Digging Deep Into A Christmas Carol

We've been reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol for the past week.    My children were already somewhat familiar with the story, but there is NOTHING like reading the original.  My daughter and I were remarking that Dickens paints such a beautiful picture with words to set the stage before he even gets into the meat of the story.   Reading A Christmas Carol aloud is a bit addictive actually. 

We've been inspired to find out more about Charles Dickens... most people overlook the fact that he was a devout Christian.  His beautiful story has been commercialized and changed sometimes beyond the point of recognition.   While the original story is difficult for young children to understand, I do believe after you start reading it (and with explanation as you go along) they will crave listening.   Mine do.  

Saturday evening a good friend and I decided to give the dads some time to themselves to watch football.  (We talk so much about dads taking the kids so we can have a little break, but do we ever do this for our husbands?)  I had heard about a live Dickens Village put on by a church in our area.  I had NO IDEA what we were about to experience, or what an impression it would make on my children!

Everything was authentic.   When we arrived the constable was showing my son where to go for the hot chocolate:

The kids made candles in the candle making shop,

and had cookies from the baker's shop.

We visited horses in the livery,

and chatted with a real live chimney sweep.  He told the children they could come work with him if they were as high as his broom.  He said he would tie a rope around their ankle and lower them into the chimney.   He also said that rope only broke twice last year!   

We also saw a living nativity, a production of A Christmas Carol, a huge Dickens' train display, and so many other things.    I couldn't have asked for a better tie in to our read-aloud, or for a better Christmas outing.

Have you ever seen anything like this before? (I get chills watching the video I've embedded) I was just so impressed and happy it was so close to where we live... we all said we'd like to make this a tradition each year.

Dickens Village 2011 from Heritage Christian Church on Vimeo.

A Lesson in Life and Money for Children

One of the Tommy Mommy review selections for this month is a sweet little book, Three Cups.  Written by Tony Townsley and Mark St. Germain, this storybook tells of a father giving his son three cups for his fifth birthday:   GIVE, SAVE and SPEND.   The book opens,

On my fifth birthday, my parents gave me a wonderful present.  They promised it would take me on many adventures.

By the end of the book, as the boy has grown, the story shows how rewarding giving, saving, and spending can be.   It comes full circle when the boy grows up and gives his own son the three cups for his fifth birthday.

My husband read this book with our children - he works  in the nonprofit debt counseling arena and this subject is very dear to his heart.  He LOVED the book... the children were enamored with it's simple wording and muted illustrations. 


The book concludes with a Parent's Guide called Getting Started with Three Cups.  It gives 10 helpful suggestions to starting this program with your own child(ren).   


For more information visit:
www.3cupsbook.com
   


If you want a concise, sweet book to teach your young children about giving, saving and spending, this is the book for you.    It is published by Tommy Nelson, and available through Amazon.






Disclaimer:I received the above named product from Tommy Nelson in return for my honest review. I have not been compensated in any other form.