Well, there are the ones on the AO, FIAR, and SL lists. One lesser known one I found at a Half Price books that we really like is Flossie and the Fox.

Great question. I've been wondering this too. Thanks for the helpful responses.

Glad to hear others have heard of and seen this movie. We enjoyed it too. what a breath of fresh air!

Really? Maybe we could discuss it a bit. I'm finding his writing a bit difficult to wade through right now.

Ooh... The Christian Imagination looks really good. I'll have to check if the library has it. Also, on that Amazon page, there is a link to Art and the Bible: Two Essays by Francis Schaeffer. As well as Reading Between the Lines: A Christian Guide to Literature by Veith. I haven't read that one, but I've read some by Veith and like him. I guess I can post the blog link here, you could probably find it easily enough in a google search otherwise. http://artspastor.blogspot.com/ Unfortunately, he doesn't have his posts sorted into neat categories, so you couldn't just jump on and read about his ideas. Maybe you could post and ask him for some links to some old posts, or even just ask if he'd answer your question in a new post. Maybe I should warn him. :lol:

Tolkien's famous essay "On Fairy-Stories" Francis Schaeffer talked about this kind of stuff. I'll have to think about which of his books would be most applicable. In the same tradition, I'm currently reading a book called "All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes" about Christians and popular culture. It has an interesting analysis of art and aesthetics from a Christian perspective, which would apply to your question. I also have a friend who has thought broadly and deeply about a Christian view of art. If you are interested, pm me, and I can send you a link to his blog. He does not have a narrow view of what is acceptable as a Christian artist *at all*. In fact, his thoughts have challenged and broadened my own views. He is heading off for his PhD in Art in the Church, and is in the midst of editing and having published a collection of essays on the topic.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to do that!

Bringing up an old thread to ask Siloam (or anyone else who may know), is there a free list somewhere online where I can find the first 26 phonograms and all of their sounds? I want to get AAS when the 1st reader comes out, but in the meantime, I'd like to start teaching my dd all of the sounds of each of the phonograms. I like your tracing the letters while saying the sounds idea. I've been using Phonics Pathways, but I don't like how many sight words my dd is having to learn now that we're starting to read BOB books. It's just now clicked to me what "vertical phonics" is and why it's valuable. Thanks!

Not there yet, but I was thinking of reading through the Vos Story Bible as our Bible time while we're reading SOTW1, and using the VP timeline cards to correlate our History and Bible reading into one timeline. So, I'd have to buy two years worth of the VP timeline cards for that first year, since VP spreads out ancient and Biblical history into 2 years. Does that make sense?

LOL. It does help to know I'm not alone, and I can definitely relate to everyone's descriptions. And yes, I'm quite accustomed to having an audience when I'm showering or using the bathroom. My girls get their smoothies, sit on the stool next to each other, and cheer me on. :lol:

I actually have a black belt in Taekwondo and would love for my kids to try it eventually. I hadn't thought about it recently, but I'm sure it would be good for my intense one (it was so good for my intensity!). She's still a bit young, I think, but I'll remember that for the future. The teacher makes all the difference. I actually had a bad experience with a martial arts instructor, so I always advise parents to watch a class first to make sure you are comfortable with the teacher. Because of the nature of the martial arts, it's imperative that your sensei is trustworthy. Out of curiosity - which style of martial arts are you learning, and what's the association is your school under?

I went (alone) to the English L'Abri for 7 weeks after I graduated from college. I also broke up with a boyfriend in a letter while I was there... a friend dubbed it the "trans-Atlantic drop-kick". :lol:

Yes, she doesn't nap most of the time now. She does have a rest time, though, where I let her play quietly with books and toys. Sometimes she decides on her own that she wants to sleep and crawls under the covers. Time outside is definitely good. We've just moved to the Pacific Northwest from Texas (where I had lived all my life), so I'm still trying to figure out how to do that in the cold/wet season. I got good rain jackets, pants, and boots for both girls, and we try to at least take a walk (the 3 year old runs) even when it's raining. I have to be careful with doing too many things in the activities/playdates/shopping category, though, because I get worn out and grouchy.

I would love to, but can't. Any chance there will be another in less than 10 years from now?

lovelearnandlive - That's interesting! I'm not sure if it's easier to have 2 differently intense kids, or to have all of that intensity wrapped up in one! I know swinging would help my girl. We had swings at our old house (we moved across country last Sept). Maybe we can figure out how to get some up here once the weather starts getting nicer. I've also considered an indoor trampoline for her. Very cool! I'm looking forward to getting her to the place where she can investigate and explore for herself. This is part of the reason I would love to homeschool all the way through highschool... so I can enjoy all of these conversations with my kids when they hit that stage.

Yes, I have begun doing this to some extent. Actually, I began by looking at what kinds of sciencey topics are actually covered in picture books. We did a month of books about the human body. Now, since my IL's got us a membership to the aquarium, we've got a stack of books about oceans and fish. She's fascinated by divers, but unfortunately, there's not much at her level about them. I've gotten what I can find, and she soaks a ton up. When something in particular comes up, I've gotten books about those topics as well. Like, we recently began getting milk delivery, so we got a book called "Milk: from Cow to Carton" (or something like that). I really appreciate the "Let's Read and Find Out" series of science books for preschoolers... they cover tons of stuff and are good quality. I also get the usborne/dk type books for her to look at the pictures (the format makes me nuts!). Your encouragement to keep her in extra-curricular-type activities is helpful as well. I can see how that will be necessary to keep a very tactile kid satisfied.

Thank you for this suggestion! My library even has it... hooray! Did you take my child?!? :tongue_smilie: This is mine too. I worry that her teachers think I'm pushing her to practice, but really, it's all she wants to do! It's good to know I'm not alone! Your story is great... thank you. She does love crafty things. Unfortunately, I do not, so I'm always dragging my feet to do them with her. But, we do have good homemade playdoh always available. And I have paints, crayons, markers, easel, etc., it's just a matter of using them. We also are into our second Kumon craft book, which is easy for me. She does love music as well. That is something we do together because I teach Musikgarten classes for her age group that she attends. Do you have any specific handicrafts that I could start with her at this age? I'd love to know of any. I have started involving her more in chores (which she often asks to do) and cooking.

I've recently realized that my oldest has been more difficult for me to parent not just because she's my guinea pig, but because she has a much more intense personality than my second. I'm trying to figure out how to phrase this without using the word gifted because last time I used it, it began a discussion speculating whether or not she was truly gifted. Frankly, whether she's gifted or not does not threaten my identity nor my view of my child, so please don't get hung up on that word. Suffice it to say that she has an insatiable need to know... everything. The questions never stop. I'm teaching her to read, but she hasn't taken off yet. I sort-of hoped she might be able to start finding some of her answers from books. I'm not sure that she'll be a big reader, though because she also has an insatiable need to move. My sister is a pediatric OT, and she agrees that she has some high sensory needs... gross motor being the biggest need. She's in a gymnastics class and has very quickly excelled... at 3 years old. Even in class, she's the one that's still hopping up and down between activities or hanging upside down from the bars until the teachers call her down. If I could send her to a gym class daily, I would, but even the one class is pretty pricey. A couple of other examples of her intensity: when she wakes up from naps, she almost always wakes up sobbing uncontrollably. Anytime she wakes up during the night, it tends to be the same story. It takes her awhile to recover. Recently, my IL's took her to see a 3D IMAX movie about oceans. The noise and the realism scared her a bit (understandably). She sat in my MIL's lap the whole time, and took her glasses off a lot. But, she repeated, word for word, everything the narrator said. I could give many more examples, but hopefully this gives a good picture. Part of my problem, I'm sure, is that I have an intense personality as well and have a hard enough time managing my own thoughts, curiosities and emotions. I'm also an introvert. Sometimes I just feel like I need to hide from this little 3 year old who won't let me alone. I love her, and I think she's so fun and interesting. I don't want her to see her intensity as a bad thing. How do I encourage her to be who she is while creating some good boundaries for myself... especially as I look towards homeschooling her? And how can I give her experiences outside of me that satisfy her needs (and don't cost $$)?

I'm planning on doing P4/5 with my dd next Fall, and she doesn't turn 4 until May.

I wonder if SWB is an INTJ? I find that I really like her as a person reading her books. I recently told my hubby that I've "found my peeps". LOL. I just feel like the WTM and those attracted to it match so much with who I am and what I want for my kids. And I hear you all on the social activities. We've recently moved, and I finally realized that I needed to make some friends up here. I tried a MOPS group this week, and it was really painful. I need to stick it out because I do need the friendship, and there's bound to be someone there that I like... right?!?

Ditto from another 100% N!

Another INTJ here. The 'N' is 100%. LOL

One other option is to add rhythms into your day. Maybe just 15 minutes reading scripture in the morning. 15 minutes journaling before bed to sort out the day, confess and give thanks. Another 15 minutes in the middle of the day to sit outside and get a little quiet... or something like that. These are the kinds of routines I'm working on personally.

I would agree that these sound like normal 2 year old behaviors. My older dd has gone through stages like this. But she's also switched back and forth from preferring Dad to preferring Mom. It used to hurt my feelings, but I really think for her it was more of a control game. In general, it's best not to take 2 year olds' whims too seriously. ;)

Thank you for this. It's very encouraging. And :grouphug: to you and your family. And thanks for everyone's input about passing on faith to our kids. It's helping me to realize that it doesn't have to be complicated. I need to think through what my goals are in this area, to help me decide what to do and remember why we're doing it. It also dawned on me that there will probably be more natural opportunities to discuss matters of faith when I'm the one teaching them history and science and literature.