The Warren & the World is Story Warren’s weekly newsletter, providing a round-up of our favorite things from around the web as well as a review of what was on our site over the past week. We’re glad you’re here!
Around the Web
Cultivating an Appetite for Good Books
- I remember my dad, a dentist, talking about a conversation he had with the mother of a young patient whose teeth were rotting. He asked her about her son’s diet, trying to figure out the source of his decay. “All he drinks is soda,” she said, “and the only vegetables he’ll eat is canned corn. He eats a lot of junk food,” she admitted. My dad replied simply, “Who buys the groceries?”He knew that for all the kid’s poor choices, his mom was the one stocking the fridge. So, too, with books. Moms and dads, for as long as our children are in our home, we’re responsible for developing their tastes in the kitchen, as well as the library.
Geology for Kids
- Melissa Weisner’s son wanted a geology birthday party. So, like the smart entrepreneurial mom she is, she invented Rock On! A Geology Game & Rock Collection. And we’re glad she did — it’s a fun, easy way to teach geology for kids! My kids LOVE it — we play it often all together as a family.
5 Ways to Prepare Your Child for “the Talk”
Angela shares some suggestions for talking with your child as he or she enters adolescence.
- Your child begins the journey into adolescence in a world of sexting, bullying, online stalking and moral defiance. Innocence is under attack, and you cannot win the battle with a single awkward talk or a strict set of rules. The primary defense for your child is a strong relationship with you and with God.We live in a heart sick culture, a very heart sick culture! Talking to your children about sex is very important. This is a subject you do not want them to hear from the world; you want them to hear it from YOU.
Ocean Themed Books for Preschoolers
From geologists to oceanographers, there’s a whole world for your young scientists to explore. Carolyn has some suggested books at A House Full of Bookworms.
- The ocean is a beautiful and fascinating place for children and adults alike. And there are an amazing number of wonderful books about the ocean that any child would love. I’ve picked a handful of ocean themed books for preschoolers in today’s post.
Around the Warren
What’s Found
Helena Sorensen realizes the power of life over death during family movie night.
- “What’s lost is nothing to what’s found,” Buechner says, “and all the death that ever was, set next to life, would scarcely fill a cup.” Jesus drank that cup of death already. He absorbed the bitter draught, took it into himself, and transformed it into life and hope.
“If you don’t imagine…”
Graphic art by Paul Boekell. Words from John Green.
Ticket to Write, Part 1: A Crush on Words
Our friend Jennifer Trafton teaches us how to make word tickets and begin to have fun with them–giving us a head start on her upcoming online class, now open for registration!
- You could say that my husband and I fell in love with each other over words.Within a few weeks of meeting, I recited to him and his writing group my poem about the mysterious Grimple Snooklesplat, and he shared with me his rather frighteningly eccentric podcast about the Budge-Nuzzard. I impressed him by casually remarking, “Cease this blateration, you frutescent snollygoster!” in a Facebook post. He sent me lists of fake words and hilarious definitions he had made up, and I suggested a few of my own. We read each other’s books. Now, we have friendly marital spats over pronunciation, correct usage, and grammar. He’s endlessly fascinated by etymologies—word origins—and sends me on completely random iPhone dictionary searches while we’re driving down the road. I’m more interested in the way words sound: the music of certain lines of poetry (“fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion”) evokes a visceral kind of joy in me.
We’re writers. We have a crush on words. It goes with the territory.
Bed in Summer
Kelly Keller introduces us to a favorite from Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses as a way to start reading poetry as a family.
Something to Do with Your Kids
Since we’ve already started with some games and books for the budding scientists among us, I figure we might as well round out the week with a science experiment. How about learning why oil and water won’t mix?
And Something to Watch
It’s time to introduce you to the misadventures of Mr. Raisin Toast. It may be a life-changing introduction for your family.
Thank you for reading. We’re on your side.
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 8 - March 15, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 7 - March 8, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 6 - March 1, 2025
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