I made a playlist last year that I call my “get up and dance songs”—I don’t actually dance to them very often, that’s not my mode. But if I want a boost of energy, they’re a great option. A few weeks ago a friend was moving. She texted that she needed a good playlist to get her through the days of work of packing and lugging and cleaning and unpacking. I texted back, “How do you feel about pop songs that range between the early ’90s to the early ’10s?” She was game, so I sent her a link. A few days later, I got another text: “This playlist is one of the best things ever.”
This past weekend we met up for a walk in the woods at the end of a hard week. That was one of the best things ever, too. I’m grateful for friends.
Around the Web
Graphic Novel Adaptations of Classic Books
Erica at What Do We Do All Day has a great booklist of some of the classic works adapted into graphic novels for tweens and teens.
- It seems like every book is getting the graphic novel adaptation treatment these days. Like many others, you may have mixed feelings about this literary trend. However, as a pathway to increasing readership of stories that might not otherwise find their way into the hands of kids and teens, I’m all for it.
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21 Outdoor Spring Activities to Do with Your Kids
Looking for ways to get outside with the family this spring?
- I remember feeling anxious each spring if my kids were not on track to complete their curriculum by the end of the school year. The unfinished math book tempted me to consider curtailing outdoor time to buckle down and finish well academically.
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When There Are No Words
Our friend Michael Tinker has just released a new album that explores the space between grief and hope.
- In a society that has tried to keep death and grief at arms length, we are being confronted with it on a daily basis whether that’s through the war in Ukraine, death of public figures, loss through the pandemic, or our own very personal experiences of grief. The arrival of this album feels timely. It’s an honest exploration of the sadness and pain of loss, whilst always holding on to the hope of the gospel.
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15 Matching Games for Family Game Night
If you’re tired of the same old games, here are some fun recommendations.
- Bored of Candy Land and Scrabble? It’s time to choose a matching game for family game night! The most well-known matching-type game is the classic Memory card game, but we’ve played a huge variety of games that rely on players to create matches of one type or another.
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Around the Warren
Nothing More Likely
Junius Johnson points us to explore Other Worlds.
- I have a passion for Other Worlds. I long for them with an eager appetite, and devour them when gusto when I find them, and they turn out to be at all worth the trouble. It is why I love sequels and connected universes: for just as any book worth reading is worth reading twice, so any World worth visiting is worth revisiting over and over again.
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Review: The Bobtails Meet the Preacher’s Kid
K. A. Ramstad reviews an upper middle grade novel by by Arthur Yeomans.
- Have you heard of a family that runs a dairy farm and deals with a pastor’s troublesome son? The Bobtails Meet the Preacher’s Kid is about such a family. This historical fiction by Arthur Yeomans is fitting for a fifth and sixth-grade audience.
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Something to Do with Your Kids
This Saturday is Earth Day, which is a great time to try some of these fun recycled art activities with the family.
Something to Watch
My nephew is playing baseball this season, and a conversation with a coworker about his position—I couldn’t remember which side of the field was right and left—reminded me of this hilarious classic Peter, Paul, and Mary song, “Right Field.”
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 17 - May 27, 2023
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 16 - May 20, 2023
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 15 - May 13, 2023
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