Earlier in the week I shared with you that my family has a love for Adventures in Odyssey(AIO). For 25 years AIO has been encouraging kids towards stronger faith through audio drama, videos, book and devotionals. To celebrate  Adventures In Odyssey has partnered with christian bookstores across the country, inviting kids to participate in a Summer of Service.

Summer of Service

A.C.T.S. (A Call To Service) Summer Program

Throughout the summer children will log the number of hours that they are serving others.

You can download a log sheet at Whit’s End.

At the end of the summer participants record and upload a short video telling how they served and why they would like to be an Adventures in Odyss
ey Ambassador.

100 videos will be chosen to receive the newest AIO recording. Then voting will be done by the public online. After the voting is complete, one boy and one girl will be chosen to go on a Good-Goers Mission Based Adventure Trip to another country with their parent.

The out of country location will be announced on a live podcast May 22. You can watch the broadcast at Whit’s End.

There are 3 phases to the A.C.T.S. program. The first part is the serve aspect:

So why do we want our kids serving?

So they are good citizens?

So they are less selfish?

So we look good and can brag on them?

So they have an added edge when it comes to college scholarship applications?

The reason I want my children serving is the same reason that I should be serving. It’s what Jesus Christ did when he walked the earth, and it’s what believers are instructed to do in the scriptures. Jesus tells us in the book of Mark that loving Him and loving others are the two greatest commandments. One way we  can show love is by serving others.

My first piece of advice in regards to getting our children thinking about others is for them to see us doing it.   Without complaining too. In many situations actions speak louder than words, and from my own experience this is one of those areas.

Need help with ways to start thinking about others first? Check out these ACTS_ideas and mp3 download

To learn the complete details go to www.whitsend.org

This is my favorite time of the year when it comes to real life science and nature study.  It happens so naturally! Learning about natural and earth sciences by what we see, and find while among God’s creation.

I call this Real Life Learning!

Within a weeks time we came across three turtles, a salamander, a toad frog, and a tree frog.

We opened up our Handbook of Nature Study.

I’ve mentioned this book before, but it’s still my go to for anything nature-ish. Plants, animals, astronomy, water. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has curious kids.   I love having the book in my lap, but the digital version is great too! (It’s on sale today for only $2.99!) Handbook Of Nature Study

We used the Handbook of Nature study  to learn all we could about each of our new found creatures. We made habitats, we created meal plans, and we observed. AND WE LEARNED! Mom and dad included.

Habitats don’t need to be fancy. Just use whatever you already have around the house, garage or barn.

We used the toy box for our baby snapper and our tree frog, the black tub for the box turtle, and the smaller yellow bucket for our painted turtle.

This is the baby snapper. We learned that snappers are vicious, and shouldn’t be studied, unless they are very young. This one was very young.

Spring Peeper or Pickering’s Hyla-When you hear the pretty part of the spring chorus near the frog ponds, it’s coming from this little one. This is a chameleon like frog. You can see the green line down it’s back. It changed to that color because of the rock it was resting on and the moss nearby, at other times it was more brown. Of course they do this to blend in and avoid prey.

The box turtle loved his habitat. The tub was deep, and we put dead, ornamental grass in the bottom, along with green grass to munch on and a jar lid to use as a water drinking container. As soon as we put him in it his habitat he started stretching, and he crawled around and explored.

Painted turtle-It was so tiny. Band of red around it’s shell and a red underbelly. He swam like a crazy thing when we dropped it into the yellow bucket of water. It would swim, and then crawl up on a rock, and then swim more.

What you see in pictures has been an ongoing project for us. Since the pictures were taken, two of the turtles and the frog have been released. We are still enjoying the box turtle, but I suspect he will be sent back into the world real soon too.

See how simple nature study can be?

If your children are anything like mine, then they are probably always bringing in treasures. All you have to do is take an interest in helping them learn about their find. The Handbook of Nature Study is perfect for this, but you can also find resources online.

Take some time this spring and learn something new about God’s creation!

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