Legos...More Than Just Play

Boys and Legos--they go together hand in hand! Lego blocks unleash creativity in a variety of ways even in homeschooling.

When we first started homeschooling three years ago, I was so stuck on formal education and was appalled at the thought of bringing bubba (blankie), stuffed animals, and even Legos to class. It didn't take long to realize that I was fighting a losing battle and that these things actually enhanced our classroom as we found creative uses for them. Since then, we've found more uses for Legos in our classroom than we can count. And, we've seen that there is value in stuffed animals joining in the fun, especially when they all "need" a turn to spell a word (many chances for repetition) or when they all want to take turns to read in their unique "voices".

Some days, it takes a great deal of patience on my end to "teach" a classroom of Lego minifigures because they add a lot of excitement and distraction to the lesson. It would be a lot quicker and easier if my child would simply answer the questions in his normal voice so we can move on to the next question or lesson. But if I gloss over these moments, I lose valuable opportunities to reinforce lessons, spelling words, reading, and story retelling skills in a way that makes learning real and fun to my child. And if a stuffed animal makes my child actually want to pick up a pencil and write, I'm all for it! There is a time and a place for Legos, stuffed animals, and even blankie, so don't discount what toys can do to transform tough subjects, diffuse frustration, and increase learning.

The pictures below show ways that we have incorporated toys into our homeschool over the past three years. I hope it encourages you to think outside the box and embrace the value that toys can add to your homeschool!  

Creating a scene for story retelling.

Piglet is up next!

Each animal reads a line on the All About Reading
practice sheets.

NoNut rallied the troops to help him with grammar!

Lego Calendars are great for learning days and months.

Creating your own Lego pencil holders make writing more attractive. 

Exploring the Arts by going to the first showing of The Lego Movie while all the other kids are in school.

Lego History -- burying the sacrophagus in the pyramid

Lego Addition

Lego Math

Lego Addition

We graduated to Lego multiplication this year.

Lego Syllable Division

Each Lego Minifigure lined up to read a line on the practice sheet.

Lego Cops & Robbers:  The robbers had to read a page in order to be released.

Actually excited to write!

Lego syllables

Lego Science

Lego Science (making glaciers with water, Hot Wheels, & Legos)

Show & Tell and story telling (sharing w/grandparents)

Duplo Spelling

Lego Science

Of course, we take every opportunity to weave in Minecraft!

Lego spelling

Skip counting and multiplication with the troops.

Nerf gun geography (trying to locate the Indian Ocean)

Nerf gun syllables

Spelling (musical-style)

NoNut was determined to make suction cup shoes in attempt to walk on the ceiling to get away from the girls at church. 

It ended up being the best lesson about gravity.

His carefully designed and hand-crafted suction cup shoes!

It's your turn! Have fun being creative with toys in your homeschool! :)

Snow vs. Blood

While driving home from work the other day, I noticed that the woods that lined our road glistened in the sun so much so that it was blinding.  The beauty of that moment combined with the spiritual application of it was stunning!

Typically, those woods are "woodsy"--brown, dirty, leafy, messy, in disarray, and not very beautiful at all. Yet the other day, it was all sparkly and eye-catching.

The mess of the woods was completely covered up by a pure white blanket of snow. The beauty found in the freshness of the snow gave new life to the ugly below.  There wasn't a single hint of "woodsy" to be found. What I saw reminded me of the promise in Isaiah 1:18: "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool." 

As people and as sinners, we are like those woods at the start of winter...dirty, messy, homely. But something happens when Christ's blood enters our lives and covers us like snow covers the ground.  His blood absorbs all of our dirty. It tidies the messy places. It envelops the sharpness of the ground. It serves as a buffer as well as a feeding source for growth. It transforms the barren and lifeless into pure beauty, into an unmarred landscape that literally glistens as the Son (Christ) shines upon it and reflects His light. Like the snow, Christ's blood fills in every crevice and every uneven place until it overflows and creates something beautiful. We are completely covered by Christ's blood as much as the ground is covered by snow. And unlike snow that eventually melts away, Christ's blood always remains for us. 

As I look at the snow-covered woods, I can't help but long for more of God and to completely live under the blanket of His blood so that I may glisten Him in all that I do and say. 

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."  Ephesians 1:7

So Why Can't I?

A few weeks ago, I began wondering why this person can take a vacation and not have to check in but I feel like I have to all the time.  Then I was wondering how that person could leave everything behind to have a spur-the-moment family day and not think twice about skipping out on a meeting.  Then I got to wondering why could another person have all that time with their children but then I keep getting asked to squeeze more into my packed schedule.  And I wondered, "When does it stop?  Why can't I go on vacation and leave everything behind?  Why can't I take family days and turn off my phone/email?  Why can't I say I no to activities when my calendar is bursting at the seams?" And then it hit me, I can!!!! 

When I honestly answer the "Why can't I?" question, I see what is at the root of it.  From there, I can make the necessary changes to live out the answer to that question. My "Why can't I?" answers lie in self-imposed busyness, the inability to say no, and the fear of failure, fear of disapproval, and the fear of missing out on opportunities. And when you line that up with God and His Word, it becomes so obvious where I'm missing the mark once again.  And I see where I desperately need God to infuse every single step, every single word, every single thought!  (See Phil. 4:5, Ecc. 3:1, Heb. 3:13, Gal. 1:10, Matt. 6:24, I John 4:18.)

One thing that I've been understanding lately is that we teach others how to treat us.  And in that, I've been discovering that no one is going to outright give me permission to take a break. No one is going to stand there and make me take time for myself and for my family. And generally the same people that are quick to tell me that I need to slow down and put my family first are the ones that have no shame in throwing more on me.  And, they are the ones that know how and when to call in a break for themselves without guilt and without the need to check in. Hmmmmmm...it really makes one stop and analyze what's going on and why.  In retrospect, people keep asking me to do things because I always say yes. They keep giving because I keep taking. And they keep offering because I keep doing regardless of cost. Frankly, I'm a quick, definite yes!

However, there is nothing wrong at all with people asking me to do things.  There are definitely things I want to do and love doing and would never even know about if I wasn't asked!  But there comes a point when it's time to grow up and realize that I am the only one responsible for my yeses and nos. I am the one responsible for setting my limits and boundaries. These things just don't happen without my intentional intervention. And I have to understand that life is a marathon, not a sprint.  It's a journey, not a destination, and just insert what other cliche fits here.

There truly is merit to pacing ourselves. I'm always eager to jump into everything with both feet and give 100%, but I'm discovering that it's okay to enter into things slowly. We have to pace ourselves because when we run at full speed ahead, we easily run over God without meaning to. When we constantly say yes without thinking about it, we are saying no to the God-ordained pace for our lives. And when we say no to God's pace for our lives, it's where we find that we are living out of ourselves instead in Christ. It's where we find ourselves striving so hard to fulfill everyone's expectations (including our own) that we project those expectations as coming from God when in reality, He never once asked for our striving. It's where we follow our plans and hopes for each day rather than take time to seek God for what He wants us to accomplish each day. That's where we're getting it wrong. 

Great freedom comes from living out of the "I can!" answer to the "Why can't I?" question when the "I can" is rooted in our view of God and His plan and pace for our lives.