Plutarch's Lives

Why do we read Plutarch's Lives in Charlotte Mason education?  Studying greek leadership, the rise and fall of leaders, their choices and consequences is valuable for developing children's idea of what makes a good citizen, good country and good government.  They learn leadership principles.  What is fascinating to me beyond that is how studying Plutarch was important to many great leaders of history including:

George Washington
Ben Franklin
Thomas More
Montaigne: Creator of the Essay
Dietrich Bonhoeffer took three books to prison: Plutarch's Lives, Goethe and the Bible.

I plan to add to this list I created from memory as I continue to study and learn.  I keep finding more and more leaders of the past who studied Plutarch's Lives.

Pack a Care Kit for the Homeless

Tomorrow we are packing bags for the homeless as part of "Daughters of Destiny" our generational discipleship group...

Portland Rescue Missions's flyer makes it real easy to know what to buy:

Fasting & Praying with Kids can be FUN!!!!

We are gearing up for January which is our church's season of fasting and prayer.  We already have a habit of eating vegan as a family during this time , but I was brainstorming activites we could do each afternoon to make the prayer part more engaging for the kids.  

Fun Prayer Activities to do with Kids

1. Treasure hunt prayer:  Write out ten prayers and a location on each like "Pray for Dad" and then" Go to the tree," then have kids hunt for the paper with the next clue and prayer.

2.  Balloon Prayer: Hide 20 prayers on small slips of paper in balloons.  Pop and Pray!  Or, pray first and then let the kids stuff & blow and release into the sky.

3.  Location Prayer: To pray for a nation, say an Arabic one, set up a tent (a blanket over the table) and pray for that nation under the tent.

4.  Refugee Prayer: Make a boat out of your couch or the plastic swimming pool and pray for the refugees in the Mediterranean.  

5. Nation Prayer:  We have missionaries in Mexico.  You can set out a Mexican blanket and some Maracaas.  Worship and Pray for missionaries on the blanket!

6. Roll the ball prayer:  For small children, roll the ball to a family member and have them pray and then roll to the next person to pray.  Or shoot a hoop after each prayer.

7.  Pinterest Prayer:  Buy a giant vase and fill it daily with paper prayers so the kids can see their prayers grow!

8.  Use the SOAP method of Bible study, but have each child write their thoughts in their own prayer journal sitting together as a family and then share.  

9.  Prophetic treasure hunting:  Ask all the children to listen to God and what he is saying about where to go, who to pray for.  Compile a descriptive list and Go!  It may be to a park or mall.  Find the person and pray for them!

10.  Drive by prayer:  Pray for institution in your city by driving by the local jail, school, church, firehouse, or other government building.

11.  Homeless prayer: Stop your car and get out to pray for the homeless man at the intersection. 

12.  Visit the nursing home to pray with elderly folk.

13.  Hop to the state or Hop to the Country: Tape on the floor a map or use a large carpet map, puzzle map... pray for the spot you hopped on.  

14.  Spin and Pray: Make a large game spinner out of an old pizza box and make each section a family member with their name and photo.  

15.  Use photos of family members as memory cards.  Play memory but pray for the person you "matched."

16.  Make a Prayer cube.  Roll and Pray. 
17.  Ribbon wall. Write your prayer and place it on the wall. Or remove a prayer from the wall and wear it on your wrist.

Here's a link to some other ideas Focus on the Family  and
Prayer Bags for 7-11
Prayer Bags for 3-7's

Wholesome books for Girls 10-14

I love helpful book lists because my girls are BIG readers!!  So here are some faves of my girls and I:

Rosebud particularly likes this new series' pictures:

Goldenrod has been in love with the Boxcar children for several  years now:


Rosebud has read the "Narnia Chronicles" three times.  I read aloud the "Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe":


She also really enjoyed:

A good read aloud for younger girls, and read to yourself for 12 and up is Little Women.  Each girl confronts her own biggest character flaw and overcomes as she matures.  They dream "castles in the air" and then learn what dreams they really want as they try them out.

The following are all from Rod & Staff Publishers.... 

Abi says this one is good for 12-14 years...

  About foster care and adopting...
Family Adventures
Big Family Adventures
Christian History...Reformation heroes

This is a wonderful read for girls entering puberty... it teaches them how they can handle the changes in their lives while still being sensitive to the family and world around them...


Ben-Hur is a great adventure read.  Abi loved this one... It has history of the Roman Empire & Jews, romance, thriller action, descriptive scenery and epic chariot race, plus, you can watch the movie when you're done! The godly woman is contrasted with a "cleopatra" type...and of course the hero marries the good girl!  Another novel in this period they enjoyed was The Robe.

All my kids loved this one from the Middle Ages, Men of Iron.  Brings the time to life and the chivalry appeals to the girls ;-)  Epic Tournament scene...


Abi enjoyed King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table for the same reasons...


We particularly avoid books with sassy independent girls.  We would rather the girls learn to be like Mary, mother of Jesus who was "a lowly servant girl".  So, we look for girls who serve their families and their communities.  Another characteristic often of kids books is "no parents".  In the Boxcar children and the Narnia series, parents do not play a predominant role.  That is why we look carefully for books that include parents who also play a vital role (Rod & Staff books) in the children's lives and development.