Timothy Smith

Author Tim Smith writes Buck Wilder Adventures, and is coming to visit my school soon. I've been sharing information about this author and his books with my students, who are K-5th grade. You know any book with the word "poop" in the title has got to be good:) I think Mr. Smith/Buck Wilder will be a hit with our kids. He writes outdoor adventure-themed books, both fiction and nonfiction, which my mountain kids will love. While this particular mystery hooks kids with the silly, the book is full of nature facts -- poop missing from the woods would cause a problem for the critters living there, who rely on its scent to navigate and pursue prey/elude predators. In addition to the simple but engaging story, there is flicker-page animation and a secret message in the form of a word puzzle kids can solve (with a plea not to write in the book if it's a library book -- thanks for having my back, Buck!). I'm looking forward to our author visit... but I'm not going to tell you who stole the poop -- you'll have to read it for yourself!… (mais)

Das Buch soll Eltern helfen, durch die Erziehung wichtige Werte zu vermitteln. Das Ziel ist, dass unsere Kinder zu Menschen heranwachsen, die in der heutigen Welt eigenständig und verantwortungsbewusst leben und manche Werte der sie umgebenden Gesellschaft hinterfragen können. Es geht beispielsweise darum, authentisch zu sein, Mitgefühl zu leben, Zuhören zu lernen, Grenzen zu setzen bzw. zu erkennen. Nach einigen einleitenden Kapiteln wird jedem Wert ein Kapitel gewidmet.

Die Auswahl der Werte fand ich sinnvoll und zeitgemäss. Einiges, was jeweils dazu ausgeführt wurde, fand ich recht hilfreich, anderes eher banal – mit etwas Nachdenken wäre ich wahrscheinlich auch darauf gekommen. Gut fand ich, dass im Buch wir Eltern mit in die Pflicht genommen werden: Beim Zuhören oder wenn es darum geht, sich von elterlichem Perfektionismus zu verabschieden, sind wir direkt gefordert. Der Ton schwankt zwischen humorvoll und ernsthaft, an wenigen Stellen wird’s gar etwas martialisch, wenn da von „Trainingscamp“ und der Vorbereitung auf eine „Schlacht“ die Rede ist. Hier merkt man, dass der Autor aus der amerikanisch-evangelikalen Szene kommt. Glücklicherweise betrifft dies wirklich nur wenige Stellen am Anfang und am Schluss. Insgesamt aufgrund der Prämissen eher für Eltern zu empfehlen, die ihre Kinder bewusst christlich erziehen wollen.… (mais)

52 Family Time Ideas provides the structure and ideas for the meaningful and fun family time you want, helping you to discover and experience God's timeless principles for strong families.

In just twenty minutes each week you will discover treasures right in your own family. You will also be building lasting memories for you and your children.

We had loads of fun with this book, making the web was hilarious as we got ourselves all wrapped up in love and laughter. The bible verses that one shares with the children are thought provoking and inspirational, and the children asked a lot of questions that we did our best to answer. I liked how each chapter was broke down by a warm up, a kind of question and answer period between family members. Then a bible reading is shared and discussed with each family member, there are questions for the younger kids as well as your teens, so that no one is left out. After the discussion, your lead to an activity time that takes the lessons you just learned in discussion and actively participate in the learning that they were trying to promote. As well, each activity has a quote for the day, which one is to reflect upon and use it to grow with.

The kids really liked the activities and there is a complete listing of all items required to participate, most are things you have around your house, like rolled socks, bowls, string, popcorn, some movies and you and your families participation. I would recommend this book for any Christian family looking for some rewarding fun, or those families that may have the right foundation and just need some guidance along the way. We enjoyed the book and look forward to participating with it some more in the future...the kids are looking forward to the popcorn and Incredibles movie night...LOL… (mais)