My Mysterious Homeschooling Angel

This will not be the first time you've read an account of ministering angels (see my prior post HERE for some of my cancer-related stories). However, this just might be the first time you've seen a blog post with an angel story AND a mommy blog on homeschool ideas combined.

How this all began is my twin sis, whom I spend a lot of time text swapping homeschool ideas with, asks me today if I have some good tot-school ideas (we have toddlers very near in age).  I think to myself "why yes sis, I certainly do!".  Thus I walk around my house snapping pictures with my phone (photo documenting is quite common for me these days) to send her.  Then wammo!  The flood gates of my mind open and I'm off and running.  After about the 3rd email of ideas I realize just how many ideas I've come up with and start congratulating myself how good I am!  Then before I could type my next idea, my little tot comes running up wanting to be held.

I swoop my little munchkin up in my side saddle and decide I can unload the dishes with one hand no problem.  I literally open the door and pull a dish out of the dishwasher when suddenly and promptly the inspiration portal closed and I'm left there thinking "don't go away!  I want more!  I just had an idea and it's completely gone nor can I remember most of the ideas I had already emailed.  I'm left there scratching my head as to what happened.  The only explanation that came to mind is that I had a homeschool angel feeding me ideas as fast as I could type them but when I moved on to the dishes, the angel moved on too.  Yes, I KNOW that's an unconventional explanation but that's really what I thought!  BUT WAIT, IT GET'S BETTER!

It took me about 30 minutes before I typed up this experience for my sister (something she would want to hear as it (ministering angels) relates to conversations we've had of late due to her 19 year old son suffering a heart attack, cause unknown).

The very moment I acknowledged that it must have been an angel giving me these ideas, the idea portal opened again right where it left off with the idea I had forgotten and many more!!! By then it's just a feeling of shock and awe.    It was so amazing.  So for all those times I've had a flood of ideas come to me (and they do at times)...no more self congratulating on my wonderful gift of ideas (heehee)...no, I know where all good things come.  In fact, the scriptures teach:

And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren (and sisters), that you remember that every good gift cometh of Christ 

and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise, men were fallen and there could no good thing come unto them

This evening after returning home from the store, I tell my husband about this surreal experience and half joking say "maybe I'll blog about it If I have any time" and I'll be darned if a voice, yes a voice in my head said "you will have time!"  Well who can argue with that; I figure I'd give it a shot.  I still had a few things to accomplish on my cancer therapy but then another miracle occurs...I look up at the clock as I'm nearing completion thinking there's no time to blog because it's going to be REALLY LATE (I regularly lose hours in that kitchen of mine meaning it can easily be pushing midnight as I wrap up my therapy) but it's not...has only been 30 minutes!

I'm tellin ya folks, these type of things don't usually happen to me.  But if I were to really think about it, I think it happens on some level to all of us.  The Spirit of truth and light strives to be in us all. We are all God's children and he loves us infinitely.  So why wouldn't He, who loves my young daughters infinitely, want even them to have blessed days of learning of all His grand creations and design.  Of course he would!

Now I bet some of you are wondering what ideas my angel gave me today. I'll preface by saying there is nothing out of the ordinary really about them.  But what's really extraordinary about it is that (1) I know it was God's gift to me, a homeschooling mom with terminal cancer who doesn't have ANY TIME AT ALL to spend researching cute ideas (just ask my sis who has to do all the research for us both; (2) most of them are things that I already have laying around my house or I can get them very cheaply at a dollar store or thrift shop (having cancer does not afford many luxuries after all the medical expenses...in fact, you're lucky if you're NOT bankrupt afterwards); and (3) my daughters will have a blast doing them all!!!  So here they are unedited photos and all (hats off to anyone on the Gerson Therapy who has time to spend editing photos):

Kinder Tot Ideas (aka Kindergarten & Tot School):

Sensory Bin (food)

Sensory Bins Galore!! 

This has sewing odds and ends, you could also do cut fabrics to dispense out of a baby wipe container

Beans sensory bin or possibly an I spy bag 

Buttons would be a fun sensory bin.  They got lots of fun buttons these days.  You can buy a bag of pain ones and then add fancy ones

Stamping.  Also use as reward on work sheets

Any type of building blocks. 

Dry Erase boards...For tot use dry erase crayons

Wooden doll to color
old fashioned coloring books work too 

Regular, puffy, googly eyed, foam  or you name it stickers! 

For either play or rewards on worksheets 

A "surprise box" to use as a motivator etc...filled w my finds

Dress up (which means they must be put away so it's actually a treat). I just got pretty much an entire Halloween costume at the 99c store (hat, cape, broom, cauldron to collect candy, & tutu... the princess 

factor)

Dance / movement time...my best music cds were 99c

Games & puppets (find easily thrift stores or garage sale)

Magnets on cookie sheets or white board (numbers letters shapes pictures)... you can make lots of things magnetic with those magnet rolls.  Clothes pin magnets. 

Let your tot play with a big Sunday newspaper.  She will love pulling it apart!

After chasing baby out of this cd case twice a lightbulb moment.  Let the kid at it with a dollar store case and throw away cd's...I just tossed some but I know I have more

Tiny toy sensory bin.  I actually tucked this away to use when & how I see fit. 

Pots & pan play w utensils

I have a variety of these dollar pails (target bins) to use however (sorting) when they aren't holding school supplies. 

Moving pictures would be an awesome sensory bin but I don't know how hard they are too come by.  Ya gotta be looking for them. 

Oriental trading company catalog or the like would be fun to look at for kinder...play with for tot. Or old phone book

Character cups around 75c each for any number of activities including snacks  (To compete w individual expensive  packaging kids like)

Hobby Lobby clearance sale after a holiday ought to be absolutely fabulous!

Ideas are a rollin! I may just have to post it all in a blogpost for safe keeping & pinning. 

The Ideas stop here (but now I think it's my big ego that stops it not me doing the dishes lol):

My acknowledgement: I had something else but as soon as I began emptying dish washer the inspiration portal closed suddenly & swiftly!!!. That has never happened & it's the only way i can describe it.  Almost like I had an idea Angel throwing things at me in a steady flow and then when I got busy suddenly moved on.  I found myself thinking "no! Come back i want more! " I don't even remember all the ideas I sent you! I'm left scratching my head. ..

The ideas start again here: 

Plastic tub play

Jewelry play or jewelry beads. .. always found in clearance aisle of craft stores or old jewelry in garage sales. I got some from mom and a friend who moved.

Offer to borrow and swap sensory bins (I'll be doing this)

Do a nature treasure hunt in a pasture or side of road  Gather varieties and sizes of wood twigs or rocks or shells for kiddo to sort... you can also buy rocks & shells

Use markers to color and decorate a shirt to wear that day

Leaf sensory bin You can also scribble paper on top ithink to imprint. I got a million houseplants so this will be easy. 

Make a latch board from papas garage with door/gate locks, hinges etc

Nut sensory bin. Nut cracking (it will be fun just to figure out how to crack the nuts)

Used parts sensory bin (check your garage). Habitat for Humanity's Re-Store has tons on weird used parts. 

Metal shapes sensory bin made by daddy or the metal place by his work  Or better yet show & tell box from daddy's work... whatever they could bring home that is. This could be from child best friend too.  Swap boxes w family or go to houses

You can easily acquire refrigerator boxes any appliance store for an easy play house...just call and ask them to save you one. 

Paint a throw away food cutting board

This is what I forgot and remembered again!  Canning jar rings (I've got a ton) to do a ring toss or any number of things with 

Balloon Ribbon curling, supervised, w kid scissors (kinder)

Target dollar bins in front of store.  I don't usually shop here but their dollar bins always have an impressive assortment (this is where I went tonight Ha!)