BJU Press Blog

Black History Month

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February is coming up soon, and for educators that means Black History Month is too. Below you’ll find a quick reference guide for several figures in American history (who I think are inspiring!) as well as a list of kid-friendly resources for Black History Month. This list is not comprehensive but provides some ideas to help you get started. Happy learning!

Phillis-Wheatley-poem-2016

Notable Figures in U.S. History:

Phillis Wheatley (1753–84)

Phillis Wheatley distinguished herself as an early American poet. Her works clearly express her inner thoughts and reveal how much influence Christianity and a classical education had on her. “On Being Brought from Africa to America” uses color imagery on multiple levels to emphasize the poem’s message. What is arguably Wheatley’s most impressive accomplishment was her success in getting published at a time when few women—let alone those of African descent—were viewed as serious writers.

Learn more about Phillis Wheatley

Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827-1901)

Mr. Revels served as a chaplain in the Civil War. After the war, he became the first African American U.S. Senator, representing the state of Mississippi. His willingness to forgive Confederates as well as his advocacy for racial equality marked his time in Congress. He was a true leader and a Christian.

Learn more about Hiram Rhodes Revels

Doris “Dorie” Miller (1919–43)

“Dorie” Miller bravely served his country in the U.S. Navy. December 7, 1941, was a defining day in his life. During the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Dorie quickly found a machine gun and returned fire on the enemy. He received the Navy Cross for his actions in the attack.

Learn more about Doris “Dorie” Miller

Additional Resources:

What do you highlight during Black History Month?

Bring on the New Year’s Resolutions!

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WP-new-years-resolutions-1-2014

It’s a new year, which means a fresh start, new opportunities, and . . . New Year’s resolutions. Have you made any resolutions yet?

Maybe this year you’re determined to exercise more, spend more time with your family, or start a new hobby. Wanting to do those things is wonderful, and I encourage you to stick with them! But have you ever noticed that a lot of people end up not sticking with their resolutions?

As a homeschool parent, maybe you’ve thought of making New Year’s resolutions for your homeschooling. It’s the start of a new semester and a great time to set some new goals. But I’d like to share a thought that will hopefully help you set attainable goals. 

The Key to Stick-To-Itiveness

The reason many people abandon their New Year’s resolutions is that instead of setting small goals for a short period of time, they set big goals for a long period of time (like a year). Is it any wonder that they don’t stick with those goals? It’s hard to keep your momentum going for an entire year.

But what if you thought in terms of a month, week, or day. Take those big yearlong goals and chop them up into tinier ones. Imagine how much more manageable and attainable your goals would look.

So this year, I encourage you not to think of it as a year. Rather look at a single day or month and see how much of your goals you want to accomplish then. And by this time next year, you’ll have accomplished your New Year’s resolutions.

What helps you stick with your resolutions or goals?

Homemade Christmas Gifts

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I always encourage my children to make gifts to give their grandparents and other extended family members for Christmas. My children enjoy making them, and other family members enjoy receiving them. Below are some of the gifts we made at our house this year.

Necklaces (recommended for children 4+)

These are very simple and inexpensive to make. Just purchase some large metal washers (from any store that sells home-improvement items), some inexpensive nail polish, and some narrow ribbon. Paint the metal washers with nail polish, and apply a clear top-coat once the paint dries. Cut an eighteen-inch piece of ribbon and thread it through.

painted metal washer with ribbon

Wooden Spoons (recommended for children 3+)

Purchase some wooden spoons. Wrap painter’s tape around each spoon, halfway up the handle. Allow young artists to paint a design on the handle with acrylic paint. (You can use washable tempera paints as well.) Allow the spoons to dry completely before removing the tape, and then cover the painted area with a nontoxic sealant.

painted wooden serving spoon and fork

Homemade Ornaments (recommended for children 2+)

This one was a little more time-consuming, but still inexpensive and fun. Start by making the dough (recipe below). I did this part during nap time since it involves constantly stirring a mixture on the stove.

Ornament Dough
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup baking soda
  • 1/2 cup + 1/8 cup water
Directions

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan (mixture will be thin). Heat on medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens enough to form a ball. Remove from heat and cover the pan with a wet paper towel to cool.

After the dough has cooled off, knead it several times and roll it into a circle about 1/4 inch thick. Allow children to use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Young children may also enjoy molding the dough into their own shapes (my toddler did!). Place the shapes onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Use a drinking straw to cut out circles at the top. Let the ornaments air-dry overnight to harden, or bake them in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 250 degrees.

These ornaments are a pure-white color, especially if you allow them to air dry. (Baking them in  the oven may result in backs that are slightly browned). You can thread ribbon through them, and give them away as-is. Or you can decorate them with paint, glitter, and beads like my kindergartner did.
tree and bell Christmas ornaments

Did you make Christmas gifts with your family or class this year? Tell me about it in a comment.

An Eternal Thanksgiving

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“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.” (Habakkuk 3:17)

Taken alone, this passage would appear to be nothing more than a sad lament because we see a list of scarcities. But it takes a different tone in verse 18, to end on an immensely uplifting note. Its determined author concludes—“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

words to Habakkuk 3:18

Through the ages, untold millions have drawn comfort from these verses, regarding them as the undying melody in the patient sufferer’s heart. They remind us that although temporal blessings may ebb and flow, our rejoicing need not. Our thanksgiving—rooted in the past, the present, and the future—is truly eternal.

We can trace the Lord’s mercies to us long before our birth. Just thinking of all the variables involved in assuring that climactic moment overwhelms the mind. Considering the simple fact that we arrived, and then recalling the myriad blessings we have received since, makes our memories treasures that can never be taken from us. We often think of this as one of the great compensations of old age. Where the cache of blessings has swollen to a great store, even the weary can say with the psalmist, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken” (Psalm 37:25). But because all of us have been blessed from birth, our gratitude can begin from the moment we first comprehend God’s goodness.

In the present, we see the blessings of God continually bestowed. His Spirit enables us to meditate on His word and our saving grace in Christ. This strengthens us in the inner man and makes our sensitivity to His daily favor increasingly acute. Even the beleaguered and weeping prophet was able to say “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23). This work of God’s Spirit assures the survival of Christian faith and is an ever-present cause for thanksgiving, no matter what befalls us day by day.

The lovely Psalm 23 is a litany of blessings in the psalmist’s “present.” David’s grateful acknowledgement throughout pays a rich dividend of assurance at its soaring crescendo. As he looks into the future with a heart overflowing with thanksgiving and confident trust, he exclaims, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” Perhaps meditating on the past, and present, fed David’s hopefulness for the future?

Steadfast praise for past, present, and future blessings draws the believer close to the heart of his heavenly Father. As he walks in fellowship with God, his gratitude remains lively even when tangible blessings seem few. His memory of past mercies, his experiences of current graces, and his focus on God’s promises for his future all play a part in the soul-cheering exercise of his eternal thanksgiving.

May you be encouraged this Thanksgiving to reflect on past, present, and future blessings.

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.