinegar. Ask your kids to make scientific predictions about what might happen to a candy cane when it’s left in one of the jars. Have them measure the candy canes before you begin.

As the kids place a candy cane in each jar, set a stopwatch to time the dissolving process. Have your children observe and make notes. Which liquid dissolves a candy cane the fastest? Which one is slowest? How long does it take before the candy cane is completely gone? What happens to the liquids in the jars?

The candy cane dissolving process fascinates kids of any age. If you have preschoolers who shouldn’t be around the hot water and other liquids, make them their own sensory toy using a clear plastic bottle filled with water and chunks of candy cane, with a tightly closed lid. They’ll enjoy shaking it around and making their own observations.

What other kinds of Christmas candy can you use to change up this Christmas science experiment? Does shaking the jars make the process any faster? Allow your kids to question, observe, and practice the scientific method as long as they want with this activity.

States of Matter with Chocolate and Crayons

Once you’re done dissolving candy canes, you can go on to experiment with the states of matter of your Christmas chocolates. Simply fill sandwich bags with chocolate pieces and have your children hold them and try to melt the chocolate with their hands alone. How long does it take? Do the same with crayons. Do they melt? Once you’re done with the chocolate and crayons, you can turn them into fun shapes or make ornaments!

For more Christmas science experiments for your homeschool, check out Pinterest or your favorite homeschool blogs. You can try the ice and salt melting experiment, fizzing candy canes, or the foaming snowman. As you blend science with elements of Christmas, you can remind your children of just how amazing God’s creation is, and how Christ’s birth was part of His great plan to redeem it.

• • • • •

Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Why Be Thankful?

by

be thankful
“Thank you” are two of the first words we parents teach our children to say. Even before our daughters could talk, we taught them the sign for “thank you” in sign language. It’s important to train our children to express gratitude for the things they receive. But it’s also equally vital to teach them why we should be thankful because it’s more than just a matter of using good manners. If we can lay a biblical foundation for thankfulness while they’re young, we will help them develop a habit of gratitude for the rest of their lives.

A Few Reasons to Be Thankful

So why should we be thankful, and why should we teach our children to be thankful? Here are just a few reasons—by no means is this an exhaustive list.

  1. God commands it. Several times throughout Scripture the Lord instructs us to give thanks, and of course whenever He gives us a command, we should obey because we love Him (Psalm 50:14; 105:1; 107:8; Colossians 1:3; 2:7; 3:17; 4:2).
  2. Gratitude is God’s will for us. Probably 1 Thessalonians 5:18 immediately comes to mind: “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Many Christians want to know God’s will for their lives, and He tells us some very specific things that are always His will for us. Gratitude is one of them. God makes it very clear that thankfulness is always His will for our lives, no matter what our circumstances.
  3. Gratitude is evidence of the Holy Spirit indwelling us. It’s one of the marks of a true believer. If we profess salvation in Jesus Christ, our lives will be characterized by a thankful attitude. When we submit ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit, He produces the fruit of gratefulness in our lives (Galatians 5:22).
  4. Gratitude is a choice. Our children need to learn that they can choose to give thanks even when they don’t feel like it. As parents, we must learn this ourselves so we can teach them to follow our example. How often do we find ourselves complaining? Do we give God praise only when things go our way? Do we thank Him for trials as well as blessings? These are a few important questions to ask ourselves as we strive to help our children learn true biblical thankfulness.

No Thanks

Our Christian character cannot be complete without thankfulness. Faith apart from gratitude becomes empty and powerless. Love apart from gratitude will disintegrate under adversity and discouragement. Sacrificial giving apart from gratitude will sour into resentment. A British pastor, John Henry Jowett, once said, “Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.” In short, we can’t be the Christians God wants us to be without it! Now is the time to cultivate gratitude in our families so we can grow “unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

• • • • •

Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.