BJU Press Blog

Overwhelmed

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notes and magnets on a fridgeIt was one of those days. It wasn’t even ten o’clock in the morning, and I’d already had to mop a flooded laundry room, clean up bright blue paint that spilled during my kindergartner’s art project, sweep up the contents of the box of cereal that my toddler had spilled all over the kitchen floor in her attempt to help herself to a snack, and gather items from my recycling bin that had been strewn all over the first floor of my house.

I contemplated whether I should lock myself in the bathroom (the only way to obtain any privacy) and have a good cry or put my children back to bed and try to start the day over. I ended up choosing a third option—I loaded my children into their red wagon and headed to a nearby playground. There’s only so much they can do to damage the great outdoors. And I could momentarily ignore the fact that my house looked like a disaster zone.

As I sat on the park bench watching my children happily burn off energy and cover themselves in sand, I thought about a lot of things. About why my house never looked as spotless and organized as the houses featured in the monthly magazines I subscribe to. About why I never seemed to have time to make those cute owl cookies I saw on Pinterest. About how my toddler still wasn’t potty trained although most of her peers were. About how much I needed a vacation—or even a nap.

It’s moments like these that help me realize how much I need help—not a cleaning service or a babysitter or a caterer but Divine help. I desperately need the strength and grace that only God can give. I need the mind-renewal that only comes from reading His words. I need His help to view my children not as vandals or interrupters but as image-bearers that need my nurturing more than they need cute owl cookies or a perfectly organized playroom. They need God.  I need God—I cannot get through my day without Him.

Yet in the busyness of life with little people, it can be hard to focus on heavenly things. Children surprise you—sometimes getting up early and interrupting the time you set aside for Bible reading and prayer; sometimes keeping you awake at night so you struggle staying alert the next day. Even after a wonderful time with the Lord, circumstances continually fight for our attention. We can get so consumed with cleaning up messes and directing activities that we can easily go through an entire day without reflecting on God at all.

So when you are feeling overwhelmed, run to your Savior. Ask Him for wisdom, for strength, for help to make it through the next hour or even the next two minutes. Psalm 46:1 assures us that He “is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” He is all we need.

Welcome to October!

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Welcome to October! A wonderful month characterized by cooler weather, remembering important discoveries, and (for me) family celebrations. This tenth month of the year brings joy and happiness in so many little ways. But I have to admit there’s also something about this month that I always found puzzling—its name.

Have you ever wondered what the word October means?

Curiosity finally got the better of me, so I looked up the meaning. Names are important because they can describe a person, give insight into the meaning behind a concept, and provide understanding of a place or thing. The word October is no exception. The etymology of the word is Latin.

Its prefix, octo, means eight.

Other words that use the prefix octo are octopus (eight tentacles), octagon (eight sides), and octave (eight notes). But remember, October is the tenth month of the year. So where’s the connection with the number eight?

image of a desk calendar opened to October 1

The meaning of October relates to the Roman calendar.

The ancient Roman calendar, a lunar calendar, only has ten months in a year. As its name suggests, October was the eighth month in that calendar. However, over time the Roman calendar was replaced by the Julian calendar; and then later the Gregorian calendar—which is what we still use today. The current system is a solar calendar of twelve months. That’s right—October now finds its place as the tenth month in the Gregorian calendar despite the meaning of its name.

Curious about the third syllable in the word Oc•to•ber?

According to Dictionary.com, the ending “is probably from -bris, an adjectival suffix.” This explanation also ties back to the Roman calendar. It’s believed that the first several months of the calendar were named according to the agricultural seasons, but the rest of the months were simply named according to their corresponding number placement in the Roman calendar.¹ So October is not the only month whose name reveals its placement in the Roman calendar—September (seventh month), November (ninth month) and December (tenth month) do too. Now isn’t that neat!

What do you enjoy most about the month of October?

¹ december. Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/december (accessed: September 28, 2013).

September Is for Reading Books and Hugging Grandparents

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I love to read. It’s one of my favorite things to do—that and spending time with family, like my grandparents. What could be better than an afternoon spent with a book or a beloved grandparent? Because both of those are important to me, I was excited to see that September celebrates them. In addition to being Read-A-New-Book Month, September is also the time to celebrate National Grandparents’ Day! Need a little inspiration to celebrate these holidays? Keep reading for some ideas.

image of a stack of novels

As an educator, you can use books for just about anything. If it’s a rainy day, let a few students choose a favorite book to read aloud to the class. Or when your class seems to need some quiet time, have the students read silently at their own desks or in a specially designated spot in the classroom. One of my favorite things when I was in school was the teacher reading to us. It was usually a book I hadn’t read, so with my teacher’s help I was reading a new book. And discovering new favorite stories!

But how you can you and your students celebrate grandparents? Since grandmothers and grandfathers treasure just about anything their grandchildren give them (aside from empty candy wrappers), it’s great to make something that they can keep in a scrapbook or photo album. You could have your students write about a favorite thing that they’ve done with a grandparent—like picking apples. They can also write down stories that their grandparents have told or draw pictures to illustrate them. Give your students some nice paper (construction  paper or cardstock) and maybe even stickers or stamps to dress up their work. Then invite them deliver their masterpieces to their grandparents. (You might want to send along some tissues in case their grandparents tear up.)

Are you excited about September? I sure am! I hope that you have a happy month and enjoy the beginning of autumn.

Loving the vivid fall colors,
Carolynn

What are you looking forward to this month?

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August activities

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August is here, and, for many of you, that means the beginning of a new school year is fast approaching. Although you might not be teaching yet, here are a few August-related ideas that you can use in your classroom throughout the year.

forsterite-olivine
Forsterite, Olivine by Rob Lavinsky/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-3.0

Science:  August’s birthstone is the peridot, which is gemstone-quality olivine. If you’re studying gemstones in science class, you may want to have your students look up the color, crystal system, cleavage, fracture, luster, hardness, specific gravity, and streak of their birthstones. Before you begin, ask students the simple question, “Where do minerals (such as olivine) come from?” Christian students will likely answer, “God made them,” and that is certainly true. However, as the following text from Earth Science explains, the Flood had a huge impact on the location and variety of minerals in the earth:

The Flood completely transformed the earth’s surface. The catastrophic processes of the Flood broke apart the original materials that God had made during the creation week, both physically and chemically. New minerals and ores formed in different places. Though the Flood is a testimony of God’s judgment in the devastation of the earth, it is also a testimony of His grace in providing new minerals for man to use.

—Earth Science (4th ed.),  p. 194

Literature: August 6 is Alfred Lord Tennyson’s birthday. Elements of Literature includes one of his poems entitled “Lady Clare.” The poem explores the nature of true love. Encourage critical thinking in your students by asking them questions related to the poem’s theme. Below are some examples of critical-thinking questions from the Teacher’s Edition of Elements of Literature.

What does it mean to truly love someone? How does one demonstrate true love? What does true love look like in a person’s daily life? How does it manifest itself in the midst of difficult situations or obstacles? What does true love value most in a person?

—Elements of Literature Teacher’s Edition (2nd ed.), p. 311

Heritage Studies: August 6 is also the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima near the end of World War II. Help your students understand the devastation this bomb caused to the city by showing them pictures of the aftermath. Or search history.com for video footage of the atomic bomb being assembled, the Manhattan project, and more.

Do you know of any other teaching resources related to August? Let me know in a comment!

Welcome to Our Blog!

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In celebration of our 40th Anniversary, we’re starting the 2013-14 school year with a blog! Here you’ll find ideas, free resources, and encouragement for educators—moms, dads, classroom teachers, and administrators.

We’ve also partnered with a Christian school teacher who will be sharing ideas from her third grade class throughout the school year. Get to know Mrs. D by reading her first post.

Help us fill this place with two-way conversations about Christian education. Before commenting, please check out our conversation guidelines. Feel free to add your own suggestions or experiences. You may also share when you really like something too—we like feedback! As a side note, your comments won’t appear right away; each one will be reviewed.

You’ll probably see some slight changes on our blog over the next couple of months. We might not reply to every comment within 24 hours, but we’ll try. To be honest, we’re new to this blog thing. But we’re excited to create a place where educators can gather and share ideas.

So jump in and enjoy the fun! And don’t forget to invite your friends to join in too.

Thanks for your participation and patience.

~The BJU Press Blog Team

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