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| Creative Learning Newsletter Volume 1 Number 3 February 2005 |
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| Education Through Imagination Newsletter ______________________________ Vol 1, No. 3 - February 1, 2005 www.TriggerMemorySystem.com mailto: webmaster@triggermemorysystem.com Copyright 2005 Times Tales All Rights Reserved ______________________________ IN THIS ISSUE: -- "Welcome" --Memory Tip of The Month -- "Make a Joyful Noise" Giving Your Children A Musical Education by Mrs. Crystal Paine -- Free E-book offer The Merchant Maiden: Earning an Income Without Compromising Convictions -- Learning With Phonics by Sally Hanan --Game of The Month --Editor's Note _______________________________ Welcome Readers! We hope your New Year is off to a creative and productive start. Amazing how quickly time flies! This month's newsletter features memory tips, some guest writers, new products, a free E-book and our usual games and tips. It's chock-full so I'll keep it short and get right to it! Yours Creatively, Dena @ Times Tales ______________________________________ Memory Tip of the Month: Jennie von Eggers (www.TimesTales.com) There, They're, Their.......which "there" to use???? My children and even my dear husband struggle with those confusing "theres" all too often. Unfortunately for many adults who rely on spell-check, a misuse of the word "there" won't be discovered when the word is spelled correctly but not used correctly in the sentence. Well fret no longer, here are a couple simple tricks to help remember which "there" to use. *These memory triggers are not accurate in all cases. They should simply serve as a quick reference to remember the "general" meanings of the word "there". THEIR: This "their" is usually used when referring to people owning or possessing something (although it sometimes refers to animals or other types of nouns) . For example: "They put their shoes next to the door." (The shoes belong to them.) Memory Trigger: Do you see the hidden word "heir" in this their? An "heir" is a person that will inherit or possess something. For kids, they can remember that a prince is an "heir" to the throne. The throne will belong to him. THERE: This "there" is *usually used when referring to location. For example: "The team practiced over there." Memory Trigger: Do you see the hidden word "here" in this there? "Here" is a reference to location just as "there" is. THEY'RE: This "they're" is referring to people that are something. It is a short (contraction) way of saying, "they are". For example: "They're not happy today." Memory Trigger: This "they're" can be replaced with the word "they are". This doesn't work with the other "theres" mentioned above, only with this particular "they're". For example: " They put THEY ARE shoes next to the door" or "the team practiced over THEY ARE." Notice how this "they're" has the hidden word THEY ARE if you replace the apostrophe with the letter "a'. _______________________________________ "Make a Joyful Noise" Giving Your Children A Musical Education By Mrs. Crystal Paine If you were to visit my family's home at any given hour of the day, you will most likely be met by the sounds of a musical instrument being practiced somewhere in the house, and often more than one. It would probably be strains from a violin, piano, flute, or harp. Every now and then, you will also hear a hammer dulcimer, guitar, or an attempt on the clarinet (no one has quite mastered that one yet!). No, we were not all born as child protégés, we were just blessed to be raised with a strong musical education. Our family has experienced so many benefits and blessings through our music training that I have become a strong advocate for encouraging all parents to foster a love for music in their own children and families. How does one do this? What follows are some practical ideas and encouragement to help you give your children a musical education. Start Early As with many things, it is never too early to start. When we were just an infant, Mom spent many hours singing to us. I have fond memories of my mother's voice as she rocked a child to sleep and sang, "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds" or "Jesus Tender Shepherd." When my little brother was a baby, my mom compiled a booklet of hymns and assigned one hymn per day of the week. For many months, she sang these over and over to Zachary. As he got older, he never wanted to take a nap without singing the hymn for the day. He is now five years old and it is rather amazing how he remembers various hymns just from hearing them so many times. What a great way to instill deep spiritual truths while also giving children a love for God-honoring music at a young age! Sing Hymns Together As a Family Every morning our school began with singing hymns. Over the years, we did a variety of different things during our singing time. Some days, Mom would have already picked the hymns out. Other times, she would ask us to choose our favorites. Mom usually accompanied us on the piano, but as we got older, she asked different children to accompany during this time. This was great preparation for later times when various ones of us would be called upon to accompany in church or other settings. One of our favorite things was to read through hymn story books, reading one hymn story per day and then singing that hymn. If you have never studied the stories behind the hymns with your children, you must do this. You will be amazed to read about the various authors, their life stories, and how many of the great hymns came into existence. Kenneth Osbeck has put together two volumes (101 Hymn Stories and 101 More Hymn Stories published by Kregel) which would be a great starting place. The musical scores are included along with the hymn stories. We also studied different hymn writers and would go through and sing all of the hymns by Isaac Watts one month, Fanny Crosby the next month, and so on. Don't just stick to the hymns you know, learn new ones! There are some wonderful hymns out there which are little-known. Listen to Uplifting Music Playing lovely classical music or hymn arrangements in your home will have such a soothing and inspiring effect! Oftentimes, you will learn the words to different hymns without even trying, just through playing them over and over. The Wilds (www.thewilds.org), SoundForth (www.SoundForth.com), Principle Music (www.store.iblp.org), and Majesty Music (www.majestymusic.com) have beautiful hymn arrangement recordings available. If you have high-speed internet, www.oldchristianradio.com has constant free streaming of many of these recordings and a number of others. There are thousands of wonderful classical CD's available. Consider checking out your library's selection for starters. Another excellent resource to help you is a book by Patrick Kavanaugh titled, Music of the Great Composers: A Listener's Guide to the Best of Classical Music. Arrange to take your children to local music concerts if possible. If you are willing to do a little searching, there are many excellent concerts which you can attend free of charge or for a minimal cost. Area colleges often have numerous recitals which are free of charge and open to the public. You might also check with a nearby symphony orchestra and find out if you can attend their dress rehearsals. Study Great Composers Do your children know about the lives of famous classical composers? As young children, we loved listening to a tapes series which retold biographical accounts of various well-known composers. Many of them lived sad, lonely lives and it was only after their deaths that their music was discovered and appreciated. As you study their lives, you could also listen to CD's of their music and, if your children can, have them play pieces written by that particular composer. You could even create a unit study and explore in-depth the music, art, history, and so on of that time period. One story you must take the time to learn is Handel's creation of The Messiah. It is mind-baffling to listen to this work and know it was composed in a mere 21 days! A word of caution: Many of the composers lived less than honorable lives and you will want to make sure you have first reviewed the material you allow your children to listen to/read on composer's lives. Music Lessons I cannot stress how beneficial music lessons have been for me and for each of my siblings. Not only have we learned excellent character qualities such as diligence and perseverance, we have also been able to use the skills we have developed through our music instruction to serve and bless many others. There is such delight and unity which comes from being able to make music together as a family and then being able to share that music with others. We have played for our grandparents, in nursing homes, for various church functions, at weddings, and even been paid to play for a number of events. In addition, a few of us have been privileged to teach a number of music students ourselves. None of this would have been possible had our parents not invested the time, money, and effort to have us take music lessons. All throughout Scripture, we are encouraged to "make a joyful noise to the Lord" through music. I hope some of the ideas shared above will inspire you to not overlook this important aspect of your children's education!* *For further ideas and inspiration, consider reading Raising Musical Kids by Patrick Kavanaugh Crystal Paine is a 23-year-old homeschool graduate. She married her beloved husband Jesse in January 2003. They are eagerly expecting their first child in a few months. Crystal and Jesse operate www.CovenantWeddingSource.com out of their home--an online business dedicated to promoting God-honoring weddings and assisting parents to wisely prepare their children for marriage. Crystal is the author of The Merchant Maiden: Earning an Income Without Compromising Convictions. You can contact her at: contact@covenantweddingsource.com _________________________________________ Free Ebook Offer! The Merchant Maiden: Earning an Income Without Compromising Convictions by Crystal Paine with Esther Clark Can a young woman work while staying under the authority of her father? How can parents guide their daughters to the right sorts of income-producing opportunities? Drawing upon personal experience, Crystal Paine encourages young women and their families with Scripture, advice, suggestions, personal testimonies, wisdom, and practical ideas. Not just for unmarried women, this booklet is a treasure trove of information for any woman who desires to earn an income while still being a "keeper at home." For a limited time, you can get a FREE copy by visiting: http://www.covenantweddingsource.com/freebook.htm Crystal Paine http://www.CovenantWeddingSource.co Check out our new book: A Maiden in Waiting: Cultivating Contentment in the Season of Singleness http://www.covenantweddingsource.com/maideninwaiting.htm ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ______________________________________ Learning With Phonics By Sally Hanan "B b b b ball." "Yes!" "Ssss snake." "Well done!" "Dddd dumb." "Now, now, that's enough, but yes, dumb begins with duh." My child was learning to read, and there were so many books, toys, flashcards, workbooks, and friends' opinions to look at and listen to, I could hardly think. I needed to relax. My children learned since then, as every other child has learned, how to recognize letters and words. The first child, a bright daughter, picked it up from everyday life and a few Golden Books workbooks at our local grocery store. She loved to learn, and was soon reading sentences at the age of four. I even remember the first word she read aloud when we were out, TEX-A-CO. She had associated the letters with their sounds. My second was a different story. He didn't seem to 'get it.' I waited and waited, sounding out words, giving him things while emphasizing the beginning sound of them, having letter days where everything he ate or played with began with the same letter. Because he is an auditory learner, he picked up on the letter beginning with a sound, but when it came to seeing a letter and saying the sound, his eyes glazed over. Fortunately we worked through a BJU curriculum kindergarten program, and by the end of the year, he was reading quite well. So here is where my opinions are at today when it comes to learning letters. Learning to read by learning sight words does not make sense. Most words come together if you sound out the letters. When using a sight word approach, the only learning skill that is used a lot is the visual one The phonics approach, especially when it comes to learning the basic letter sounds, is smart learning. Kids get it, and the phonics approach involves using visual learning for a picture, the left brain for the action of putting the letters into words, and auditory skills for hearing the phonemic value of each letter. Anything can be used to teach letter phonemic value, be it a workbook page, a flash card, an electronic toy, or a mom reading from an alphabet book. Don't sweat it Mom! Have fun just presenting opportunities to learn every day. Make letters with Play-Do and make a Play-Do figure to go with the letter sound. Emphasize the beginning sounds of each object your child plays with. Serve up letter day dinners. Read constantly, pointing out the beginning sounds of some of the words on the page. Sing the alphabet song. Sit and watch Sesame Street with her. Make foam letters on the bathroom wall with him. Spray shaving cream on the table and carve letters into it. The object is not to have a child who is able to read before all her playmates, and to make you look like Supermom, it is to create a love of reading that will last a lifetime. The joy in hearing your child read a word for the first time will be reward enough. Sally Hanan is a homeschooling mom first, and a businesswoman and author second. We are now carrying her adorable phonic magnets with pictures that include both long and short vowel sounds at www.TimesTales.com These are sure to make learning fun! ______________________________________________________ Game of The Month The Name Game Have your child print their name vertically along the left margin of a sheet of paper. Each letter in their name should begin a work or phrase theat describes themself. K ind A rtistic R eliable E ager N oisy Variation: Have your child make Valentines for friends and family using their names and complimentary descriptions. ______________________________________________ Times Tales is now "new and improved"! It's the same program but with a new and exctiting look. Come check it out and see our new products at www.TimesTales.com If you have an article, game or creative learning tip you think would be appropriate for our newsletter we'd love to hear from you. Email us at admin@timestales.com To subscribe to our newsletter or suggest it to a friend have them sing up at www.TimesTales.com Thank you and have a wonderful Valentine's Day! The Times Tales Crew, Dena, Jennie & Marillee www.TimesTales.com |