Tidepool Visit

This past Saturday, our family and some friends went to Crystal Cove State Park to enjoy an afternoon at the tidepools. It was a perfect day for tidepooling: warm and sunny with a light breeze and a minus 2.8 tide which means the water was 2.8 feet lower than the average low tide. Because the water level was so low, we were able to see things that hide farther out like sea urchins and starfish.

This starfish was about 12 inches across. A purple sea urchin is to the right

There were lots of sea anemones. In places there were so many it was hard not to step on them.

Alyssa had fun playing with the hermit crabs. The most exciting thing we saw was an octopus. It was hiding back under a rock, but we got a pretty good view of its tentacles. The man that showed us the octopus found it in that same hole under the rock about a year ago. He lives in the area and comes to visit it frequently. It’s always in the same spot. He breaks open a mussel or two to feed it. Now that we know where to find it, we’ll look for it next time we go, too. In this picture two of its tenticals are visible as well as its two eyes. The orange at the bottom of the picture is the mussel they were using to try to lure it out. The octopus was probably about two feet long.

The sunset was a beautiful end to a lovely afternoon.

Pilgrim & Indian Party

Last week Alyssa, Jonathan, and I attended a Pilgrim & Indian Party put on by our homeschooling friends.
Our friends put on a little program about the Mayflower, pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.

It was a dress-up party, so I made Alyssa a pilgrim dress at her request. I made a matching doll dress for her favorite doll.
Pilgrim Jonathan had just awakened from a nap and still wanted his pacifier.
The kids played together, ate a delicious meal, and had a wonderful time.
Alyssa's favorite thing about the whole party was a little fluffy kitten who was quite content to be carried everywhere. Alyssa was happy to oblige it.

Thanksgiving Traditions

This Thanksgiving I had opportunity to try out a couple ideas for leading children to develop attitudes of thankfulness which I learned at the recent seminars I attended. In the process, our family began a new Thanksgiving activity I hope will become a family tradition. It's called the "Thanksgiving Box." Before Thanksgiving I purchased some tiny maple leaf candies which I individually wrapped and attached a Bible verse card. Then I placed the candies in a box which I wrapped in several autumn-themed papers (one wrapping paper for each person who would be at our Thanksgiving dinner.) Included in each wrapping was a slip of paper with some instructions on it, such as, "Tell something that has happened this past year for which you are thankful," "Share a childhood memory of Thanksgiving or invite someone at the table to do so," "Offer the blessing for our Thanksgiving dinner," "Share something you have seen or heard for which you are thankful," "Lead the group in reciting Psalm 100," and so on. Once the box was wrapped and re-wrapped, I placed it on the table. When everyone was seated I invited someone to begin by taking off the first wrapping and doing what the paper said inside. Then they passed it to the next person who took off the next paper. We continued passing the box around the table while we ate until everyone had taken off one wrapping and followed the instructions inside. The last person passed the box around and everyone took a little maple leaf candy for dessert. The whole meal was spent in praise to God and thanksgiving for His leading throughout the past year. Many at our table, including the children commented how much they enjoyed the activity. We'll definitely do it again next year!

Another idea I adapted was to have Alyssa take two tiny baskets and fill it with as many little things as she could that represent things for which she is thankful. I hung the little baskets on an ornament hanger (in picture above on right side) and put hanger on the Thanksgiving dinner table. During the meal let her tell our guests what things she had found. She really seemed to like this activity. In the other two baskets I put little magnetic alphabet letters. As part of the box activity described above, a guest was to pick a letter from the baskets and tell something beginning with that letter for which they were thankful. This activity worked well for both children and adults at our table.

Children's Ministry Convention

I just finished a wonderful weekend at the North American Division Children's Ministry Convention in Loma Linda, CA. I came away with new purpose and many useful resources to help my children and the children I work with at church to develop their own relationships with Jesus beginning now.

The most fascinating seminars I attended were presented by Karen Holford. Karen is from England and is an author of children's books and material for those who work with children. I found her seminars most refreshing and very practical. She presented ideas of how to teach kids in a concrete way some of the abstract ideas of spirituality, specifically prayer, praise, intercession, and thankfulness. She also gave some Bible memorization techniques especially for kids. I am planning to post the ideas I learned as I try them out at home or Sabbath School.

My greatest desire is to see Alyssa and Jonathan walk with Jesus. What I learned opened my eyes to ways of looking at the little things all around me to illustrate how to walk with Jesus from an early age.