How To Make Apple Cider Vinegar And It's Many Uses

Here we are with Destiny and Danielle making raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar.  This is so easy and costs you nothing.  Well, nothing you really have to buy.  When we eat apples, we save the cores in a bag in the refrigerator.  When we have enough, we make the vinegar.  Please get organic apples because they are heavily sprayed with harmful chemicals.

All you need is:

A glass jar

Apples (cores, peels, or whole apple)

water

coffee filter or napkin

rubber band

another glass jar for your finished cider

How to do it:

Simply let apple cores or peels brown a little by leaving them out for a short while.  Since we keep ours in the refrigerator, they are a little brown already.  Place them all in the jar and fill the jar with filtered water.  Make sure there is a little room left at the top of the jar.

Cover with napkin and fasten with rubber bank.  Leave it for about a month (longer if the weather is cold about 6 weeks).  After a month, drain the liquid into your other glass jar.  Congratulations, you've just made raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

Apple Cider Vinegar is a must in any natural home.  It is anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-septic.  It kills 98% of all germs.

Some health benefits are:

What are the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar?

 

* Rich in potassium, a mineral that is often times lacking in adult diets. This mineral is key for growth, building muscles, transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity etc. It also helps to prevent brittle teeth, hair loss and runny noses.

 

* Rich in acetic acid. This acid is said to slow the digestion of starch which can help to lower the rise in glucose that commonly occurs after meals.

 

* Rich in ash which gives Apple Cider Vinegar its alkaline property. This aids your body in maintaining proper pH levels for a healthy alkaline state. (It is particularly important if you drink a lot of coffee or wine.)

 

* It can help regulate blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol.

 

* Rich in malic acid which gives ACV its anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

 

* May help improve bowel irregularity and helps to remove toxins from the body at a faster rate.

 

* It can help clear up skin conditions and blemishes.

 

* Apple Cider Vinegar helps with weight loss by breaking down fats so that your body can use them rather than store them.

These are just a few of it's many wonderful uses:

 

1. Reduces body fat, particularly that pesky abdominal fat, and triglycerides (the bad cholesterol).

 

2. Balance your pH levels to bust fatigue and keep your energy levels up.

 

3. Improve circulation.

 

4. Detoxify the liver and kidneys.

 

5. Break down mucus and cleanse the lymph nodes to heal allergy symptoms. Also gets rid of nasty side effects such as headaches, sore throats, and sinus infections.

 

6. Strengthen your stomach acid and prevent acid reflux and heartburn from junk food.

 

Helpful tip: Drink it with a straw to keep it away from the enamel on your teeth.

 

You can also incorporate apple cider vinegar into your beauty routine:

 

7. Increase the body and shine of your hair by running a cup of ACV through it after shampooing a few times a week. It’s great for removing build-up and restoring your hair to its natural state. Don’t worry – if you rinse well, you won’t smell like vinegar.

 

8. Fade age spots and kill acne by using apple cider vinegar as a skin toner. Dilute it a bit with some water, then soak a cotton ball in it and rub it all over your face before bed.

 

9. Treat warts or ringworm by soaking a cotton ball in ACV, placing it on the affected area, and securing it with a band aid. Leave it on overnight and repeat this until the wart dries up and falls off.

 

10. Heal a sunburn fast by adding adding a cup of ACV to warm bath water and soaking in it for 10-20 minutes. When I did this I rubbed coconut oil all over my sunburn after the bath and it worked wonders.

 

11. Whiten your teeth by brushing with ACV before brushing with toothpaste. Don’t do this often to avoid wearing away the enamel. (Admin Note: Use only Non-Fluoride Toothpaste – All Natural is best)

 

12. Relieve itchy mosquito bites by rubbing a cotton ball soaked with ACV over the affected area.

 

Clean your home and pets with apple cider vinegar:

 

13. Clean your toilet with apple cider vinegar by dumping a cup into the bowl, letting it sit overnight, scrubbing it clean in the morning, and flushing.

 

14. Create an all-purpose apple cider vinegar cleaner by adding half cup ACV and 1 cup water to a spray bottle. Use it to clean microwaves, kitchen counters, bath tiles, windows, mirrors, shower scum, and other non-porous surfaces. This is one of my go-to ways for quickly wiping down the bathroom. I also had a grand idea the other day for reusing a Clorox Disinfecting Wipes tube – add this solution to the empty tube, stuff some rags in there, and grab one when it’s time for a quick clean up. Much cheaper than the store-bought wipes.

 

15. Add a tablespoon or two to your dishwasher for extra clean and sparkly dishes. I don’t have a dishwasher, but when I soak my dishes before washing I add a little ACV to the mix to help break down food residue.

What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

 

Vinegar is a product of fermentation. This is a process in which sugars in a food are broken down by bacteria and yeast. In the first stage of fermentation, the sugars are turned into alcohol. Then, if the alcohol ferments further, you get vinegar. The word comes from the French, meaning “sour wine.” While vinegar can be made from all sorts of things — like many fruits, vegetables, and grains — apple cider vinegar comes from pulverized apples.

 

The main ingredient of apple cider vinegar, or any vinegar, is acetic acid. However, vinegars also have other acids, vitamins, mineral salts, and amino acids.

 

 

 

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Homeschool Help: What Does a “Lifestyle of Learning” Look Like?

 

Again, the Boyer's advise on homeschooling our talented children have been very helpful.   My very adventurous girl will do her homework in the great outdoors and actually do it!  she is one of those who would hate to have to sit and be stuck indoors, rain or shine.

Here is Marilyn again  (here is the last post about A Life style of learning)

We must remember that the school classroom functions as it does NOT because that has been found to be the superior method of education, but because that is the only option for mass-producing students. It contradicts, in fact, the evidence that children learn best in a realistic, life-like setting, with hands-on experience.

As John Taylor Gatto reminds:

“It is absurd and anti-life to move from cell to cell at the sound of a gong for every day of your natural youth in an institution that allows you no privacy and even follows you into the sanctuary of your home demanding that you do its ‘homework.’

‘How will they learn to read?’…When children are given whole lives instead of age-graded ones in cellblocks they learn to read, write, and do arithmetic with ease if those things make sense in the kind of life that unfolds around them.”  From Why Schools Don’t Educate

So, what does a “lifestyle of learning” look like from day to day? Different for every family. But, upon many requests, I thought I’d offer some practical ways to encourage your child to utilize his curiosity about his world. The ideas are really endless. I’d love to hear YOURS!

• Simply expose them. To books, to conversation, to places, to people, to animals, to cooking, to building, to nature. We simply cannot underestimate a child’s ability to take in, process and store information–something inherent at birth. This begins at birth and the fewer distractions like TV or phones, the better for motivating them to learn about their world.

 

• Listen and watch. A child learns things best in the context of what interests him. Find out what that is, give him experiences around his interests and then look to see the learning opportunities. For example, my 8-year-old son loves building things and he loves large machines. And by “love” I mean he’s obsessed. We have let him build a playhouse (with a little help from Sis), supervising his use of the saw and nail gun. It has taken quite a bit of thought about measurements and angles and my husband has been able to really show him the importance of “squaring” the frame, etc. It’s an excellent exercise in problem-solving. That geometry makes sense to him whereas if I handed him a geometry worksheet right now he wouldn’t have a clue.

• Bait the house with books. This is my favorite. I leave books on art, science, animals and other subjects lying around and sometimes an older child will pick it up and become absorbed and even begin to read and explain it to a younger one. Or when someone crawls up beside me, I open it and start reading. I just ordered a set of “Nature Friend” magazines from Ebay and I’m excited to see how they like those too.

• Let them learn from other people. Do you have friends or family who have a particular trade or skill? Would they mind some of your children hanging out to observe? If that isn’t an option, there are great videos that teach different skills for children who show interest.

• Build vocabulary naturally. Being intentional about the words we use with our children is the best way to build their vocabulary. Random words on a worksheet are much harder to memorize than if they learn the word in context of life and language. Conversation is the best way to improve communication skills. Something, in our technologically-filled lives, that takes deliberate attention.

• Focus on the traits that matter. Any time you research for “most important qualities of a successful person” or “qualities employers look for”, or something similar, the results that turn up always focus on character and NEVER include test scores or degrees. Do we take that to heart and intentionally teach and train character? Communication skills, problem-solving, and integrity rank at the top of almost every list.

LIVE. That’s the way to a superior education. Here is part of our check list, academically speaking:

1. Can they write well, speak well and convey their thoughts well? What are some activities that will facilitate these?


2. Are they numerate? Do they know how to handle numbers, do they understand fractions and how to work out number problems? As they get older, do they know how money works, do they understand debt and interest and budgeting? Very important.


3. Can they type?


4. Do they have a good grasp of history and the workings of the government? We especially want them to read biographies from great men and women of the past.


5. Are they exposed to art in a variety of forms, and music? (If they show giftedness/interest, are we doing what we can to help them excel?)


6. Do they have a heavy dose of common sense?

Charge ahead with confidence!

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A Different Way To Homeschool: A LifeStyle Of Learning

I have a daughter who loves to learn just about anything.  Here she is flying an airplane in this plane simulator.  Life is so interesting to her except when she is sitting down on a desk and asked to do some copywork.  Well, when you're 7 or 8 years old, who wants to do that, when you can be out on a beautiful day learning about how a goat births her kids?  I went to Government schools where I was very good at sitting down and doing everything my teachers said.  Now, I have had to unlearn that this is the way you learn things.  Not so, most children are naturally explorers and are given to us with a natural love for learning.  We must be careful to not spoil it by purchasing all these expensive homeschool curriculums and expecting they follow the rigid schedule and not miss a day because they might not learn or be at the same academic level as public school kids.  Take a big breath.  Aaaahhhh, teaching has never been so much fun with my older daughter as I dropped continuous assignments.  Every year I got more and more flexible with the homeschool schedule that I don't even have it scheduled. 

Our homeschool rule is:  If there is nothing more exciting or interesting going on, then we'll sit down and do some school work.  Well, this is hardly the case.  There seems to always be something more educational going on like, attending to our vegetable garden, picking up two little birds that fell from their nest, watching the goat birth twin kids, talking to visitors, walking to a creek, building a little boat, doing art, selling craigslist items, acting out Bible stories, writing letters to Christians in Prison, cooking, excavating for dinasour fossils, singing, playing piano, helping Dad, working on our family business.....When we are not doing this, my kids favorite time indoors with Mom is to read real living books about historical biographies, God's creation, inspirational stories and of course The Scriptures.

Here is an excellent guide by the Boyer family who have gone before us and from whom I have learned a lot:

(Guest post by Marilyn Boyer of Character Concepts)

One thing I have learned?from one of my struggling learners is that unless some children?want?to learn, they just won’t apply themselves to do it. Unless they?have a desire to learn something, it’s extremely hard for some of them to be able to concentrate and focus.

Some kids are motivated and know what they have to do, set their own goals and get it done.?Other children, however, need to understand why learning is important in order to apply themselves.

If you have a child like this, train yourself to study him and see what matters to to him the most. Then, look for a way to apply what you are trying to teach him to something that he cares about.

For instance, if you are trying to teach handwriting skills and your child just doesn’t care if he writes neatly, let him write something that’s important, like a letter to the editor of the newspaper.

Letters to the editor are one of the most highly read sections of the newspaper, and we found editors love to publish letters written by kids, because it’s so unusual to have a child care enough to write.

Have your child read about an issue and write a letter to be read by thousands of people he can potentially influence. Suddenly, he will care about handwriting, grammar, spelling and communication skills.

If he struggles with math, find a use for that skill you are trying to teach. For example, if you are teaching percentages, go to a sale, let him figure out how much off you are getting on deals, or let him bake a pie and cut it up to learn fractions.

For a boy who loves to build, buy him some wood and let him use measurements to build a bookcase or birdhouse. If your child is interested in airplanes, but not in geometry, let them see the plans the Wright Bros. drew up to make their first glider. These examples are examples of projects I have actually done with my kids.

Find creative ways to apply what you teach, by connecting learning with your kids’ passions, and see if that doesn’t make a huge difference in how they learn.

If you are teaching skills for writing a paper, let your child choose the topic, whether it is about the Tuskegee Airmen or hunting white-tailed deer.

Let your children make bread and sell it, raise chickens, sell the eggs and learn about accounting and small business.

This is the beauty of home education- being able to customize your teaching to your unique child!?I admit, it takes some reprogramming on the part of you, the mom, because we do things the way we’ve seen them done, the way they were taught to us in school. But remember, if there is a better way for your child to learn, climb out of the box and train yourself to enjoy learning with your children!

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Learning Aviation History the Fun Way

This weekend was a tremendous learning experience for the whole family at our local area Air Exposition.  We had previously learned of the remarkably story of the Wright Brothers.  In an age where computers didn't exist, nor public libraries, no internet, yet these young men persevered and never stopped furthering the vision of flight.  How did they arrived at the flying model?  Observing God's creation, bird's feathers.



This exploration took us this Saturday to ride a Hot Air balloon.



Danielle took a helicopter and an airplane ride.  Destiny and Danielle went on an airplane cockpit simulator where they got to sit and move the controls.  Noah explored a helicopter, made a little wood airplane craft and enjoyed sitting in an old airplane cockpit.  We have an air museum close to our town and they have an Air Show every year.  The Northern California Beach Boys fly their airplanes in some common difficult formations and the pilots donate their planes and time to inspire the young into aviation.We sure walked away with lots of learning, history and unforgettable fun.

Learn about Aviation history and mechanics:

The Wright Brothers

How airplanes work

How Hot Air Balloons work

How Helicopters work

Fun cardboard airplane for your little ones.Why learn how to fly?  Danielle was so excited that she got to go on a helicopter and an airplane.  Now,  they are motivated to learn how to fly.  I explained to them how valuable it is to know.

1.  You can fly in case of an emergency

2.  You can fly to places where going on foot is difficult to reach people with the Gospel

3.  You can teach your children

4.  You can help your husband

5.  You won't be afraid to get behind that cockpit if it ever comes a time

Whether they ever learn how to fly or not, expanding the horizons of learning and having real reasons why will make learning more meaningful.

You might have somethings like this put together in your area.

What are some other local activities you participate in?

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How To Make Dolls Clothes From Mismatched Socks

From Little Homemakers in Training.  Encouraging our daughters to make their own dolls clothes is excellent for their creativity in design and caring for their dolls, thus practicing their motherly gift.
Danielle's Creativity:

"My aunt gave us a bag with mismatched baby socks. I have a little baby doll that didn't have clothes, only one dress. So I got the idea to make some baby clothes for it from the socks. My sister, Destiny, also gave a whole bunch of her mismatched socks.

You need:
Safety pinsscissors
Cute mismatched socks

How to do it:
Cut the sock from the toes area and make whole for the head.
On the sides of the the toes end area cut two smaller wholes for the arms.
Try it on your doll. Use different sock sizes for bigger dolls.



I found that my Mom's kitchen scissors work best for me. Maybe because I am left handed.



I am so happy my baby has more clothes now because I like changing them. Here is my baby doll with a rag doll my Mom made for me.

 

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Family Fun With A Cardboard Box

The funnest and most inexpensive toy in the world is a big or small cardboard box.

The house in front of us was being remodeled and I noticed some appliance boxes in the front.  I asked if I could have them and it soon became the favorite adventure for weeks to come.  They children will become creative in what they want to turn it into and then designing it.  Here are some of the benefits of getting a "free" cardboard box for your kids.

1.  It encourages creativity,

2. Engineering skills in designing it,

3. Bonding with each other as siblings as they play together,

4. Bonding with parents as they work together  to make the pretend play,

5. Money saver,

6. So much fun and much more!

This particular box was a kitchen at one point.  Then it became a house to come to visit.  The next week, it was a food stand, then a camping tent.  It got so wilted that it ended up in the garage because we were too sad to part with it.  It remained there until out it went.



 

 

Here are some cardboard box ideas that you can create with things around the house. Perfect for a rainy day! From: http://boysgerms.com.au/?s=cardboard+box

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The Home: A Place of Economics - Part 9

I really want to inspire women to come back home and make it their center for economic affairs.  It can be their source, not a sacrifice.  I wish to debunk the myths about why a woman needs to work outside the home to make it financially and bring in another paycheck.  Although I do not know every situation, impossible and by all means, God is in control of every one of our lives, I would take the topic biblically.  You take your situation to the Lord.  Hopefully, husband will also do all he can to have wife at home.

1. Every member of the family is a contributor

No free riders here.  So many teenagers have been so spoiled with their parents providing everything for them without asking anything in return.  The teen earns some money for his own pleasure.  The young adult starts work for his own interests as well.  Of course, each child can save for personal expenses, but the family has one bank account.  We are so used to seeing each other very individualistic that we have forgotten that we are part of a family unit.  We all work together toward the same goal.

It was well said of years past that the bigger the family the better well off they were financially because each member of the family contributed to the family economics.

It is important that children are trained to understand about bills and being resourceful.  They can contribute by being conservative in consuming utilities.  They should also have work assigned to them that they are responsible for.  I tell my kids everyday, “if you don’t work, you don’t eat.”  Even before breakfast, they have had to do some type of work I assign for each of them.  We don’t give allowance because we don’t believe in free money.  We earn it by working.  If the children want something, they find ways to make money.  Of course, we also give gifts.  We love giving gifts but the gifts are well thought out for a purpose.

Training the children to contribute

At our home, I hold tea parties on a weekly basis.  We call them entrepreneurial tea parties.  After preparing the yummy dainties together and learning manners and respectable behavior, I also tell them in advance to bring all their business ideas.  I write them on a board to brainstorm.  We are impregnated with ideas, tons of them.  We are always pretty busy working on something.  Our home is a booming place of industry.   I like instilling in the children an entrepreneurial spirit.  They get creative and really start going on what we can make to sale and services we can provide.  It is really fun.  It changes their thinking from expecting Dad to be the sole income provided to everyone being actively at it.  We are a six-income household.  That’s right even baby is included in businesses.  Our little Liberty makes great photography poses.

What Can Mom Do?

At this point of my life, I am consumed with the training of my little people.  So I inspire them in business endeavourers and help them make it a reality.  It is part of our home education.  We make things together and sell them.   I also help my husband in whatever I can.  I am overwhelmed by the potential we have at home to generate income.  All we need is creativity.  Other things we can do is to save, stretch the money that comes in.  Practicing frugality doesn’t mean living cheap; far from it.  Many times being frugal for us means living healthier.

Trusting in the Lord for our finances

I have experienced the hand of God on our lives as we have chosen to obey His Word about being a keeper at home, taking the responsibility of training our children, and being a helper to my husband, not some other man at work.  We have had no income for over three years now and we have lacked nothing.  In fact, God has provided over abundantly many times.  We don’t know where our food is going to come next month.  How are we going to pay our bills?  It is interesting that the Lord gave us all four of our children in the times of lack.  When my husband was laid off, our firstborn came.  Then his business close and the last two were born.  During these last three and a half years, we have story after story of God’s Providences over our lives.

I am not the only one to have this testimony.  I know others, and have heard of miracles God has done as mothers decide to stay home and raise their children.  Even single mothers have been able to do it in various creative ways.

If you work outside the home and have a longing to come back home to be with your children and really be a helpmeet to your husband, pray, pray, pray.  God will meet you according to your faith.  He is Faithful.

Do you have fears or concerns? 

If you have creative ideas to share I would love to create a community where we help each other generate sources of income to bless our family and others.

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Friday Family Fun: Free Play In The Great Outdoors

What child doesn't like to be an explorer in nature?  I remember when I was a child; I loved hiking.  Anything to be surrounded by trees, bubbling streams, bugs, the sound of birds and the gentle breeze were my favorite and still are.  Who said you have to grow up from some things?  This week my children were so happy because we discovered a running river at the end of the property we live in.  It is surrounded by nature, tall trees, birds, sand, all sorts of beautiful and interesting rocks, bugs, flowers, and herbs to learn about.  They can't wait to go  for this exploration walk daily now.  The education they can get by just being in nature is really endless.  By observing the surroundings, we talked about the evidence of a flood that happened.  This led us talk about the geological evidence of Noah's world wide flood.



Then there was the water.  Well, children and water go together.  I tried to refrain them because, I wasn't prepared with clothes, towels, etc.  and I was concern of "germs", ha, ha!  "Just try not to get wet".  As you can guess, we came back home soaked.

 



Children need to have a daily dose of free play outside.  Aside from getting their sun kissed Vitamin D, it allows the to interact with their environment.  They build their physical strength, and encourages to use creativity to solve problems.  I can see their minds turning and coming up with all sorts of adventures.  Danielle started building a raft to cross to the other side.  Noah was fishing with a stick he picked up.  Destiny was fascinated finding interesting rocks that she believed were washed up and deposited here as a result of Noah's flood.  She noticed the layers on the rocks and said they told the story of the Grand Canyon.

Then there is the beach.  Oh, the sand!  Noah and Destiny would run to the sand and roll on it laughing like  saying, "here I am, I missed you".  There is not much to the beach: sand and water.  But my children say that God thought of children when He made it.  They can spend there all day and never get tired.  They get cold, itchy from the salty water and we eat our food with sand all over.  As much as I try to prevent the sand from invading our food, I've not been successful.



 

Then there is the marvelous snow.  How blessed we are here in California, to have all these three, the mountains, the beach and the snow, so close.  It is amazing how they don't get cold.



The best way to kill the creativity in children is to keep them indoors.  No doubt there is a lot we can do indoors to encourage creativity, but there is no comparison.  That is why even in my busy schedule, I make the effort to take the adventure walk in nature with my children.  I get my exercise in, my vitamin D from the sun, homeschooling done by studying what we find, and release stress by enjoying the breeze, birds, and the calmness that comes being surrounded by the giggles of children and nature.  And then, I am so glad I did.



 

I like educating all day long.  And these nature walks are excellent.  We can do scavenger hunts, paleontology excavations, study rocks, recognize wild herbs and their medicinal properties, geology and rock formation, botany, physical laws with water, skipping rocks, collect bugs, interesting specimen we can look under our microscope, build bridges, fish and cook it over a campfire, etc.  The spiritual lessons are always tied because God is the Creator.  This has given my children a love for learning.

Do you take nature walks with your children?  What are some of the ideas you have for this free play?

 

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Family Fire Preparedness! How To Start A Fire

With all the chaos and uncertainty going on in our country.  It is now so essential that we prepare our homes and family for any emergency.  A wise woman would be prepared and "smile at the days to come".  At our home, we have taken aside one day a week to plan, brainstorm, learn and add something more to our emergency preparedness.  Our hearts go ut for the families who have lost loved ones and the thousands who were stranded as a result.  What if that happened here?  Are we ready?

So, this weekend, we are spending sometime starting a fire.  What child doesn't like that.  Be careful when you instruct this to your children that you mention strictly and seriously the boundaries about starting a fire.  Along the way give a powerful lesson about the tongue being like a small fire that can devour a forest.

Hopefully, in an emergency we are loaded with matches, not wet, or a lighter. We also carry with us in our emergency back pack a flint and steel.  Dad, has taught us how to use it.  Here are other ways, just in case, we are trying.

 SCIENCE FRICTION: FIVE FIRE-MAKING METHODS from www.boyslife.com

Most experienced Scouts know how to start a fire without a lighter or matches. Do you? When lost in the wilderness, being able to make a fire can be a lifesaver, both to signal your location and to use for warmth and cooking. Here are five ways to start a small fire in an emergency.

Before you attempt to start a fire, you must have tinder and kindling materials available and understand how to use them. Many people fail to start fires even when they have good matches! A fire is built in stages. You first need to cause a small spark to ignite your tinder, small dry items like tissue paper, dead grass, twigs, leaves, lint or even paper money. Blow on the tinder carefully, so it stays lit and grows into a larger fire. Then carefully add kindling—sticks, branches or thick paper—to keep the fire going. Once the kindling is burning, you can add larger logs or other fuel.

METHOD 1: MAKE A FIRE PLOW

What You’ll Need:

• Hard stick with a blunted tip
• Flat piece of wood
• Tinder
• Kindling
• Knife or sharp-edged rock

What You’ll Do:

Using the knife or sharp rock, scratch a straight indentation in the center of the flat piece of wood about the same width as the blunt stick. Arrange the tinder so air can easily circulate, and set it at the foot of the piece of wood. Then, in a kneeling position, hold the flat piece of wood between your knees at an angle and move the stick rapidly back and forth in the indentation until friction ignites the fibers of tinder at the base. Mix in more tinder material and fan the smoke until a small fire starts. To keep the fire going, carefully add kindling material.

METHOD 2: SPARK GENERATION

What You’ll Need:

• Knife or steel
• Sharp-edged rocks
• Tinder
• Kindling

What You’ll Do:

Use this method with very dry tinder material in a secluded, non-windy environment. Depending on what items are available, strike two rocks together to create a small spark close to tinder material. If a spark catches the tinder, you will see a glow. Carefully blow on it so it turns into a small flame. Fan the material until it starts to smoke and burn. If you have an item made of steel, like a knife, scrape it against various rocks until a spark appears.

METHOD 3: MAKE FIRE WITH A LENS

If it’s bright and sunny, it’s possible to use a lens to focus the heat of the sun on tinder material and start a fire.

What You’ll Need:

• Lens (from eyeglasses—reading glasses only, a magnifying glass, binoculars or telescope)
• Tinder
• Kindling

What You’ll Do:

With plenty of dry tinder available, aim the lens at it until it starts to smoke. Have other tinder material available to keep the fire going. When the tinder begins to burn, add kindling material.

METHOD 4: MAKE FIRE WITH A REFLECTOR

What You’ll Need:

• A reflector from a flashlight or headlight
• Tinder
• Kindling

What You’ll Do:

Position the tinder material in or in front of the reflector for maximum absorption of the sun’s rays. With plenty of sunshine available overhead, and a little luck, the tinder material will get hot enough to catch fire.

METHOD 5: MAKE FIRE WITH WATER

When positioned properly, water can act as a lens and focus enough of the sun’s heat to ignite tinder.

What You’ll Need:

• Water
• Jar or bottle
• Tinder
• Kindling

What You’ll Do:

Pour about two teaspoons of water into a clear jar or bottle. Tilt the jar so the water rests in a corner at the bottom and position it so the sun’s rays shine through the water onto the tinder and ignite it.

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Friday Family Fun: Floor Draw

I like fun ideas that are meaningful and promote bonding in our family, especially if I don't have to fuss about it or spend money.  That is what Weekend Family Fun is all about.

One inexpensive thing we do is draw together.  What child doesn't like to draw? As soon they discover they can draw their first stick figure, they take off.  My husband is a good artist too, so he has fun drawing animals and little people for the children who then turn the drawings into stories.

This encourages creativity, stimulates the brain and develops skills as well as practice and apply a Biblical worldview to the stories and/or drawings we make.

Years ago I got a big roll of butcher paper from a teacher who was cleaning her classroom.  It lasted me years.  I would cut a long piece to go across our livingroom.   Then get the crayons, color pencils, or water colors and we all spend a fun time drawing.

Also when we had a special night like a get together with friends, or a Biblical Holiday celebration, I would get out the paper and guests would venture to draw something or write something.  The children that would come would be entertained there.  They were quietly engaged among the crowd.

Look for some butcher paper from a public school.  It doesn't hurt to ask.  You can make use of this butcher paper in so many ways at home.  I would also write Psalms that we wanted to memorize and tape it to the wall.   You can also get the big easel paper for each member of the family.

Here are some ideas for a Family Draw Day:

1. Free style

Express what is on your mind.  Let everyone just have fun and then explain to the rest what and why they drew that.

2. Draw to Jonathan Park

We are all big fans of Jonathan Park.  So we would pick an episode and illustrate it.  Assign scenes to each person to illustrate or have them choose.

3. Practice drawing skills

Dad would give us all tips on how to draw like shading, and color mixing.  Pick a nice object.  Put it in the center and everyone draw it.

4. Story illustration

Read a short story and then set everyone loose to illustrate it.

5. Family Drawing

Take turns drawing on the same drawing.  Someone will start.  Time the for one or two minutes.  Then the next one picks it up from there and so forth.  This one is so much fun.

6.  Creation sketching

A great skill to have is sketching.  When we are  out in nature, it is great to be able to sketch any interesting plant, flower or animal.  Go out for a walk, collect some interesting nature things and come back to sketch them.  Then research them and explain to the rest of the family.

7. A Picture of each other

Turn the drawing into a studio.  Take turns posing while the rest draws you.

8. Draw for someone

Explain to everyone that we will be drawing something special for someone who is sick, discouraged or congratulating someone.  Then give the drawings to the intended person.

Think of any other ideas?  Share them!

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Weekend Family Fun: Creation's Scavenger Hunt

Something that children always love are scavenger hunts.  I like putting meaningful scavenger hunts that will teach a lesson.  I will share some of them in the future.  Here is a simple one that the whole  family can participate as you go for a "Creation walk".  If fact,  I highly recommend going for a walk everyday with your children no matter the weather.   Kids like to get ready for walks anyways.  Bundle them up if it's cold with all their scarves, gloves and beanies.  Grab that umbrella for rain or sun.  Water boots are excellent since kids can't resist the puddles.  If it's too hot, carry a water spray bottle and drinking water.  So plan well for what time of the day is best to go out.  We like mornings, now that the weather is perfect around here.



Here is an idea of our hunt.  I printed a sheet of paper for each child on a nice nature background:

Creation’s Scavenger Hunt

• 
  

  Something fuzzy

  
  


• 
  

  Two kinds of seeds

  
  


• 
  

  Two pieces of man-made litter

  
  


• 
  

  Something straight

  
  


• 
  

  Something round

  
  


• 
  

  Something smooth

  
  


• 
  

  Something rough

  
  


• 
  

  Two different types of leaves

  
  


• 
  

  Something that makes noise

  
  


• 
  

  A chewed leaf

  
  


• 
  

  A beautiful rock

  
  


• 
  

  Something you think is beautiful

  
  


• 
  

  A pinecone

  
  


• 
  

  A critter – dead or alive

  
  


• 
  

  A feather

  
  


• 
  

  Something you think is a treasure

  
  

Sit down under a shady tree and give a treat to the kids for their great job hunting.  Share what they found and you can draw object lessons from each finding.  For example,  study how God perfectly designed the feather with hollow bones so they can be light and flexible for flight.  You can expand on flight and history of the Wright Brothers.   Collect all the rocks they picked up and talk about David who fought Goliath with 5 smooth stones.  Then practice their sling shooting.  What fun for the boys! And girls too!



The girls found rough and smooth stones.  We had a great conversation as we sat for a snack  and talked about how God uses each one of us in a family to make us smooth like the stone.  We are born rough but like the river rocks that get tossed along the river with other rocks, they end up smooth.   So we want our character to be smoothed out.   Be creative, the lessons are endless.

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