Today I found the "official" ages of adulthood (according to at least one organization):
Early Adulthood (ages 22--34)
Early Middle Age (ages 35--44)
Late Middle Age (ages 45--64)
Late Adulthood (ages 65 and older)
You may note that there is no "Middle Middle Age"; you just go from Early to Late. Also, all the younglings who claim to be adults when they turn 18 are not mentioned here at all. I knew they were just babies!
Yesterday we had only a few minutes left after I finished reading the second book to the little guys. I didn't want to start a new book, so I suggested that they tell me a story.
First they amused themselves by telling "stories" that were variations on "Once upon a time there was a knight. The end!" These seemed to be incredibly funny to them, especially when they used someone's name instead of a knight.
Finally one young man started a story:
"Once upon a time there was a knight and a prince, but he said that he could be a knight too. They went into a forest and there was a bear."
At this point he seemed to be stuck, so I suggested the game where everyone tells a bit of the story. They loved the idea, so I had the next person in line continue.
As the story progressed, the bear found some honey, but he was stung by bees. He ran away and then the knights killed the bees. The knights returned to the castle. Then seven bears came so the knights went back outside and were surrounded by bears.
That's when the moms started coming to pick up their kids, so I don't know what happened next!
Teaching history is challenging, sometimes because of poor records and other times because of conflicting accounts. I find it best to read widely, trying to consider the world view, historical biases, and purpose for writing of each author. If you're writing for a particular group or ruler, your view will likely be biased in their favour; if you definitely dislike a group or person, your writing will likely be biased against them. It's a challenge to find the truth. There is also the challenge of "when did it happen" when there are conflicting dates or different calendars used in different areas. As a history buff and teacher, I do the best I can and allow for differences when necessary.
There is also the question of how to teach history. Do I teach it in perfect chronological order (which seems impossible), by event, by country, or just randomly? When I taught the early church, I tried for chronological order as much as possible; this was easier because the major events took place in a smaller geographical area. For the Reformation, when things were happening in different countries all at the same time, I taught more by country. Next semester, which is primarily about the 19th and 20th centuries, will be both: I have planned several weeks on mission work in various areas, and then a slightly more chronological overview of major events ("slightly" as there are still things that will overlap and require us to go backwards sometimes, but always with an overall forward trajectory). It can be confusing and challenging, but I do my best to avoid confusing the kids too much!
This is what I tell my history class the first week:
History is not always easy to break into pieces and teach in a nice, chronological order, as there is a lot of overlap between people and events. As a result, despite my attempts to keep moving forward, sometimes we have to move backwards in time. Other times, we move back and forth between places or people to get things somewhat in order and to show how different people intersected in time. It helps to keep a timeline going with the key dates so we can see when things happened in relation to everything else.
Another challenge is that historians don’t always agree on exactly what happened, why, or when. There can be several different dates for when people were born (although their death dates are usually agreed upon), and different details about what happened. Some of that is due to limited record keeping; some of it is due to different points of view. The winners and losers of battles will have different opinions about what happened, and each side will speak better of themselves than of their opponents. Sometimes it is very difficult to determine exactly what happened in various events. When there are differing records, I have sometimes given multiple options; other times, I have chosen the most prevalent option. If you read something different from what I teach, that’s fine. You can decide for yourself why there are different records of events, who might prefer one or the other view, and which one seems most accurate to you. For the most part, the differences are in smaller details or in the events leading up to the main event, not in the major ideas.
I've been teaching Church History for a while now. First it was the occasional lesson to my Sunday School kids, followed by a few years of teaching it to the Wednesday morning homeschool group. A friend of mine convinced me to try teaching a proper class, and that led to Miss Dorothy's Church History Class for high school students. I'm in my third year now; I did year 1 twice and am now teaching (and writing lessons for) year 2. It's a lot of fun and I'm enjoying both the learning and the teaching.
A pretty standard question is always: Why bother teaching Church history (or any history for that matter)? Why do we have to learn about the past? How can it be important now?
This is what I teach the kids:
First, we need to see that history repeats itself; what is happening in the world now (no matter what is happening) is nothing new and nothing to be shocked about. It has all happened before and will all happen again if the Lord continues to tarry.
Second, we need to know what battles have already been fought so we can recognize the same old errors when they pop up under a different name and know how (and why) to fight against them.
Third, we can draw encouragement and strength from those who have gone before us to help us as we face our own trials and persecution.
Finally, we need to remember that our study of history is not meant to be simply an intellectual pursuit, but is intended to teach us more about the God who is sovereign over all history. If we learn people, places, and dates, but do not learn more about Him, we have not learned history properly.
There you have it: Four reasons to study history in general and Church history in particular.
I read to children a lot. I've read to my nieces and nephews when they were smaller and I've read bedtime stories to children when I babysat. I read to my Wednesday morning homeschool kids (one day I was reading to the older ones and even the "too cool for story time" kids joined us). I read to classes when I sub and we have a bit of time at the end of the day. One evening I was babysitting for friends, and after the little ones were in bed I started to read the older ones The Story of Doctor Dolittle. It was only supposed to be a few chapters before their parents came home, but their parents were later than anticipated, so I read them almost the whole book. When I was working as a tutor two days a week for friends, I read to their children for part of class (it was historical fiction, so very educational). When I visit one family, their youngest is always eager for me to read to him (and any of the older children who are around; they're so used to being read to by their parents that they don't even pretend to not listen).
So yes, I read to children a lot. I think it's an important part of childhood and even adulthood. I've read to babies and high school kids and they all like it. I have friends who read to each other on road trips (the person not doing the driving does the reading). I remember the joy of being read to. Audio books are popular not only because you can listen while you do other things, but you're experiencing the joy of being read to.
Reading to children is beneficial for a variety of reasons. First, it introduces children to books in a way that is enjoyable for them and makes reading a good thing. Books are associated with happy times and people who care about them. When they learn to read, they're finding old friends in the pages of a book and it's easier. In fact, if they already have an idea of the story, reading goes faster and they get better at it without even realizing it.
It also allows children to enjoy stories that they aren't ready to read yet. This is obvious for younger, non-readers, but is true for older children as well. They may not have the reading ability for novels, but they have the listening ability to enjoy them. They may not understand everything just yet, but they can usually follow the story line, and they will get more in a few years if you read it again. I have a friend who reads to all her children at once regardless of their ages; she rereads favourties every few years and the children get more out of it each time.
Reading to children teaches them to understand how stories flow and how good writing sounds. When they cuddle up with you for picture books, they can see how reading goes from left to right, and they may start to recognize words. Listening to stories can teach thinking skills as they learn to wonder "what next" and to think about why someone might do something or if the story makes sense. They also sometimes apply what they hear to the world around them, noticing that someone is acting like a character in a book for example. And they learn to narrate stories as they tell someone (or everyone) about their new favourite story.
Besides all this, reading to children is fun. It's also a very relaxing activity: you're curled up on the couch or sitting on a comfy chair, sharing a favourite story with someone. The world around you may be crazy, but you get to sit in a little bubble of calm and just read.
As I was thinking about making the "Year in Books" posts, I realized that there is one more category now. Wednesday mornings is women's study at the church, and I take care of the homeschool kids. In previous years, my responsibility started with children who were 6 and in grade 1, but there were way to many nursery kids this year, so I gained some younger ones. As a result, I have one room full of children who are 5 or 6, and I spend the last 30 or so minutes of the morning reading to them. I tried a chapter book as that worked for the past couple years, but these kids are a bit younger and, I think, many of them are not used to being read to regularly. I eventually switched to picture books and that worked much better.
All that to say, here are some of the best picture books that I read my little guys this fall:
Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin, pictures by Betsy Lewin. This is the book that started the switch to picture books as it was given to me one Wednesday morning, so I read it to the kids. It's just so much fun to read and the kids loved it. We also read a couple others by the same author.
I'd Really Like to Eat a Child by Sylviane Donnio, illustrated by Dorothee de Manfried. He's a wee little crocodile who rejects all the food because he wants to eat a child.
Anatole by Eve Titus, pictures by Paul Galdone. Anatole is a brave, smart little mouse who lives in a mouse village just outside Paris. We started another one of his adventures but did not have time to finish. It's on my pile for when study starts up again in January.
Come Back, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish, pictures by Wallace Tripp and Bravo, Amelia Bedelia by Herman Parish, pictures by Lynn Sweat. The kids find her incredibly funny, even though they miss half the jokes because they are also very literal minded.
Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile by Gloria Houston, illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb. This one is a true story about a lady who wanted to be a librarian and started by driving a bookmobile. I wasn't sure how well they would listen since it lacks the humor of the other books we read, but they seemed to really enjoy it.
Fly High, Fly Low by Don Freeman
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
The Story of Babar the little elephant by Jean De Brunhoff, translated by Merle S. Haas.
No Clean Clothes by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond.
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.
Two posts this year, and I'm already doing better than last year!
Nonfiction was a hodgepodge of theology, cookbooks, biographies, and book about words and reading. Here are my favourites, in no particular order:
Hot Chocolate Comfort by Michael Turback: A cookbook, yes, but there is more to cooking than just the recipes.
The Precious Blood by Dustin Berge
The Heresy of Orthodoxy by Michael J. Kruger and Andreas J. Kostenberger
Becoming Free Indeed by Jinger Duggar Vuolo
Slave by John MacArthur: I have no idea how long that had been on my bookshelf, but I finally read it!
Redeeming Productivity by Reagan Rose: This was one of my favourites; it helped me understand the purpose behind productivity (to glorify God and to serve Him) and gave advice for becoming more organized and productive.
The Epistles of John by Joel Beeke: In my Sunday School planning, I actually read 4 commentaries on John's epistles, but this was my favourite (and the only one where I didn't skim over parts).
Non Nobis by Tom Garfield: The first years in one of the first classical Christian schools.
Home Work by Julie Andrews: The sequel to the first part of her autobiography.
Impossible Christianity by Kevin DeYoung
The Reading Life by C.S. Lewis: A collection of things C.S. Lewis said about books and reading.
Questions Women Asked by Simonetta Carr: Also a favourite; it talks about 30 Christian women throughout church history and the challenges they faced.
Wow...I wrote exactly one post last year. I'll try to do better this year!
I managed to read 81 books this year. Hours on the bus for work helped a lot; with my job, I travel all over Edmonton and the surrounding area. The round trip from my house to Spruce Grove alone is good for about half a novel! The result of doing so much reading on the bus does mean that my fiction list largely outweighs nonfiction because "bus reading" is generally lighter; I'll need to keep a closer eye on that this year and be more intentional about mixing up my reading more.
To start, then, this year's top picks for fiction:
Historical Fiction:
The Daughter's Tale by Armando Lucas Correa: Trying to survive as a Jew in France in WWII.
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles: Trying to survive as a librarian in France in WWII.
Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini: A double story; one part takes place in the life of Wordsworth in the years leading up to and during the American Civil War, including him writing the poem "Christmas Bells", while the other looks at the stories of a group of people (wife, choir boy, choir girl, widow, priest, nun, music teacher, accompanist) and how their lives overlap in present-day Boston. It was one of my favourite stories this year.
The Flower of the Family by Elizabeth Prentiss: A lovely, older story about a girl and her family and her life; there's no great adventure, just life. (This could go under youth as well, or maybe young adult.)
Youth Fiction (there weren't many this year; these were both recommended by a friend):
The Heart of Arcrea by Nicole Sager: A story about a quest and the people who join on the way, and about trusting God. I'm currently reading the second in the trilogy and planning to start the third once I borrow it!
The Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers: My previous blogpost (the only one of 2023) was a review and recommendation of this one.
Mysteries (I read a lot of them this year; they were excellent bus books)
The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman: Part of the Thursday Murder Club series; I enjoy the series and am happy that there's a new one out (I am currently number 72 in line at the library, but there are 51 copies, so I should have it soon enough).
Chocoholic Mysteries by JoAnna Carl: I read 5 of them; the main character works at her aunt's chocolate store.
The Highland Bookshop Mystery Series by Molly MacRae: I read all 5 of them and am waiting for another one; these are probably my favourites and they involve a group of ladies who run a bookshop/tea shop in Scotland.
The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes series by Leonard Goldberg: I read 6 of them; the main character is the daughter of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, and she solves mysteries alongside elderly John Watson and his son, the younger John Watson.
Kate Shackleton Mysteries by Frances Brody; I read 10 of them; they take place in the 1920s and star a war widow who started by trying to track down any record of her husband after he was "missing and presumed dead" and from there began solving other mysteries as well.
My only problem with the mystery series that I enjoyed is that I've read all of them (or, in the case of the Chocoholic books, all that the library has). I'm going to have to find new books this year!
