Review: "My Name is Handel: The Story of the Water Music" and "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" by Maestro Classics

Our family enjoys beautiful music and good stories. Through the TOS Crew, we learned about classical music for children put to stories by Maestro Classics. We received a physical copy of "My Name is Handel: The Story of the Water Music" and a physical copy of "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" in exchange for my honest review.

Who is Maestro Classics?

This is a rather new children's music series by Bonnie and Stephen Simon. These cd's for children are comprised of works for the narrator and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. They expose children to beautiful music, history, and lively stories. In addition, they help families to enjoy and understand orchestral music.

How We Used Maestro Classics in our Homeschool

As of late, we have been on the road more than usual out of necessity. It's always nice to have audio dramas to take along with us. However, it was a lot of fun to have new stories to listen to as we traveled.

My Name is Handel: The Story of the Water Music

We have listened to a couple of audios about Handel, but neither were as lively as this narration. We also learned some very interesting {possible} information about the non-assuming Mr. Handel... information that one would not suspect scholars to have dug up. I know you are sitting on the edge of your seat; I hear you saying, "Come on, Heather. Spill it!" Sorry. You'll just have to purchase it and find out. :-)

This particular story is created for ages 5+ but even our Sweetie Pie at 4 years old and Super Busy at 2 years old were engaged listeners (and of course Cool Daddy and I enjoyed them as well). 

The narrator, Yadu, speaks very clearly and paces the story with the music. While we listened to this on the go, I think it will make for a nice story to listen to prior to bedtime because of the relaxing music and the narrator's tone- they are harmoniously soothing.

What I Like About "My Name is Handel: The Story of the Water Music"

• The story is organized and very easy to follow.
• The music selection is beautiful.
• I love the history behind the Water Music. It was explained with fun words creating fantastic imagery. 
• Our whole family enjoyed it.

What You Will Find with "My Name is Handel: The Story of the Water Music"

• Along with the CD is a little booklet with information such as the history and background of the music, lyrics for the sing along songs, and little activities such as puzzles.
• Facts about Orchestras
• Terminology about musical forms and audio bits to help people listen for these examples the next time they listen to the story.
• Interesting updated scholar facts (was Handel more than a composer, conductor and producer?)
• Facts about King Edward.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

 

This is a treasured children's story written by a mother who was inspired by her two sons as they played with their steam engine toys. This CD is created for ages 4+ but our Super Busy at 2 years of age was an engaged listener of this story as well. Needless to say, Cool Daddy and I were, too.

 
We had not heard of this story before and it is a delightful tale. I love the selection of music which the composer selected. I don't know about you, but I enjoy the bagpipes- at least in certain instances. I can't get over how I love them combined with string instruments in this story (a first taste of this ear candy for me). The use of all instruments adds another dimension to this story.

What I Like About Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

• It's inspiring to learn how the authoress was influenced by child play to write this story.
• It's enjoyable to learn how her stories became animated with a special support team as she wrote this story. It's great for children to learn about this.
• I like that children learn about how some people felt about steam engines transitioning out of use and existence.
• I appreciate how the composer shares about choice instruments used for sound effects and to show emotions of the various characters.
• Instruments are explained- such as the difference between Scottish and Irish bagpipes. Aye. That I do now.

Something I'd Like to See

Well, quite frankly, I haven't been able to think of anything! These stories are created exceptionally well, full of talent and complete. The quality is superb and professional. Considering this, I think they deserve a standing ovation!

Thank you, Maestro Classics, for the quality and creativity you have put into your products. You are an integral part of keeping breathtaking symphony music alive for future generations.

How Much These Products Cost

The Story of the Water Music is $16.98 on CD and $9.99 for an MP3 Download with printable PDF booklet. You can listen to samples and purchase it at their store, here.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel  is $16.98 on CD and $9.98 for an MP3 Download with printable PDF booklet. You can listen to samples purchase it at their store, here.

You will also find activities at their website for your children at their Maestro Classics page. And, they offer educational materials including: Maestro Classics CDs Homeschool Music Curriculum Guides; Sheet Music; Home Projects; A Journey Through Learning (Lapbooks) resource to contact and several others.

Where You Can Visit Maestro Classics

Maestro Classics CDs on facebook 

Maestro Classics on Pinterest 


I'd love for you to learn more about what Maestro Classics has to offer. Won't you please read more reviews of these and other CDs by Maestro Classics that the TOS Crew has written? Just click on the graphic below.

 

Blessings to you all,

Uncle Remus Stories! The Noah Plan Curriculum Literture

The Noah Plan Curriculum- Literature

Quarter 3, Week 2

{Get your free notebook pages at the end of this post!}

I remember when I had been given my own copy of Uncle Remus Stories. I poured over the book! My copy got lost years ago during a move, but it was like the one below (only I'm sure I remember more wear and tear on my copy).

The Leading Idea for this lesson is, "Fables and myths are a type of literature that give insight on the ideas and ideals of many nations." When doing some research on Uncle Remus Stories, one learns that this has to do with American History during the time of slavery in the South. These are a collection of stories collected from African-Americans of the Southern United States. 

I am without a copy of the book right now, however, our family did watch Song of the South. Oh how Br'er Rabbits' antics had some of us laughing hard! There are lots of points to talk about with our kids which give us the chance to share Bible Principles with them. Fun times!

Get your free downloadable notebook pages here!

Blessings!

Aesop's Fables- The Noah Plan Curriculum Literature (Q3, W1)

The Noah Plan Curriculum- Literature

Quarter 3, Week 1

{Download your free notebook page at the end of this post!}

Ah, fairy tales. The Noah Plan Curriculum teaches that fair tales actually give "insight on the ideas and ideals of many nations."

There's some reading assigned for us parent's in The Noah Plan Literature Guide on pages 100-103. I just highlight what I want to share for this lesson (I don't cover all of it with them at this time). 

We purchased a book which came with an audio book CD. Sometimes audio books are so helpful (for example, I can prepare lunch while we listen to them).

If you find you'd like to make use of animated films for some of these lessons, here are a couple I came across. :)

"The Clever Kid Goat"
(Being Naughty)

"The Dog and the Bone"
(Being Greedy)

You can download free notebook pages here.

Blessings!

Copyright 2013 of Principled Academy 

The duplication of articles, photos, or blog entries without the express permission of the owner are strictly prohibited.

Beatrix Potter- The Noah Plan Quarter Two, Week Seven

The Noah Plan- Literature

Quarter Two, Week 7, 8, 9

{Download your free notebook pages at the end of this post!}

Since the next three weeks cover Peter Rabbit and Friends, I'm only going to do one post on it. There are some free notebook pages to carry you through all three weeks. :)

I always love this study! Beatrix Potter is one of my favorite authors/artists. The creative way she drew the charming characters draws children in and causes them to imagine wonderful little things about nature as well. Children also learn quite a bit about society during Beatrix Potter's lifetime: vocabulary, clothing, manners, and life lessons.

When I taught our older children about her, we had a lot of fun with our author scrapbook project (they helped choose illustrations to go in it).This year I wanted to do something different. Instead of doing a separate Beatrix Potter Day Celebration, we are turning this lesson into a celebration. We'll sip some tea, read and discuss stories, and I have an extra special project in mind that I think my kids will love! I intend on sharing about it very soon with all of you :) 

© Principled Academy 2013

I also have her books specially displayed. This is a favorite little corner for the kids to go to because they, too, enjoy her tales so much.

Download your free notebook pages for Weeks 7, 8, 9 of Quarter Two! 

If you would like Bible Principle literature guides for some of  the Peter Rabbit and Friends stories, they can be purchased at this post for only $5.00!

Did you know there is a Peter Rabbit and Friends: The Royal Ballet Film?!! I just came across it! Here are the clips in case you'd like to enjoy them in your study, too! :)

Part 1/4

 

Part 2/4





Part 3/4




Part 4/4





Blessings!

 

 

Longfellow and Watts- The Noah Plan Literature Quarter 2, Week 5

The Noah Plan- Literature

Quarter 2, Week 5

{Get your free notebook pages at the end of this post!}

I absolutely love rich and meaningful poetry. Much may be learned from the insight of poets. They go beyond applying the mechanics of poetry; they have a way of expressing thoughts and emotions in ways which others cannot. 

©Principled Academy
Click photo to enlarge.

I found this fun and interesting animation of The Day is Done by Henry Wadesworth Longfellow. We watched it and I think it'll help my children to better remember the poet with the poem. :)

 

Here is a reading of Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadesworth Longfellow.

Treasures of the Snow - Literature Guide!

{Get your free literature guide at the end of this post!}

Have you read, Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John? We learned about it from the My Father's World: Creation to the Greeks curriculum we are using this year. This book is full of meaningful lessons and illustrates bearing the Fruits of the Spirit as the main characters choose to walk in Jesus' ways toward the end of the story.

Lately, I have been working on refining the literature guide format for our book club discussions. One goal was to streamline the material. Another goal was to have the kids put into practice applying the Principle Approach® method. This allows the kids to be more independently involved with the research, reason and relating aspects.

©Principled Academy 2013

We went through some of the guide in our group but we didn't make it through to the end of the book due to time constraints. However, the discussions we did have were rich. We mothers 

Introducing Artsy Girl! :)

Morning Friends!

I am very excited to introduce one of my daughters to you! She is going to be a co-blogger with me from time to time. Her screen name is Artsy Girl. :) 

She wants to blog about books she has read and share her perspective on the stories. You'll know to expect some great reviews! :)

Blessings!

It's Winnie the Pooh!- Noah Plan K Literature Q2, W3

The Noah Plan- Literature
Quarter 2, Week 3

{Get your free notebook pages at the end of this blog post!}

Ah, the timeless Winnie the Pooh character! This is such a fun literature study! 

I had only ever been exposed to Disney's version of Winnie the Pooh until my mother-in-law had purchased a few of the classic books for us when we had our first child. At first I didn't think much of the books by looking at them and had just set them aside. But then years later our older kids started to read them and they were laughing so hard they could hardly talk when they tried to share about elements of the stories which they found so funny!! I have to admit that there is nothing quite like the original versions! :)

If you don't have a copy of any of these versions, there's a handy dandy amazon.com search in the right hand column of my blog for your convenience (I am an affiliate with them). I would appreciate your support. :)

I have prepared notebook pages which have an area for drawing the characters. If you want coloring pages with the Disney version of the characters, you can follow this link here. Maybe you could print the notebook pages first and then run the paper through again to print the coloring pages?

My bookshelves lack a biography on him so I found some nice biographical information on him over at PoohCorner.com.

A.A. Milne is covered during weeks 3 and 4 so I'll not do another post regarding this literature study.

Download your free notebook pages by click on this link.

Blessings!

 

Copyright 2013 of Principled Academy

 The duplication of articles, photos, or blog entries without the express permission of the owner are strictly prohibited.

 

Mother Goose Mystery- Book Review

We have already studied about Mother Goose this school year in our lessons, however, I have to share about my recent find...

© Principled Academy

Do you know this book exists? I had not a clue until I came across it during my great book hunt for our family library.

First of all, I have to say that one tiny reason (outside of innumerable other tiny reasons) I am thankful to still have younger children in my life is because of the treasure trove of children's literature! I enjoy reading so many delightful, imaginative stories that I'd really miss out on if I didn't have littler ones to read to. Can you relate?

The illustrations are visually engaging and my kids enjoy the story line. It begins with the dish and spoon missing! They didn't come back after they ran away, like they usually do! Something had to have happened to them, but what? If the characters in the nursery rhyme don't find them before the next nightly reading, the rhyme is ruined! The dog and cow suggest they simply alter the rhyme so they don't have to go looking. However, it is finally decided that they go on an expedition all together to inquire of other nursery rhyme characters about their friends. Mystery, danger (hey, a wolf and a giant can make any story have danger), and suspense are all rolled up in this book. 

Second of all, this book illustrates Bible Principles wonderfully! It's the Bible Principles that popped out at me which I love best...

©Principled Academy

©Principled Academy

©Principled Academy

... and which are timeless for all ages as Bible Principles are for all people of all ages. So, even if nursery rhymes are beyond your kids' ages, they can read the book to their younger siblings or younger children you watch for a friend and sit in on the Bible Principles which you teach regarding the story. It helps the older kids practice reasoning from Scripture and how to see Bible Principles in even the "simplest" of stories (which in turn helps them to see Bible Principles in other ares of learning and life).

Don't have a copy of this story book? You can purchase it at my amazon affiliate link below:

You can download your Bible Principle Literature Guide for this storybook for just $5 here at my store.

 Blessings!

Copyright 2013 of Principled Academy

 The duplication of articles, photos, or blog entries without the express permission of the owner are strictly prohibited.

The Gift of Reading

I have a secret project I am doing. If you promise not to say anything to my family, I'll let you in on my little secret. :) 

Okay. Here it goes...

Our children love to read! They also love to learn! And... they all enjoy gifts! I am thankful that each of our readers know that reading is a gift. And to springboard off of that knowledge, I'm creating a family reading gift basket. My plan is to collect new or gently used books for all levels of reading abilities and interests our children have. 

I'm creatively wrapping the books to reflect the theme of the books and/or to give little clues about the story. I'm using just enough information to make them curious and draw them in. Plus, wrapped books are more enticing than books sitting on the shelf because the new titles kind of get lost with books they have enjoyed reading multiple times.

Check out a couple of my wrapping jobs...

© Principled Academy
Makes ya' want a donought, now doesn't it? :)

© Principled Academy
A lunch bag suits the food theme quite well... don't you think?
(Never mind that donoughts are not technically a food.) :)

© Principled Academy
Inside this package is Billy and Blaze.

I mentioned I'm putting together a family basket, right? Yeah, we have a very limited book budget right now. The thought of accumulating endless quality books for the kids to each own is dreamy but... right now it's mostly a dream (I should think many of you can relate). So the idea is that when the kids each reach their personal learning goals they get to pick a book to be the first to read. Of course, the books will end up circulating among them and there will be lots of discussions going on about what they are each reading. I think this will be fun for them!

As I'm typing this, I'm thinking of maybe doing a creative shelf display instead of a basket. Maybe a shelf display would keep the books in front of them better than a basket. Hmmm.... choices, choices.

Creatively wrapping gifts is something I have always enjoyed. I have limited time to do this, so some of the decorating is hand drawn, some (like the horse) is clip art, or quick little collage techniques. Even the busiest of us mamas could do a special wrapping job for something like this. 

Has this post inspired you? How? Did you give it your own twist? What did you do? Please leave a comment letting us know!

Blessings!

Copyright 2012 of Principled Academy

The duplication of articles, photos, or blog entries without the express permission of the owner are strictly prohibited.

Mother Goose (Cont.)- Noah Plan K W2, Q2

The Noah Plan K

Literature W2, Q2

{Download your free notebook pages at the end of this post!}

Our English heritage. We are loving it! The Mother Goose rhymes help develop memory, imagination and speech in such a fun way! How clever of Mother Goose to make statements during the Reformation period with such rhymes.

There are lots of things to learn about in this week's lesson. Are you having fun learning along side your children when teaching them? I sure do when teaching mine! :)

Little Miss Muffet:

Humpty Dumpty:

Hah! And all this time I thought the egg depicted in Alice in Wonderland was an accurate portrayal of Humpty Dumpty.

Mother Goose & King Henry the Eighth

The Noah Plan

Week 1, Quarter 2

What do you know about the history of Mother Goose? Quarter two of The Noah Plan K Curriculum has us learning about her... and the timing couldn't be more perfect! 

For instance, are you aware that the Mother Goose nursery rhymes were written during the rule of King Henry the Eighth? Yes! It was exactly around the time that the Reformation was taking place. It was also exactly around the time of the Separatists... who would later have the courage to become Pilgrims for the sake of the Gospel! This goes along perfectly with our Reformation studies which are still taking place in our home.

This image was found in the Public Domain here.
*I altered it with a border.

I'll share a little about one of the Mother Goose rhymes which I learned about from The Noah Plan Literature Curriculum Guide:

"Little Jack Horner" eating his "Christmas pie" and pulling out a "plum" illustrates the wicked policies of Henry the Eighth. The pie, which a real Mr. Horner was supposed to be carrying to the king, contained twelve little deeds to certain church estates which Henry the Eighth was repossessing from the church now separated from Rome. Jack's plum was one of these deeds which he claimed to have been given him from the king. The descendants of Jack Horner do indeed possess the original deed bearing the king's signature though they deny it was ever a plum in a pie but rather came to them direct from the king."

-p. 95 The Noah Plan Literature Curriculum Guide

Isn't that so interesting?! How many of us have just simply read through the rhymes simply enjoying them and having no knowledge of what is behind them? 

Since I have added studies about the Reformation to our homeschool, I am only covering a couple of the nursery rhymes in the Noah Plan lesson for this week. 

Download your free notebook pages for this lesson!

Blessings!

P.S.

Have you expanded your studies on Mother Goose and/or her nursery rhymes? If so, please share with us what you have learned!

The Princess and the Pea- The Noah Plan K Literature

The Noah Plan

Literature Week 7, Quarter 1

{Get your free notebook page at the end of this post!}

The Princess and the Pea

So, as I have shared in a previous post, this isn't the first time I have used The Noah Plan Kindergarten Curriculum. I have to tell you that the history of The Princess and the Pea is still much easier for me to cover with my children than that of Jack and the Beanstalk. 

The background for The Princess and the Pea is pretty easy to research and the moral to the story is clear. Therefor, you will find an author's page for this story to go along with your child's notebook page.

© Principled Academy
Craft a Princess and the Pea Notebooking Page!

I really enjoyed our discussion today about this book. How silly the prince was to ignore his parents' wisdom and counsel. He learned a lesson though, didn't he? What did the prince base his decision on about a true princess?  What does God look at?

Here's What We Did!

Holy Innocents- Christina Rossetti

The Noah Plan

Literature Week 6, Quarter 1

{Get your free notebook page at this post!}

Holy Innocents

In our study about Christina Rossetti, we learned about her individual contribution to the art of poetry. I appreciate studying the individuality of different poets because I think so much of their uniqueness is seen in their written expression of thought.

Christina  Rossetti

We are working on memorizing portions of her poem, Holy Innocents, to be recited at our Principle Approach homeschool co-op (more posts on the co-op as soon as I can find my battery charger for my camera!).

While I have enjoyed reading poetry throughout my life, I do not recall learning many of the different things about poetry. In preparation for this lesson, we are to read pages 108-123 of The Noah Plan's Literature Guide. However, I chose to focus on pages 108-113, and page 123. I decided to pull out this information to teach with this lesson: 

• The Rhythmical Sounds of God's Creation,
  

Lullaby Literature

Literature

The Noah Plan Week 4, Quarter 1

This is the second week of studying lullabies, their purposes and the importance of them. I do enjoy seeing how the Bible Principle for lullabies applies to literature. You can find links to the songs here as well as some simple notebooking pages to trace the titles and to create a picture on. Lyrics are also provided on the notebooking pages.

Sweet and Low
by Alfred Tennyson

Lullabies- Literature Begins with the Baby

Literature
The Noah Plan Week 3, Quarter 1

What are lullabies for? Did you realize they have literary elements which you can teach to your children? What can they teach us about a nation and a time period? What about the authors?

© Principled Academy

I love to have my girls get their baby dollies out for these sweet lessons about lullabies. They have all especially loved this. *My boys never have been into baby dolls, so when I've taught them this lesson I've held the baby doll or a real baby sibling of theirs and demonstrate how I sing lullabies to a baby.

For You to Do:

Before the lesson, we parents have the privilege to learn some new things ourselves. In The Noah Plan Literature Curriculum Guide (this covers all grade ranges by the way!), I read some insightful things about lullabies. I'll share one of them with you.

A Yielding Heart- Literature

Literature

The Noah Plan Week 2, Quarter 1

© Principled Academy 2012

 

Is your heart yielded to God?

This week's literature lesson from The Noah Plan Kindergarten curriculum teaches on what it means to have a heart yielded to God. We also cover the individuality of King David, the author of  the Psalms. We talk about how King David had a heart yielded to God which gave him the ability to express praise and thanksgiving through his poetry.  It's pretty amazing to think of teaching this to a Kindergartner, huh? I'm so delighted to be giving our children this foundation at such an early age.

What is one way that you express praise and thanksgiving to God? I love to express them in many ways but especially through visual art.

For the Teacher:

The History of Literature

Literature Noah Plan Kindergarten Week 1, Quarter

Every time I pick up a book, I look at literature differently than I did before I learned about the roots (foundations) of literature. Due to the Noah Plan lesson for this week, I was amazed to realize that all the different forms of literature were created by God. This is evident when the Bible, God's inspired Word, contains all of them! Yet how many of us have this realization? This has made the value of literature even more precious to me.


I am excited that our children have the opportunity of learning this from such a young age. How blessed they will be for it!

© Principled Academy

You can download your free notebooking page for this lesson. You can use it for your child do just draw on or you can let him/her be creative in another way.  I love the concept of lapbooks but they drive me nuts because there ends up being so many of them and I don't find it easy to organize them. Some friends use magazine holders for them but I need all the shelf space I have for our literature. So, I thought of a lovely way to use the lapbook concept by just creating notebooking pages with mini-books and flaps like what's used in lapbooks. I just print my notebooking pages on card stock so they are firmer.

~ Make Your Own Lapbook Page! ~

Literature- Beatrix Potter

As a child, I always enjoyed looking at the little books in the Peter Rabbit series by Beatrix Potter. They were the first books which I looked forward to reading once we made it to the children's section of the library. To this day I enjoy them and I am thankful to have a small collection of them for my children. I really enjoyed learning about Beatrix Potter when we did our literature study on her.

If you have The Noah Plan Curriculum (aka NP) for Kindergarten, this post will be especially helpful to you with links for notebooking! You are welcome to use the free Bible Principle lesson I created for The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher whether or not you have the NP Curriculum! Please consider purchasing the Bible Principle Literature Guides for the other listed stories by Beatrix Potter.

My Tutorial for assembling a Bible Principle Study!

The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher by Beatrix Potter

Buy the Following Pack of Literature Guide e-books for only $5.00!

The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter

 A Fun Idea!

I do like to scrapbook and I just had to compile scrapbook pages for some of the authors we studied in our  lessons. I compiled these in what I call a "Family Author Study Scrapbook." If scrapbooking isn't your thing, just scrap this idea! :o)

I printed off coloring pages from this website (you just have to scroll down a bit to find the links to download the coloring pages). Our children took down some notes on a sheet about the author as well. All of these were filed in their notebooks.

You can read some of her biography here. Researching this on your own will make your study unique as you will pull information from it that appeals to you or impresses upon you.

The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends animated films are enjoyable (if you can get around brief scenes of a rat using a snuff box in one of the cartoons, some rats getting drunk at Christmas time, and smoking.)

I like very few movies and I was thankful that Miss Potter was decent (modestly attired women, proper manners, no swearing, no innuendos, no promiscuous behavior, etc.)! The cast is wonderful, the acting superb, the setting is gorgeous... and oh to see the Lake District in person!

I hope you enjoy the free Bible Principle lessons and that they help you understand how to go about creating your own! :o)

Literature- The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour

I've joined a book club! It's a lot of fun meeting with these sweet gals once a month to discuss selective readings.  

The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour is a book that was chosen from the Thomas Jefferson Education book list. I likely never would have picked up this book if it wasn't for the club.

I personally do not feel that reading this book caused me to be a better person or to grow. It was challenging for me to get through as I didn't care for the author's style. I also don't care for books with swear words in them. I think there are so many other words to choose in order to better express one's self or character in the book. Many an author has alluded to their characters swearing without the reader suffering through reading the actual words. I appreciate authors who acknowledge that their audience has the intelligence to fill in the blanks themselves. 

The main focus of this story is education and mentoring. The author mentions that Johannes' father (Zach) is a Protestant. Yet nowhere throughout the mentoring relationship does his father teach him scripture nor how to reason from it. I failed to see any good mentoring from the mentors Johannes had throughout his growing up. The author may not have been a Christ follower, however, he should have researched about the belief system he gave the father (Zach) in order to properly develop that character.

I did appreciate the ability to practice applying the Principle Approach to this book, though. That made it worth reading through the book. So, if you choose to read it or have your older children read it as a part of their literature course, here are some things for you/them to consider:

Here are some quotes that caused me to pause and think:

Quote: "The one thing we know, Hannes, is that nothing remains the same. Things are forever changing, and one must understand the changes and change with them, or be lost by the way."

Questions:
A: How does this uphold in light of scripture? Is it true that nothing remains the same?
B: Ought we to understand AND change with them in all circumstances? That seems like a very broad statement.

Reason:

A: Ecclesiastes 1:9 King James Version says "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." Many things will come under a new guise but the root cause is still the same...

B: If... as... things change in societies, should we change with them if they are not in line with God's Holy Word?

Quote: "To succeed as a human being is not always the same as succeeding in your life's work, although they can go hand in hand."
Questions:
A: What does it mean to succeed as a human being?
B: What determines success in one's life work? 

Reason:

A: Man's idea of of success is different than that of God's. The world determines success by status, wealth, level of earnings, etc. Success actually goes back to when Lucifer wanted God's position... God's status! Here is a sermon to read to cause further thought.

B: When you look at all that the world has to offer, and if you can even attain half as much as that, will it matter in the end? When you stand before God on judgment day, do you want to hear Him say, "Well done good and faithful servant?" Will He say that based on your salary, your status, or your wealth? What does scripture say about this?

Quote: "All life is based on decisions. Decide now on what you'd like to become and what you would like to do. The two are not necessarily the same, although sometimes they can be."
Questions:
A: How have you gone about this in your life?
B: Have your decisions been based on God's will for your life or your own will?

Reason:

Answers will vary depending on each individual.

Quote: "Actually, all education is self-education. A teacher is only a guide, to point out the way, and no school, no matter how excellent, can give you an education. What you receive is the outlines in a child's coloring book. You must fill in the colors yourself."
Questions:
A: Do you agree that all education is self-education? Is that different that choosing to learn and apply what you learn?
B: Do you agree that we must fill in the colors ourselves? How does that  statement hold up in light of scripture?

Reason:

A: God educates and equips us with things we need to know in order to fulfill His will. He did this with Moses, for example. Given this, not all learning is done because we have "self-educated" ourselves. Have you learned anything but chosen not to apply it? 

B: Do we need to "fill in the colors ourselves" or do we  need to wait on the Lord?

Quote: "Neither age nor size makes a man, Johannes. It is willingness to accept responsibility."

Question:
A: Is this the only thing that defines what makes a man?
B: What does the Bible say is the measure of a man?

Reason:

A: Have you known anyone who was responsible but they are not righteous (right with God?).

B:God determines the measure of a man by what's in his heart.

Extra:

Read the poem "If" by  Richard Kipling. Do a PA study on this poem.

Quote: "Knowledge is awareness, and to it there are many paths, not all of them paved with logic."

Questions:
A: Do you agree that there are many paths to knowledge?
B: What does scripture teach us about this?

Reason:

A: Individual answers...

B:Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines knowledge.

The Bible is clear that knowledge comes from God: 1 Kings 3:9; Psalm 119:66; Proverbs 2

We cannot serve two masters... so therefor there are not many paths to knowledge.

Quote: " Much can be learned from books, but much remains about which no book has been written."

Question:
What do you think about this statement?

Reason:

The Bible is THE book we have that covers all matters with which are important.

Quote: " There is no greater role for a man to play than to assist in the government of a people, nor anyone lower than he who misuses that power."

Question:
Is this statement true? Does scripture teach us that assisting in government is the greatest role for man? 

Reason:

Being involved in our government is important on multiple levels. Especially to help uphold those Biblical Principles that our country was founded on. But, did Jesus emphasize the role of man in government or did he emphasize reaching the lost? Based on Matthew 28: 16-20, what is the "greatest role for man to play?"

Quote: " ...if men are to survive upon the earth there must be law, and there must be justice, and all men must stand together against all those who would strike against what men have so carefully built."

Questions:
A: What do you think is meant by "the survival of men?"
B: Do you think it matters what sets the standard for justice? If so, what do you think that should be?
C: What do you think about, "... men must stand together against all those who would strike against what men have so carefully built?" And how does this compare to the verbiage in The Declaration of Independence where it says, "...it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

Reason:

A: Individual answers...

B: Should God's Holy Word set the standard for justice? 

C: Man has carefully built many things throughout history that have fallen. There are two foundations... we can't serve two masters... our nation was built on Biblical Principles that need to be upheld. Though we must remember to acknowledge that no form of government on earth (established by man) will be perfect or a utopia.

Quote: "We have hedged ourselves about with law, for we know that if man is to survive it must be through cooperative effort."

Questions:
A:  "... if man is to survive it must be through cooperative effort." Do you think this is agreeable in all circumstances?
B: Why do you think it necessary to be "hedged about with law?"

Reason:
A: Individual answers...
B: External law is needed to control man when he chooses not to be self-governed under Christ. Only Christ Jesus can change the heart. When we become a new creation in Christ, we live differently.

Quote: "I have never seen such a thing happen, Hannes. My reason tells me it could not happen, but my reason can only judge by what I know, and I do not know everything."

Question:
A: Can we only judge by what we know?
Reason:
King Solomon didn't know who the true mother was of the child. He sought God for wisdom. When King Solomon received wisdom he had the discernment to judge who was the true mother. God gives us wisdom and discernment. He also gives us His Holy Word to hold things up to. 

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