All posts by NerdMom

Did the Resurrection Surprise Satan?

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(Once again I began musing during Sunday School. This is a little scattered;)
So jump to the New Testament. Satan knew that Jesus was the Son of God. So much so that he tempted Christ, right? And the Messiah was promised and prophesied that he would be killed and raised on the 3rd day. So I never really understood Satan’s motivation for Christ’s crucifixion. What do I mean & where am I going with this rambling?

I knew that Satan wanted Christ killed to silence Christ since I was a child. The whole from the murder of the babies when Christ was born and Judas with the betrayal, etc. But that was an “official” thing to me because Satan was Christ’s enemy. Because I was raised with the whole story, I never could wrap my head around the fact that Satan didn’t know the whole story too. That Christ would have to be killed in order to be resurrected and save everyone. Satan knew the prophesy, knew God, and knew who Christ was. So why would he want Christ crucified to be resurrected?

It wasn’t until I read the death of Aslan and the next day in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe that I really had any idea what Satan might have felt at the crucifixion. The White Witch wanted Aslan killed be the sin of Edmund had to be paid according to the rules of Deep Magic. Aslan’s sacrifice just meant she got to take him out of play in her mind. But when Aslan came back to life the next day he told Lucy and Susan that while the witch knew the magic, she didn’t know the deeper magic.

I saw the parallel between Aslan and Christ and realized that while Satan knew a lot about God, way more than humanity did, he didn’t know it all. There were deeper truths. Upon Christ’s sacrifice, He would be resurrected and we could all be saved. I think it surprised Satan. I think he also rues the role he had in making it all happen.

Science Reference Books to Have on Hand

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I am a big believer in having lots of engaging reference books around. Then kids can read them for fun, to answer their questions or to actually help with homework. We have a fun collection of science books that we highly recommend for everyone to have on hand! (At 1 very short point in time I sold Usborne just to receive a discount on their reference books.)

The Usborne Illustrated Dictionary of Science: This covers Chemistry, Physics and Biology in one volume but I believe that they are available individually. The colors are vibrant and the definitions are clear and specific. Great for any level, even up to high school.

The Usborne Internet-Linked Science Encyclopedia: This is a super fun encyclopedia. It covers facts across the board in science from mixtures & compounds to plants to the human body to energy. It isn’t written in a long a boring form but littered with graphics and bullet point facts. It also has a quick link compliment that has websites that can take the learning further!

Usborne Mysteries and Marvels of Science: This isn’t an encyclopedia or dictionary but I still consider it a reference book. It has a bunch of mysteries and marvels that kids always wonder about. It has things like force and color and even silicon. This is also an internet linked volume so it has complimentary websites that can take their investigation further.

First Encyclopedia of Science: I really believe in young elementary reference books. It is great fun for the kids to look up interesting subjects and it gets them used to using things like encyclopedias. This is a super colorful volume  and has a great variety of of subjects. This is also an internet linked book so there are a variety of complimentary links that are age appropriate!

100 Science Experiments: This is a volume of easy science experiments that kids can easily do, almost completely alone. These aren’t high level science fair projects but projects that actually teach great concepts. There are lots of illustrations for the young scientist to actually see what they should be doing.

730 Easy Science Experiments: This book is aimed at students any where from 4th grade all the way up through high school. All the experiments are conducted with every day materials. Some are high level like testing ph levels. Some are super simple like using the gluten in bread as an eraser. The experiments are laid out well but don’t explain everything about the results so students can actually research the why’s and do reports!

Contesting Monday 4/14

So here is the deal. If you are hosting a giveaway or have a post about someone’s giveaway just leave a link. Make sure this link is to the giveaway post itself and not just the blog or it will be deleted. If you listed it last week but your giveaway is still open, list it again! Also your link must be to something family friendly or it will be deleted.

If you are a homeschooler make sure you enter the Get Equipped Homeschool Giveaway here on the NerdFamily Blog! There is over $600 in prizes!

So now you need to add your giveaways and go enter some giveaways! Let them know that Contesting Monday sent you!

Get Equipped Homeschool Giveaway!!!

I have been blessed to be included in this awesome giveaway! Make sure to enter!!!
Attention homeschoolers! Looking for resources, encouragement, and training for next school year? This giveaway has some great resources to get you started. We’re giving away $600 in prizes.

Get Equipped! Homeschool Giveaway - 10 winners, $600+ in prizes. Ends 4/19/14

8 Winners Will Get…

  • A live stream pass to the Family Discipleship and Homeschooling Conference (worth $29.95)
  • Two year-long handwriting workbooks—print and cursive—that help kids memorize a long text of Scripture, and a 30-day family Bible study that delves deeply into that same passage (worth $17.50)

2 Grand Prize Winners Will Get…

  • All the prizes mentioned above
  • A year-long subscription to Lessontrek’s lesson planning app (worth $60).

 

Prizes.

One-year subscription of Lessontrek’s lesson planning app (2 Winners)

Sponsor: Lessontrek

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Lessontrek is a better and modern web application for online lesson planning for the homeschool, private, and public school teacher. Lessontrek helps parents create lesson plans quickly and easily. In just a few minutes you can setup your school year and subjects, create lessons and assignments, record grades, and more. Their handy drag-and-drop system makes reordering lessons easy.

“I like how you can organize the subjects, set up the school based on whenever you start and take breaks. I also like how easy it is to use and create the subjects, assignments and color code everything.” – Gretchen (Colorado)

Lesson trek is giving two Grand Prize winners a year subscription ($60 value for each).

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Livestream Pass to the 2014 Family Discipleship and Homeschool Conference (10 Winners)

Sponsor: Christian Heritage

Live Stream Main Prize Image

Live stream Ken Ham to your living room! Enter to win a Live Stream Pass to 2014. Family Discipleship & Homeschooling Conference. 10 WINNERS!

Watch the preview video at http://bit.ly/1hea4QB

From the comfort of your own home, join thousands of other homeschoolers for two full days of hope, encouragement and inspiration. The live stream of the 2014 Family Discipleship and Homeschooling Conference will present something for every member of your family:

  • Fathers will be called to loving, servant leadership and faithful discipleship in the home by looking to their heavenly Father for the perfect example of fatherhood they never had.
  • Mothers will be encouraged with a fresh perspective on the big-picture “why” behind the daily routine of motherhood, as well as practical tips for keeping the “homeschool routine” from turning into the “homeschooling rat-race.”
  • Young adults and children will be prepared to engage the culture for Christ with a biblical view of history, science and defending the faith.

Through the lineup of dynamic speakers and practical sessions, you will be equipped to fulfill your great calling in life: making disciples of Jesus Christ – one child at a time.

One-year handwriting curriculum and accompanying family Bible study (10 Winners)

Sponsor: Intoxicated On Life

Philippians ESV Family Bundle

This bundle of resources is aimed at helping kids memorize and understand a longer text of Scripture—in this case, Philippians 2:1-18, the Apostle Paul’s great hymn to Christ celebrating his incarnation, death, and exaltation. The bundle comes with two handwriting workbooks—print and cursive—which provide a year’s worth of handwriting practice, vocabulary words, and dictation practice. The bundle also comes with a 30-day family Bible study and Scripture memory cards. All of these resources are centered on Philippians 2.

Intoxicated On Life is giving 10 winners this family bundle, each one priced at $17.50.

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Enter the giveaway below!

Giveaway runs from April 10 to 19. Enter below and don’t forget to share this great opportunity with your friends!

Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge

SOEL_Logo_FinalYou all know that I love science and innovation so I am beyond excited to share a fabulous science competition with you all! This isn’t a normal “science fair” competition but a competition that focuses purely on innovation and ideas.

The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge is obviously sponsored by 3M, a company that knows about innovation. It is for students that are in 5th to 8th grade. Basically students create a 1-2 minute video that are all about new innovative solution for an every day project. (You can get all the entry details here)

The prize is $25,000 and a trip to Costa Rica but that isn’t what excited me the most. The top 10 finalists receive $1000 and the get to participate in a summer mentorship with a scientist where they will try to take the students idea into reality. I wish I could enter;).

I love the angle of this competition! It isn’t limited by the student’s current science knowledge but their imagination! And that is a big part of what science is but isn’t really taught in school. The goal of many scientists is to implement an idea that they had. You can start with a spark, then learn all the specific science and technology information to implement.

In this competition the research is done to see the scope of the problems and current attempted solutions that aren’t fully successful. They can focus on the need and holes in the current markets to find what is truly missing. Then come up with an idea. The finalists will have time with scientists to refine it and look at the more technical side.

This realization (dream it then learn to make it) is the reason apps and app development has sky rocketed but I don’t think people realize that the same model can be taken into a more hard science and mechanics world. I wish this was an aspect of science that was presented to students more! I thought you had to know all the science in a field before you could start innovating. Which also explains the boring nature of my childhood science fair projects;).

I also love that it isn’t tied to a school so it makes it easy for homeschoolers to enter;). But entries have to be in by April 22, 2014 so don’t wait!  And make sure you join us for #STEMchat on Twitter April 8 from 9 – 10 PM Eastern as we talk about How to Raise America’s Top Young Scientist!

(Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for the competition by Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. But all opinions are mine! So go do some science!)

Contesting Monday 4/7

So here is the deal. If you are hosting a giveaway or have a post about someone’s giveaway just leave a link. Make sure this link is to the giveaway post itself and not just the blog or it will be deleted. If you listed it last week but your giveaway is still open, list it again! Also your link must be to something family friendly or it will be deleted.

So now you need to add your giveaways and go enter some giveaways! Let them know that Contesting Monday sent you!

Tween & Preschool Disney® Soundtracks #SingIntoSpring Giveaway

SINGINTOSPRING

WhyNotMom.com is running a giveaway for some great tween and preschool Disney® soundtracks! There are 2 prizes being offered, 1 for each age group. The Preschool bundle includes Disney Junior DJ Shuffle, Jake & the Never Land Pirates, Doc McStuffins & Frozen! The tween package includes Play it Loud, Austin & Ally, and the Teen Beach Movie Soundtrack.

And you can enter here!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contesting Monday 3/31

So here is the deal. If you are hosting a giveaway or have a post about someone’s giveaway just leave a link. Make sure this link is to the giveaway post itself and not just the blog or it will be deleted. If you listed it last week but your giveaway is still open, list it again! Also your link must be to something family friendly or it will be deleted.

So now you need to add your giveaways and go enter some giveaways! Let them know that Contesting Monday sent you!

Geeky Cereal

Geeky Cereal

Remember the days of toys and prizes in your cereal? Come on, I am not that old. You have to remember? Ok, remember your parents talking about it then;)? Well, for a limited time General Mills is bringing it back in a fabulous and geeky way!

For a limited time (until April, 2014;) General Mills is putting 4 limited edition Justice League comics in boxes of their cereal! And on the back of the boxes are cardboard costume pieces that the kids can cut out. There is even a 5th Justice League comic book that is only available at Target stores.

My kids love cereal to begin with. It is a special treat we do once or twice a week. And of course I have comic book lovers for children too! (ok, I and my husband are comic book lovers too) And don’t worry, the comic books aren’t swimming among the cereal. There is no racing to the end of the box. The comic books are in a plastic bag next to the bag of cereal. These are real comic books too, not some super short promotional drivel that doesn’t have a plot. My kids (and I) totally love them!

So if you are a cereal eating, comic book family make sure that you run out and get a few boxes while there are still limited edition comic books to be had!

I rarely, ok never, include the actual press releases I get from companies but this was so cute that I have too.
GeneralMills

(Disclosure: I received samples to review. All thoughts are mine.)