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~ March 2014 ~
Dear Readers,
Happy March! This is one of my favorite months - I love the spring season and the color green. Spring arrives early in my home state of Arizona, where the desert miraculously turns green at this time of year. Nurtured by winter rains, all of the dry dead-looking plants "spring" to life, and the ground is covered with a lush carpet of vegetation.
When I was a girl, Saint Patrick's Day was the one day I could go to school dressed in all green clothing from head to toe. I had a green shirt, green corduroy pants, green hooded jacket, green canvas sneakers, and a shamrock pendant. The other kids would take one look at me and say, "You must be Irish!" and I'd reply, "No, I just like green." :)
Click here to read a devotional article that I wrote about plants, gardening, and the color green.
Featured Article
Homeschooled Authors: Lauren-Kate Stewart and Sydney Campanella
How many kids do you know who have written and published a novel? Homeschoolers and best friends Sydney Campanella and Lauren-Kate Stewart, both 12 years old, have each recently published their second novels!
The books written by these two girls were the result of a weekly homeschool writing class, “Learn to Write the Novel Way
Sydney’s books (The Mysterious Birthday Gift
Both Lauren-Kate and Sydney take piano lessons, enjoy reading, and love animals. Besides writing, Lauren-Kate’s favorite subjects are history and mythology. When she’s not busy doing schoolwork, she enjoys fencing, rock climbing, and exploring the woods with her friends. She has a cat named Fluffy, who was the inspiration for the cat in her stories. Sydney’s favorite subjects are science and writing. She also enjoys hanging out with her friends, playing basketball, and tromping through the woods and creeks around the small horse farm where she lives. Sydney has two cats, Melia and Cinder, and a golden retriever named Sunny.
Sydney has started blogging about the writing process on her website. She’s hoping that these tips will be helpful for other children who are learning to write. Lauren-Kate also has some advice for young authors: “I learned with my first book that writing ‘The End’ is just the beginning of finishing a book. I now know that editing is one of the most important parts of writing a book.” She actually spent more time editing her books than it took to write them.
Sydney and Lauten-Kate each created the cover art for their books with help from their art teacher, Joanna Rissanen. Sydney’s mom assisted with the publishing, and Lauren-Kate’s mom has guided the marketing. The books are available at Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina; online at Amazon.com
Lauren-Kate’s mother says, “The girls have worked really hard on their writing, editing and websites. They get so excited when they see visits to their websites from different states and countries. Please take a look and pass their information along to others. I’m hoping that maybe they can get visits from every state and maybe a few other countries. Receiving comments on their websites is very exciting for them as well if you’re inclined!”
Sydney and Lauren-Kate are already hard at work on their third novels. To learn more about these girls, read their stories on The Global Girls Project website:
"Creative Confidence," by Lauren-Kate Stewart
"Envisioning My Dream," by Sydney Campanella
Book(s) of the Month
Spring is a great time for getting outdoors and studying nature. This Spring why not create a wildlife habitat for birds, butterflies, and other creatures in your yard! My fully illustrated Gardening for Wildlife e-book will walk you through the process step by step. 28-pages ~ only $4.95!
This study guide contains a biography of the famous homeschooled patriot as well as vocabulary, discussion questions, writing questions, research questions, an overview of rhetorical techniques and literary devices, additional assignments and study questions. Includes a copy of “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.” Practice your oratory skills by reciting it on March 23, the anniversary of Patrick Henry's famous speech. Makes a great Language Arts or American History unit study! 18 pages ~ only $4.95!
Famous Homeschoolers
To celebrate Women's History Month which honors the great contributions that women have made in history, I've written a tribute to Rose Wilder Lane, the daughter of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder. I was always a fan of the Little House books and TV series, but it wasn't until my adult years that I discovered what a fascinating and adventurous life Rose led herself. Besides being a writer and world traveler, she was one of the "founding mothers" of the Libertarian movement. Actually, it's quite uncanny how the politics at that time parallel those of today. You will see what I mean when you read Rose Wilder Lane's biography.
Reading Between the Lines
Not to be confused with the upcoming Russell Crowe movie by the same name, Noah is a new documentary from Ray Comfort’s Living Waters ministry, producers of the award-winning 180 and Evolution vs. God.
Ray Comfort wrote on his Facebook page, “Noah is the first movie we have done about prophecy. The reason we produced it is because the future is coming for all of us, and that’s frightening if you are unsaved. So we have pulled together what is called mainline prophecies of the Bible.”
In Noah, Comfort highlights ten signs of the end of the age, offering “indisputable evidence” that we are living in the last days. People have been saying that for years, of course, but this film does give food for thought. It could happen tomorrow, or ten years from now, we don’t know. All the more reason to get right with God while you still can.
Comfort explains, “While respected Bible scholars may disagree on the timing of some of the signs, they all agree on one thing…that Jesus Christ is coming again. The Scriptures say that no one knows the hour nor the day, but they are very specific about the fearful way in which He will return.”
In the time of Noah, people were busy going about their daily lives, not mindful of their impending destruction. Like them, are we ignoring warnings of God’s coming judgment? The Bible gives us clear signs of the last days. Did you know the Scriptures say we will see:
- Flippant use of God’s name
- Money-hungry preachers and rampant hypocrisy in the church
- Wars and rumors of wars
- Acceptance of homosexuality
- Denial of a global flood
I’m sure it’s no accident that Ray Comfort’s Noah is being released to coincide with the feature-length Noah movie starring Russell Crowe. The Hollywood film has many Christians concerned after test screenings showed that it is unbiblical in a number of ways. Apparently even the producer and director were at odds over the latter’s major use of creative liberties.
Paramount Pictures announced on February 12 that director Darren Aronofsky’s version, not any of the studio’s alternate versions, would be the final cut. However, the movie will now display an “explanatory message” on all of its marketing materials explaining that the film is not a literal presentation of Scripture. The disclaimer states:
The film is inspired by the story of Noah. While artistic license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values, and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide.
Ray Comfort begs to differ, saying that Hollywood’s Noah movie “strays so far from the Biblical account... they have shown that they have no respect for Christians and Jews, by painting Noah as a psychopath. Taking ‘poetic license’ on this story further erodes the public’s perception of the Biblical account–and of the Bible in general.”
So if you prefer the REAL Noah of the Bible, be sure to watch Comfort’s Noah film. It will be freely released to YouTube on March 28, 2014, the same day as Hollywood’s Noah opens in theaters. But if you would like to help Living Waters Ministry recoup the costs of making this video, you can purchase and download an advance copy right now.
When you download the Noah documentary for $19.99, you will get a free downloadable Companion Guide containing further arguments for the Ark and the worldwide Flood, plus a special message by Ken Ham, “Creation and the Last Days” ($12.99 value). Here’s the website: www.noahthemovie.com.
Learning Links
Pi Day Activities (Pi Day is March 14. A great day to learn math facts while eating pizza and pie!)
Saint Patrick's Day (Saint Patrick's Day, March 17th, is a national Irish holiday honoring Saint Patrick, the missionary credited with converting all the people of Ireland to Christianity in the 5th century.)
Think Green (A devotional article for Spring.)
Albert Einstein Biography (This famous mathematician was born on Pi Day! A self-educated genius who did poorly in school, his real studies were done at home.)
Robert Frost Biography (Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874. He was educated at home and also taught his own children at home.)
Patrick Henry Biography (Tutored by his father and uncle, Patrick Henry grew up to be an eloquent orator. He was the one who demanded that the Bill of Rights be added to the U.S. Constitution to limit its power more strictly, and to guarantee the protection of basic individual liberties.)
Freebie of the Month
"Give Me Liberty or Death" Speech - Print this out and practice your oratory skills by reciting it on March 23, the anniversary of Patrick Henry's famous speech.
(Requires Adobe Reader: click here for free download.)
Quote of the Month
"With still a week of winter, this wearing of the green seems rather out of season - it's rushing things, I mean. But maybe March is better when all is done and said: St Patrick brings a promise, a four-leaf-clover promise, a green-all-over promise of springtime just ahead!" ~Aileen Fisher, "Wearing of the Green"
A Note From Teri...
Here's an Irish Blessing for you...
“May flowers line your path and sunshine light your day.
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue.
And may happiness fill your heart every day your whole life through.”
Happy Homeschooling!
P.S. Did you like this month's newsletter?
