Children's Homer Report and "The Little Engine That Could"

Week of February 3 thru 9, 2013:


The Children's Homer

Jaden and I finished reading The Children's Homer together, and Jaden subsequently wrote a book report on it.  It was his first book report, so I decided not to give him a really hard time about the briefness of it and lack of detail.  It was around this time (perhaps shortly afterward) that he suddenly changed his stance of hating writing to liking it, so I'm happy about that, and I'm happy that he at least did what he did on it without complaint.  He was awarded afterward with something of his choice, which ended up being a boxed macaroni (something I rarely buy otherwise), namely Annie's Homegrown shells and cheese. 

Jaden William's first book report WRITTEN by him (as opposed to "wrote")

William's report cracked me up, as I'm sure it will you.  He didn't like the first section (which would have been based on The Illiad).  I like the part that is based on The Odyssey much better myself, but there were some good learning lessons in both parts.

There was much to learn about: humility/humbleness, wisdom (probably this above all), loyalty, faithfulness and hope, kindness, respect, prayer, love, endurance, obedience, and more.

Odysseus greatly valued wisdom and was greatly known for being wise.  He also showed great humbleness, faith, respect, and love.  He received good instruction.  He was loyal to his wife back home in Ithaca, even when he found himself trapped for many years on the island of the nymph Calypso who promised him immortality and forever youthfulness if he agreed to marry her, refusing because of his great love for his wife and son.  Odysseus endured through many great trials for twenty long years total, even after he came within sight of his own land and yet blew far away again for several years.  He was kind to his men and to those who were hosts to him, showing respect and honor due people.  He prayed to Zeus (the greatest of the Greek gods) and to Athene (goddess of wisdom). 

The prayers to the various gods opened up a good opportunity to explain to Jaden about how pagan cultures prayed to various gods and goddesses based on what was important to them and how gods of agriculture and war have been especially important to men and goddesses of fertility and love have been important to women.  I also explained how the Great Whore (Catholic Church), in spiritually fornicating with paganism, teaches prayers to various "saints" in belief that they receive eternal and immortal life upon death and reside in Heaven.  Just as the pagans believed in praying to various gods based on circumstances, devoted Catholics pray to various saints of this and that with "the Virgin Mary" as the highest.  We also reviewed how there are indeed many gods, as "angels" and whatever immortal creatures the Creator placed into existence and mankind are called gods in the holy scriptures and that "god" or "God" simply means a great, powerful, intelligent being.  That is why the bible specifies that the Holy Father in Heaven is the "Most High God." The Son who is the Christ/Messiah is also a God being, and all those in the human family who end up being rewarded eternal life will be reborn as God beings, all being sons of the Most High and brethren to the Firstborn the Lord.

Odysseus' son Telemachus also endured trials and kept hopeful that his father would return home. He obeyed the goddess Athene when she agreed to help him.  Penelope, Odysseus's wife also was faithful, loyal, and enduring.  She loved Odysseus and refused to marry any of the suitors who went to her house each day to order their servants around and eat Odysseus' substance up.  She and Telemachus also demonstrated a certain amount of wisdom.

There was a good lesson in loyal servitude in the story.  Odysseus, upon his return, was disguised as an old beggar by Athena.  Besides other reasons, this happened to be useful in determining which of his servants remained loyal and which ones were disloyal.  Just a few of his slaves were righteous and missed Odysseus who had been so good to them, hating to serve the suitors.  Several others were evil servants who hated Odysseus and sided with the suitors, not caring that they were wasting Odysseus' substance.  I don't think the evil servants were spared...

So it will be in God's Kingdom as well.  As for I, I'm more than willing to promise complete servitude to my Lord throughout eternity.  I think I will end up getting a pretty good deal, way more than I deserve.  I'm very happy to serve my lord husband during this temporary journey here in a body of flesh, and he's not perfect.  How much better of a deal to serve my Lord now and all through eternity.  He's already treated me well and fully expect it to be so forever afterward.

" Book of the Week"

I started a "book of the week."  This is mainly for Trusten and Liv, but Jaden still likes to listen to me read stories sometimes, and he participates in the Sabbath scriptures.  Now back when Jaden was Trusten's and Liv's ages and even before, I read a LOT of books to him each and every day.  We'd read the same books over and over and over again, and then he'd finally want some different book or books, and we'd read it/them over and over and over.  He sat with me before he was even a year old and listened to me read and looked at pictures.  He also learned a lot of the ASL signs I taught him this way (he signed over 200 ASL signs on a regular basis before the age of two). He loved books from the beginning.

The same hasn't been true of Trust and Liv.  They are a different variety.  Trusten finally started liking books enough to sit and listen to a portion of them maybe a couple years ago, but it's only been more recently that he has enjoyed sitting through a whole story book (he's also learning how to read).  Liv is the same way.  At nearly 3.5 she is still hopping down and running away sometimes before the entire book is read.  And as for the scripture reading...well, I know she's getting some of it, but I don't expect her to sit with us during all of that.  She has been good to sit through the whole storybooks more lately, though.  

I do a lot teaching through analogies and parables, as by nature I'm a very analytical person and like to draw examples and parallels from nature and the scriptures.  I've already done a lot of this throughout everyday discussions and while reading books.  It sometimes takes a long time to read through certain things, because I'll stop at certain points and elaborate, especially when I think it requires it for their understanding. 

Then my friend Chel told me she really thought I'd like the program "Five in a Row" by Fiar.  I'm familiar with it, because she has used it for years.  Yes, I like that type of learning, and I have already done similar things to an extent in that I'll sometimes use things from here and there to theme things together and do fun things on the side to go with it. But I don't have any interest in getting that curriculum.  But I did come up with a new idea.

Of course I'm a free person, so I may or may not choose to stick with this.  But I started "Book of the Week."  I don't have to read the book five days in a row, but I do at least read it two or three times in a week, perhaps watch fun videos to go along with it, eat fun snacks, or do related projects, BUT the main partner to this is the Sabbath scripture study.  It really doesn't matter to me WHAT the book is, because I enjoy the challenge of teaching biblical lessons from ANYTHING.  I seriously can draw from just about everything that comes along in daily life, all through the day, and books are no exception.  I do hide God's Word in my heart, so I can quote scripture on the spot, and I usually do a good job of immediately turning to where something is in the bible.  So this is a FUN thing for me, too.

So the first book is...

The Little Engine That Could

Trusten with The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

 
Many know the story of the engine carrying the dolls and toys and all the good food to eat for the good little boys and girls on the other side of the mountain.  The train breaks down, and the engine and all the dolls and toys were sad.  The positive-minded clown kept everyone's spirits up with his faith, and he asked for help from approaching engines.  The luxurious and shiny passenger engine was too proud to pull kiddie stuff over the mountain, as was the big freight engine who boasted about carrying printed things for adults to read.  The dingy old engine who was greeted as "kind" by the clown exhibited a negative attitude, expressing that he was just too weary and "could not, could not, could not" help.  Then along comes the little blue engine who was only used to switch around trains.  The aspect of towing the broken down engine over the mountain seemed insurmountable, but the little blue engine was full of faith and confidence, as well as kindness.  She hitched the broken down engine carrying all the yummy apples, oranges, bottles of milk, lollipops, spinach, and peppermints and various dolls and toys to hers and over the mountain she went with a "I think I can, I think I can" attitude, and though it wasn't easy, she was successful and was able to go down the other side with a joyful "I thought I could, I thought I could."

I chose scriptures dealing with various bad pride, then weariness in doing good and lack of faith, concluded by a positive lesson on kindness, faith, etc.

And the kids happily sat down to a large snack of fruit, milk, and lollipops.

Until next time...