What's In the Bible?

Jon bought Buddy and Sweetpea the first five "What's In the Bible?" DVDs and they love them.  I'll admit I was a little skeptical before we watched but we were all hooked after one lesson.  Buddy especially asks to watch these repeatedly.  Phil Vischer (VeggieTales creator) has created this series of DVDs to take children and their parents through the entire Bible.  Not only does he highlight the stories in each book, but church history and Biblical theology is explained on a child's level.  Recently we were watching the DVD while I prepared lunch and I stopped to listen as they defined apostasy.  The great thing is Buddy and Sweetpea are enraptured by the puppet characters and they are learning too!  Buddy has even wanted to find the Pentateuch in his preschool Bible.  By using the puppets and catchy songs, hard truths are easily learned.  For more information, check out "What's in the Bible?".  This website has resources for parents to use along with the videos and activities for kids to do that pertain to each lesson.  If you are looking for new movies to add to your family's collection, give "What's in the Bible" and try and see what you learn too!

Courageous

Jon and I recently watched Courageous for the first time and we loved it!  I really don't cry at movies but I cried through quite a bit of this movie.  It is a great clean movie about the relationship between fathers and their children.  Sherwood Pictures hit it out of the park with this movie!  Even though the movie was geared towards fathers, I still took quite a bit away from the movie.  I'm trying to enjoy every minute with Buddy and Sweetpea and not get caught up in the mundane things that won't matter in the end. Jon and I have always aimed to raise Godly children but it is a long process that I never want to become complacent with and lose sight of that goal.  Sherwood Pictures has teamed up with several partners to produce different resources to help families and dads on their journey to be courageous.  You can check them out here.  Since I don't want to spoil any parts of the movie, I very much recommend going to rent or buy Courageous.  But have lots of Kleenex ready to go!

Go Fish Guys

Buddy and Sweetpea received this Go Fish Guys DVD for Christmas and we love it!  I love that the songs are not annoying and they love the music and moves.  Buddy is already working on memorizing several of the songs and I look forward to the day when he has Bible Book Bop memorized.  That means he will know all 66 books of the Bible in order.
I'm constantly on the look out for good solid Christian entertainment for my children and I have been very pleased with our Let's Sing DVD.
For more information about the Go Fish Guys, check them out!  There are lots of Cds, DVDs, and other options at their website. 

The Elephant Room

Jon and I are currently watching the Elephant Room DVDs which contain eight conversations between seven influential pastors.  This has been an interesting series to watch as it has challenged my thinking about several different hard topics. 
The format is two pastors answering the main question while being moderated by another pastor.  The other four pastors have an opportunity to weigh in throughout the various discussions.  Very blunt and very honest conversation develops throughout and becomes thought provoking as well.  I knew and recognized some of the pastors while others I did not know.  I also came in with some preconceived notions, positive and negative, about some of the pastors.  While I do not completely agree with each pastor on certain points, I have developed a respect for these men and their passion and motives for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is a very heady series and so it is good for me that the DVDs are broken each main question session.
As a youth pastor's wife, I appreciate and love these challenging lines of thought and discussion.  Hearing these pastors talk has given Jon and me a springboard for deep conversation together.  The Elephant Room is not something for everyone but if you are interested in learning more, the website, The Elephant Room, has more information.

Baby Signing Time

Baby Signing Time is a DVD I have been wanting to watch with Sweetpea and Buddy but was unable to find it at our library.  A great friend found out that we wanted to preview it before buying, loaned me her copy.  Sweetpea, Buddy, and I sat down to watch and it was a great educational movie.
Baby Signing Time is learning DVD to help teach babies and young children various signs using music and actual signing babies.  A little warning to parents, the songs are very catchy.  After watching the DVD once, Buddy was signing several new signs and singing the songs.  The first section is about food and eating which completely sidetracked Sweetpea because as soon as a picture of a banana appeared,she crawled to her highchair and pointed to our bananas.  She spent most of the rest of the movie eating her banana and watching.  She was not very interested until the babies would come on screen and Sweetpea would wave at the screen and say 'hi!'. 
If you are looking for resources to help you teach your child sign language in a fun and engaging manner, I recommend trying Baby Signing Time.  Between the music, the babies who sign, and the host, Rachel Coleman, children will love this movie as a first step into signing.

Veggie Tales: Gideon Tuba Warrior

One of Buddy's favorite movies right now is Gideon Tuba Warrior by Veggie Tales and to be honest it has turned into one of my favorites too.  We've checked this movie out twice now from our church library and each week that Buddy has it, it is the only movie that he wants to watch.  I've been a little disappointed in Veggie Tales lately as I feel that some of the movies lack a clear Biblical message but Gideon Tuba Warrior is awesome. 
The first segment of the movie is about George Mueller and how we should always trust God for everything because He is faithful to provide.  A very Silly Song, "Lance the Turtle", is in the middle and the rest of the movie is the story of Gideon and the impossibly small Israelite army who defeated the huge army of Mideonites. 
Gideon Tuba Warrior is full of funny quips that caught me off guard and made me laugh out loud several times.  I won't spoil them for you, but trust me, this movie is not just for children as I found it very entertaining!  The Silly Song in the movie turns out to be a Ukulele Karaoke with Bob and is as hilarious as the rest of the movie.  Although, I do have to warn you, that "Lance the Turtle" is always stuck in my head after Buddy watches this movie.  The constant theme is to trust God for everything, even when it might not make sense to us.
Buddy asked for a trumpet for Easter and Jon and I found a little plastic trumpet from the store to put in his basket.  Every time that he has watched it since, Buddy has had to have his trumpet with him so he can play along with Gideon to help defeat the Mideonites.  Here is a cute photo of Buddy playing his trumpet.

If you are looking for a fun family movie, I highly recommend Gideon Tuba Warrior for all ages as a reminder to put our trust in God no matter how impossible the situation seems.

The Music Man

Tonight we had another special family night and the movie of choice was the musical, The Music Man with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones.  Buddy loved this movie!  He already has a great ear for music and loves any movie with music so I knew this would be a great choice.  My favorite part tonight was not the actual movie but it was watching Buddy pretend to play a trombone during the song "Seventy-Six Trombones".  He was riveted during all of the musical numbers and then showed Jon and me how to play the tuba, trumpet, and trombone.  All in all, a great memory made!
This is a great family movie that I remember renting and watching several times with my family while growing up.  If you have not watched this movie, I would recommend it but most definitely the 1962 Robert Preston and Shirley Jones version.  I was not a huge fan of the Disney version made in 2003, mainly because the original movie cast made the characters so memorable to me that it was hard to watch a re-made version. 
The enthusiastic joy in the musical numbers and the witty and 'punny' dialogue make for an awesome movie that has put many smiles on my family's faces tonight.

Telescopes and Curious George

Buddy loves to read and watch Curious George.  One of the newest ones that has captured his interest is Curious George Spy Monkey on our Robot Monkey and More Great Gadgets DVD.  In the show, George makes a periscope but Buddy thought it was a telescope.  He has been asking to make a telescope since he saw the episode for the first time.

Buddy finally asked on a day that we were on the last paper towel and I had an "ah-ha!" moment.  I saved the paper towel roll and we made a telescope.  He loves it and has been looking at everything through it.  We've also played a lot of "I Spy" games which has been an easy way to play with him while I am doing the dishes or laundry.

What You Need:
One paper towel roll
One piece of construction paper
colored pencils or crayons
stickers or other decorations
tape
Two rubber bands
Clear plastic wrap

I let Buddy decorate the piece of construction paper.  He colored very enthusiastically on blue paper and was so into coloring he moved onto an orange one. 

I asked which color he wanted for the telescope and he chose orange.  Buddy proceeded to put stickers all over the paper.

For a moment, Buddy had a musical instrument.  I love watching his imagination grow.

I helped Buddy wrap the paper around the roll and tape it together.

This is a picture of the materials used next because I had to help Buddy with this step.  He helped tear a strip of plastic wrap off the roll and we used a rubber band to hold the wrap to each end.

It works!

"I spy a toy!"

This is a simple and easy craft to do with your child on a rainy day!  I think I'll start saving a few of my paper towel rolls for other future spontaneous ideas.