Review of Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge

I received the book Captivating revised and expanded by John and Stasi Eldredge courtesy of BookSneeze.com last week. I was very excited to have the opportunity to review this book. I read the book Wild at Heart when I was in college and loved it. It was all the rave with the men in our church so of course I had to see what they were so excited about. After reading the book I thought that someone should write a book like this for women so I was really excited to have the opportunity to read and review Captivating. I think my expectations were too high because I was very disappointed with the book.



The book proposes that the heart of a woman desires three things: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to have beauty to unveil. After proposing that these three things are the desires a woman’s heart the authors go on to describe reasons why women abandon these desires as they grow up. The authors encourage women to rekindle the heart desires they had as a little girl and to allow God to be the hero of their story and to rescue their heart.


Overall, I was not satisfied with this book. The authors used a lot of personal narrative and experiences to support their theory. They also used a lot of extreme circumstances as supporting examples which would not apply to many women reading the book. I was also disappointed with the fact that they did not use a lot of scripture as support. While I like some of the ideas found in the book I think that there are better books out there that describe the heart of a woman that have much better Biblical support.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. For more information about this program please go here.

StARt- Do you see shapes?- Shape Collage

 This week our theme is shapes.  I thought it would be nice to do a story and art activity to go with this theme.  I went to the library and picked out some shape books for Little Sweets.  One of the books we read is called Do you see shapes? Each page shows a different shape.  Your child is suppose to clap for each shape on the page.  Little Sweets did some clapping, but wanted to count with me instead.  After we read the book I got some contact paper out and had Little Sweets place some precut shapes onto the contact paper.  She really enjoyed this.  I had to help her a few times when her hand got stuck to the paper.  After she was finished putting her shapes on the contact paper I put white computer paper ontop of her creation.  I thought it turned out cute.  We also use her artwork as a teaching tool.  She points to the different shapes as I say them.  I also will have her count the shapes on her picture too. 

If you would like to link up to this blog hop or are interested in reading about more activities, please go here. 

Getting in His Word Wednesday- Father Abraham

Getting in His Word Wednesday is a place where you can share your Bible Activity Ideas with others. The blog hop is open Wednesday through Tuesday. Please feel free to link up your Bible Activity Post.

This week we read the story Father Abraham from the book 100 Bible Stories and 100 Bible Songs. We talked about how God made a promise to Abraham that he would have as many offspring as the number of stars he can count in the sky. Abraham believed God and Sarah, his wife,  had a baby at a very old age just as God had promised. We made a star mobile to remind us that God is faithful to His promises. I cut out stars and Little Sweets painted the stars and put glitter on them. Then I put them on the mobile that I had made from straws and paper clips.

We also danced to the song Father Abraham which is the song that goes with this story. I love that each story in Little Sweets Bible book has a song to go with it.

Later in the evening I took Little Sweets outside and showed her the stars in the sky and we talked about the story again. 

I got the idea to make a star mobile from this website.  I found directions on how to make a straw and paper clip mobile from here.

 

Tot School - Flowers

Flowers

Little Sweets has had a growing interest in flowers.  She loves looking at them outside.  She also loves anything with flowers on it, hair clips, shirts, etc.  I thought with her growing interest in flowers it would only be appropriate to do a flower theme.

Using our Senses to Study Flowers

Little Sweets loves smelling the flowers.

We took a walk  through our neighborhood and talked about the different colored flowers.

Little Sweets found some flowers on the ground and decided she wanted to keep them.  We talked about their color and counted their petals.

StArt- Counting in the Garden and Coffee Filter Flowers

We read the book Counting in the Garden and made coffee filter flowers.  To read more about this activity please go here. 

Flower Math

I copied pictures of our magnetic numbers on our copy machine.  Then I cut out the numbers and drew flower petal around the number.  The number of petals matches the magnetic number in the middle.  Little Sweets matched the magnetic number with the picture of the number in the middle of the flower.  We also counted the number of petals on the flower and talked about the corresponding number. 

I got the magnetic number matching idea from Lana at hart 2 hart and decided to expand upon the idea by adding a counting activity to it.   

Colored Flower Activity

I colored clothespins and had Little Sweets match the colored clothespin with the correct flower.  She is getting better at putting the clothespin on the flowers. 

Watering the Flowers

I told Little Sweets that flowers get thirsty just like she does.  I explained that they need water to drink.  Then she watered the flowers in our garden. 

Other Activities

Frankie's Fun Park

I was hoping we could go in the indoor playground at Frankie's Fun Park.  Luckily it was closed.  It would have cost me $8.00 and Little Sweets was entertained with sitting in the car and pretending to drive it.  I didn't have to spend any money at all.  : ) 

Getting in His Word Wednesday Blog Hop

Joshua and the Battle of Jericho

This week our Bible Story was Joshua and the Battle of Jericho.  To learn more about this activity please go here. 

To read other tot school posts or to link up to the blog hop please go here.

Fun Frugal Friday- Homemade Counting Tool

This week I wanted to share a counting tool that I made for Little Sweets.  I took a large piece of wood and had it cut into 5 pieces around the same size.  Then I wrote a number from one to five on the top of each piece of wood.  I used a drill to drill the number of holes needed for each block of wood.  Little Sweets will be putting golf tees inside each of the holes.  I intend on using this tool to teach counting, number recognition, and fine motor skills.

* Please note I will supervise Little Sweets as she plays with this new toy.  The tees are small and a bit sharp and I wouldn't want her to get hurt.  Please use parental supervision if you make this activity. 

StARt- Counting in the Garden and Coffee Filter Flowers

This week we read the book Counting in the Garden by Kim Parker and made coffee filter flowers. 

It is a very cute book and a great counting book. Little Sweets counts with me and then tries to count herself. It usually sounds something like this "2,2,2,9."   : )  I am sure she will eventually start counting. 

We made coffee filter flowers to go with the book. We colored the filters two different ways.

We used food coloring and water to make the first set of flowers. Little Sweets and I put drops of food coloring in water. Then Little Sweets filled a medicine dropper with the colored water and put drops on the filter. We let them dry and then I made them look more like flowers.  I thought this would be a great activity since I had done it with my preschoolers who were 3, 4, and 5 years old.  I forgot Little Sweets is not even 2 yet.  She thought it was more fun to pour the cups of water onto the ground instead of coloring the filters.  That's when I remembered reading on the DLKT website about using markers to color the filters.  So we decided to use markers to color the rest of the flowers.

We colored the other coffee filters with washable markers and sprayed them with water to make the colors smear. I liked coloring the filters this way better because it made less of a mess and was much more age appropriate.

 For more story and art activities go here. 

Blog Hop- Getting in His Word Wednesday

Joshua and the Battle of Jericho

This week we read Joshua's Battle of Jericho from Little Sweets Bible; 100 Bible Stories and 100 Bible Songs and listened to the song Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho. We made a trumpet by coloring construction paper and wrapping it around a paper towel holder. We built a wall out of blocks and I proceeded to walk around it seven times while Little Sweets watched and danced. Then after the seventh time we knocked down the blocks. (We blew our trumpets afterwards.) This was a fun activity,  I think I will have to do it again when she gets a little older.

Free Event in Columbia - "Milk the Moment Tour"

MILK MUSTACHE TOUR HOSTS FREE EVENTS TO ENCOURAGE COLUMBIA MOMS TO ‘MILK THE MOMENT

’The 2010 Milk Mustache Mobile Tour Urges Columbia Area Residents to Build Strong Families

WHAT:

The National "got milk?®" Milk Mustache Mobile Tour is crossing the country from March to September to help celebrate those special moments that families share around the dinner table and show moms that serving milk at dinnertime is an easy, and affordable, way to help make sure their families get the nutrition they need.

From Friday, April 23 to Saturday, April 24, the 2010 Milk Mustache Mobile “Milk the Moment” Tour will be cruising through Columbia hosting free local events that feature a variety of fun and educational activities for the entire family. The tour also offers moms a chance to share how they “milk the moment” at dinnertime for a chance to win an unforgettable family dinner with Milk Mustache celebrity and chef Tyler Florence.

COLUMBIA EVENT SCHEDULE & DETAILS:

DATE: Saturday, April 24, 2010

EDVenture Children’s Museum

211 Gervais StreetColumbia, SC 29201

Time: 11:00-3:30pm

DATE: Friday, April 23

Location: Frankie’s Fun Park

140 Parkridge Drive

Columbia, SC 29212Time: 11:00-2:00pm

ON-SITE ACTIVITES:

At the “Milk the Moment” Tour events in Columbia residents can:

• 
  
  Enter the “Milk the Moment” contest for a chance to win a trip for a family dinner in San Francisco with Milk Mustache celebrity and chef Tyler Florence


• 
  
  Pose for celebrity-inspired souvenir Milk Mustache photos·


• 
  
  “Aim” toward good health by participating in a football toss activity that focuses on the importance of eating healthy and physical activity


• 
  
  Explore an interactive display that puts milk head-to-head with other dinnertime beverage choices·


• 
  
  Interact with local registered dietitian about the benefits of milk and how it can help build strong familiesSample ice-cold lowfat and fat free milk from local dairies: PET Dairy and Coburg Dairy“Pass the Gallon” through Facebook to benefit Feeding America and ensure all moms can help build strong families with milk·


• 
  
  Receive an exclusive, behind-the-scenes peek at the latest news from the campaign, including welcome messages from Milk Mustache celebrities

Tot School - Teddy Bears

Teddy Bear Theme

When Little Sweets broke her leg she was given a teddy bear at the hospital. She loves her teddy bear so I thought it would be fun to do a teddy bear theme. Here are some of our activities.

Teddy Bear Color Cards

I found these cards in my kindergarten teaching tub and I thought Little Sweets would enjoy looking at them. We talked about the color of the bears shirts as she spread the cards out on the carpet.

Clothespin Color Activity

While I was looking through the tools for tots on the 1+1+1=1 website I found these tools called colored disks. I adapted the idea to fit into my theme. I clolored clothespins and had Little Sweets match the color of the clothespin with the correct bear. She had trouble putting on the clothespins so I had to help her. This will be a good activity to help with fine motor skills as she gets older.

Our Bear Cave

This was our bear cave we made. Little Sweets enjoyed getting inside and knocking it down. : )

Sorting Gummy Bears by Color

Little Sweets put the gummy bears in the dixie cups according to their color.

Teddy Bear Turn Around

I sang the song; Teddy Bear Teddy Bear Turn Around and did the motions. Little Sweets had her Teddy Bear do the motions too. This is a great song to teach about following directions.

Playing with her Bears

These are few pictures of Little Sweets engaging in dramatic play with her Teddy Bears.

Counting Teddy Bears

I changed the words to the song; One Little, Two Little Indians to One Little, Two Little Teddy Bears and we sang the song as we counted the bears.

Homemade Teddy Bear Touch and Feel Book

I made a teddy bear touch and feel book for Little Sweets. She likes looking at it and feeling the different textures. I made a soft bear from felt, a smooth bear by covering a bear shaped piece of construction paper with contact paper, and a bumpy bear by covering bear shaped piece of construction paper with bubble wrap. I was going to make a rough bear using sandpaper, but never got to it.

Sorting Bears by Size

I cut out two different size bear shapes and had Little Sweets sort them. We talked about the difference between the bears before we started the activity. This was the first time I did a size sorting activity. I think she did pretty well.

Other Activities

Homemade Counting and Patterning Tool

Little Sweets worked on her fine motor skills as she put the beads on the rod.

I made this tool for her last week. To learn how to make this math tool please go here.


Playing in the Sprinkler

Little Sweets spent some time playing in the sprinkler.
Pouring Activity

While I was cooking dinner Little Sweets lined up some dixie cups and took a glass of water that she found and poured the water into the cups. I looked up just in time to see the mess she was making. I had to take a picture because it was such a smart activity that she came up with all by herself.


Pouring Activity

Since this was such a cute idea I decided I would let her do the pouring outside, where it didn't matter if she made a mess.


Story and Art Activity- Little Kipper's Butterfly

For more about this activity and bloghop please go here.

Getting in His Word Wednesday- Daniel and the Lions Den

For more about this activity and blog hop please go here.

For more fun Tot School Activities Please go here.