Recently Discovered “Treasures”
Every once in a while, we run across some little known but wonderful homeschool / family resources that we know right away we want to pass along to you. Now, just to make this clear: we’re not selling these ourselves…. we just think you ought to check them out. Here are a couple of our most recent discoveries:
A few questions for those of you with girls age 8-12 or so…
Does your young daughter have some “friendship” issues? Does she realize the importance of chosing godly friends, or is she struggling to get along with a friend or two? Does she insist on her own way when she should be more gracious? Do her friends think she is difficult to get along with? Does she have difficulty accepting some of her friends? Does she have difficulty accepting your choice of friends for her?
These questions and many more are addressed in Miiko Gibson’s “Being a Good Friend”, a gently written book with lovely illustrations that will introduce to your daughter important and godly principles of friendship. Relevant Scripture references are interwoven throughout the book to support these principles. Discussion questions are provided for each chapter at the end of the book.
I asked our daughter Jessica (13) what she thought of this ebook, and here’s her review:
“A good booklet for young girls, It teaches them they need their parents to help decide on their friends and how to keep them. Also teaches not to be jealous of their friends. It has scripture references and discussion questions. Great for mothers and daughters to do together!”
This book is a delight. Miiko’s writing is wonderfully homey and old-fashioned, without being condescending — touching, sweet and just right for the intended audience. You can see some sample pages at her website. At just $5.95, this would make an excellent mother-daughter study that will lay a good foundation for making and keeping friends for life.
Here’s the link.
Another new resource we have discovered is the book “Heart to Heart: Meeting with God in the Lord’s Prayer” by Rachel Starr Thomson, a 22-year-old homeschool graduate with a wonderful gift for writing. I’ve followed Rachel’s blog for some time, and really enjoy her thoughtful, challenging comments and devotionals. This book is a joy to read, and will help you see The Lord’s Prayer — which most of us, I dare say, don’t ponder very deeply — in an entirely new light. I’m going to quote Jean Hall’s review of this new book, as it gives you the flavor of the book better than I can:
“Phrase by phrase, sometimes word by word, the author moves through the Lord’s prayer, meditating on the meanings, the significance, the relationship between God and believer in Christ as revealed in this short but powerful prayer. The book begins in the Garden of Eden, touches on the lives of familiar figures in the Bible, and calls us to make an honest evaluation of our own lives and walk with God.
” I must admit that this is a book I’ve had to read during that quiet early-morning time while the children are asleep. More than once I’ve been moved to tears in the reading. But I’ve also taken away from the reading rich morsels of food for thought to chew on, and these have sparked discussion later in the day. When I finished the book, I put it on our eldest daughter’s reading pile for her devotional time, and I look forward to hearing her insights.
” This is a book I’ll return to, the next time life gets over-busy and my prayers seem dry and profitless. Heart to Heart is something like a drink of cool, refreshing water in a parched and thirsty land.” - Jean Hall, reviewer, Eclectic Homeschool Online (www.eho.org)
We highly recommend this book! Sample pages and ordering information can be found at:
