The Warren & the World Vol 6, Issue 34

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

His Heart Beats

Kelly Keller reminds us that Jesus is alive–even on the first day of school.

Recently I asked the kids to help with with one piece of school planning. We needed a signal for the start of school. We always begin the day around the dining room table at 8:30 in the morning, but I wanted to pick a song that would signal to the kids that it was time to gather. I thought this might be a better alternative to me shouting their names, sometimes nicely, sometimes no-so-nicely.

19th Century Classic Children’s Books You Might Have Overlooked

Erica at What Do We Do All Day has a book list of old favorites–some of which might be new to you.

Many parents want to read what they consider to be “Classic Children’s Books.” These 19th century children’s books are certainly classic! It is rather difficult to make a list of 19th century books that you haven’t heard of. After all, there are only so many 100+ year old books that are still worth reading to your children! That said, I have left off the major contenders. So, I’ve created a list of 10 books from the 1800s which go beyond well-known names like Alice, Jo March or Tom Sawyer and Huck.

GeoGuesser

Did you ever watch Carmen Sandiego as a kid and wish you could travel the world and solve mysteries? (Was that just me?) If so, here’s a twist–this game drops you somewhere in the world on Google maps and you have to solve the mystery of where you are. Grab the family and drop in. Observe the landscape and the road signs and see how many points you can earn by getting close to the right spot on the map.

Geoguesser drops you in a random spot in google maps and you have to figure out where you are just by looking around! There are multiple maps to choose from to either broaden or narrow the guessing area. I hope you enjoy this world-wide guessing game!

Regret and Hope When a Child Goes to College

Whether you’ve got a child headed to college this fall or you’re still figuring out Kindergarten, this piece from Russ Ramsey is an encouragement to all parents who wonder if they’ve failed their children.

Last week, my wife and I dropped our firstborn off at college. I wasn’t prepared for the deluge of emotions that have poured over me these last few days.
In particular, I wasn’t prepared for the surprise attack of regret.
I’m not someone who spends much time regretting things. I’m an optimist. But in the days leading up to my son’s move, an unexpected sense of dread and fear came over me, paired with pangs of guilt over the ways I knew I’d failed him as a father, and over the failures I couldn’t yet see but were there nonetheless.

Around the Warren

Why Children of All Ages Need Fairy Tales

Katie Chancellor explores the value of fairy tales for all of us.

Ancient mythology and Aesop’s Fables certainly have a rightful place of importance in literature, but fairy tales offer something a little different to a child’s development. While there are some lovely fairy tale adaptations both on paper and on screen, the original versions of fairy tales work on a deeper level within a child’s mind—they enrich imagination, cultivate deeper understanding of life’s great truths, and elevate understanding of spiritual things that can be difficult and complex to convey.

Christ and Creativity, by Michael Card

James Witmer gets to tell you about one of my favorite books–this one quite literally changed my life when I read it at the end of college. I probably would be on a very different path today had I not been challenged by Michael Card’s thoughts in this book.

In Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott advocates “writing [lousy] first drafts.” In other words, she says no-oneshould be trying to refine as they create. She compares writing to taking a Polaroid – just snap the picture! Then do the work of shaking it and you’ll see it slowly come into focus.
Partway through our oldest daughter’s elementary schooling, my wife and I started encouraging her to follow Lamott’s advice. She spelled badly – in other words, normally for a kid her age.

Something to Do with Your Kids

Tis the season for catching monarch caterpillars and watching them go through their transformation process. If you’ve never done this, you’re in for a treat–especially if you can find monarchs. Their chrysalises are green, bejeweled, and lovely. So grab a butterfly house and check out this “How To” article about monarchs.

And Something to Watch

You learn something new every day and there’s a YouTube channel to prove it–it’s called “Today I Found Out.” Here’s one for you: one time, in Kentucky, it rained meat.