ADVENTURES IN ODYSSEY: GAME FOR A MYSTERY, TARGET OF THE WEEK, FOR THE BIRDS

Game for a Mystery: The message of this episode seems insincere in light of the fact this radio show features constant interruptions wanting you to buy recordings of AIO episodes and other productions.

Target of the Week: Revenge is never right, as Romans 12 says, but I find it hard to accept the lesson of this episode in a world where school staff routinely do nothing about bullying.

Also, Focus on the Family doesn't provide any resources along with this episode for children who are being bullied!?

For the Birds: "baby-making season"?! You can't say mating on this show? 

BRAILLE LEGO BRICKS WILL BE AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 1

NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

 

Lego to sell braille bricks to help blind, low-vision children learn to read

Lego Braille Bricks help blind and low-vision children "play and learn just like every other child," said mom Lisa Taylor

By Meghan Holohan | TODAY • Published August 26, 2023

 

Children play with Legos.

LEGO

Lego said in a press release that the braille bricks work with other pieces.

 

At first, Olivia struggled with braille. Then the 7-year-old, who is blind, played with Legos with braille on them and her interest soared.

 

“Before then, she found it hard to get started with the symbols but now she’s improving all the time,” mom Lisa Taylor said in a press release from Lego. “To have a set at home changes everything. We can play with braille together as a family and she can introduce braille to her little sister in a way they both love. Lego braille bricks are accessible for her without being really different for other kids, so she gets to play and learn just like every other child."

 

Lego announced it is offering braille bricks for the public to purchase starting Sept. 1. The first sets will be available in English and French with Italian, German and Spanish language versions coming in early 2024. The set retails for $89.99.

 

The "Lego Braille Bricks — Play with Braille" set comes with 287 pieces that are “fully compatible with other Lego products and the studs on each brick are arranged to correspond to the numbers and letters in the braille system.” The printed symbol or letter will on the brick under the studs. A baseplate, which people can build on, includes braille on it, as well. What’s more, the company will make its audio and braille building instructions available for other sets, allowing blind people of all ages to enjoy Lego building.

 

While the Legos braille bricks can introduce blind, partially sighted and low-vision children to braille, the company said they’re for anyone hoping to learn the basics.

 

“For blind and partially sighted children, and adults for that matter, it makes all the difference if they can share their journey of learning braille with the people they love the most,” Martine Abel-Williamson, president of the World Blind Union, said in the press release. “For the blind community, braille is not just literacy, it’s our entry to independence and inclusion into this world, and to have Lego Braille Bricks made available for the wider public is a massive step forward to ensuring more children will want to learn braille."

 

Previously, Lego provided braille bricks to organizations that educate blind children and the company will continuing providing free sets to such groups. Groups that educate blind children were also involved in the development of this product.  

BEDTIME PRAYER

God Almighty,
There you are,
Shining like the star you are.

God Almighty,
Here me weep,
As I pray,
And fall asleep.

God Almighty,
Stay in my heart,
For tomorrow brings
A fresh new start.

In Jesus Christ's name,
Amen.

Doug

RETRO KIDS TV SHOW LINKS

Here are some good, classic children’s TV shows. Whether you’re strolling down memory lane or need to keep the kids amused (while educating them at the same time) there’s lots of great stuff below.

A YouTube channel “Book Mice Episodes”:

https://www.youtube.com/user/BookMiceEpisodes/videos

A whole episode from RetroOntario:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9JA7TxL_KE

Another whole episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99orhS6BxOU

A RetroOntario playlist of seven “How do you Do” episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSsg3O4ndlpJRj9COilLnPyxZWnwIvt6

“Fireman Sam” seasons 1 through 4 with the theme I remember as a kid:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKVA3W1kU55IknwMv6oW3Jm7Rwi8ZsKmv

“Dear Aunt Agnes” episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIzPMHXG5_o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx-H7sh3Q0w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfgt-3RfovY

An episode of TV Ontario's "Tell me a Story":

Here's an episode of "Zardip's Search for Healthy Wellness":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT-GwnETTbA&list=PLXSsg3O4ndloi_uMarvcQfkAlMtWw1mPb&index=10&t=0s

More "Zardip" episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_Mcaw3zT_twkAqVyJwUOr7p53FaDzw0o

HOW TO GROW UP-DEATH

When we die, it is not the end for us.

For those who died in a proper relationship with Jesus Christ, they will be in Heaven. The Bible says "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." If we are also followers of Jesus, we can be sure we will see our loved ones in Heaven. (Note: If you're a Christian just because you want to see dead friends or relatives in Heaven then God will not regard that as a proper relationship with Him.)

For the rest of humankind who died without knowing the Lord, they will wind up in Hell. Though this may seem cruel and unfair, you have to remember that many people got the chance in their lifetime to hear about what Jesus did on the cross. They could have believed the Gospel and had a relationship with Jesus, but they chose not to do so.

For people who have never physically heard the Gospel, the Bible says in the Book of Romans that God is visible in the Creation or nature that exists around us. Even if someone has never heard the Gospel, if they are seeking a relationship with the true God, they will find Him.

HOW TO GROW UP-DIVORCING PARENTS

Divorce is a terrible thing. It doesn't just affect the husband, wife and children going through the divorce; it also affects extended relatives and friends of the family.

In the Book of Exodus in the Bible, God's sixth commandment is "thou shalt not commit adultery." (See Exodus Chapter 20.)

Jesus told His followers that anyone who divorces commits adultery. If your parents are going through a divorce or your family has gone through a divorce, I can't speak to your specific situation. However, I can say in general that divorce is wrong.

The Bible says God has a much better way of looking at things than humans, "as the heavens are higher than the earth." God's solution for a couple going through a divorce is for them to remember that He instituted marriage in the first place. A married couple having problems should work out solutions to their problems according to His law and ways.

To prevent divorce from coming up in the first place, people should think long and hard before they get married. Things they should think about should include among other questions whether the person will truly be a good husband or wife, whether they will be a good father or mother and how do they treat the person who is planning to marry them.

HOW TO GROW UP-PARENTS

In the Bible, in the Book of Exodus, God gave His Ten Commandments and the fifth one is that we should honour our mother and our father. The Bible repeatedly says children should obey their parents.

All authority comes from God. The command for children to honour their parents does not give parents the right to be cruel tyrants over their children. If you don't think something is fair, most of the time you can discuss the issue with your parents and come to a peaceful resolution.

Nevertheless, there are many times when, if your parents tell you to do something, you do it without questioning. Most parents want the best for their children and will thus set out fair rules for the household designed to protect children while giving them a good and happy life at the same time.

God's order, set down in the Bible is that Christ is to be the head of every man. The man is supposed to be the head of his home and the children are to be under the husband and wife, the father and the mother. Many times when children are disrespectful and constantly disobey their parents, this is because this order is not in that home.

A girl needs a good mother to show her what kind of woman she should be and a good father to show her what to look for in a man. (Vice versa if you happen to be a guy reading this.)

Granted, there are parents who for various reasons don't know how to train their children in the way they should go as the Book of Proverbs in the Bible says. If you are living in one of these extreme situations, find a male role model in your community or at your school who acts the way a good husband should, and a woman in your community or at your school who acts like the kind of respectable woman someone would want to be.

HOW TO GROW UP-SIBLINGS

Most siblings get over their sibling rivalry by adulthood but some brothers and sisters continue to fight after this point.

In the Bible, in the Book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 4, we are told that love is patient and kind. Siblings need to be patient and kind with each other. If you are having problems with a younger sibling, try to remember what it was like to be their age when you didn't know as much, couldn't do as much and weren't as mature as you are now. If you are having problems with an older sibling, remember that since they're older, they are experiencing new things that you haven't yet experienced yourself. Thus, they have more on their minds than you do.

Many times when a group of siblings fight, the problem rests with the order in the home. Jesus Christ tells us clearly in the Bible that he is to be in charge, or the head of every man. The man is then to be in charge of the home with his wife under him. The children are then supposed to be under the husband and wife, their mother and father, of course. Oftentimes when there is intense fighting among siblings, God's order is not in that household.

1 Corinthians 13 4 also says basically that love doesn't put itself above another person and is not puffed up. If you are really good at something and get lots of attention for it remember that your sibling or siblings could feel left out or neglected.

If you are the sibling feeling left out or neglected, remember this. God created each person individually with his or her own gifts, talents and abilities. Just because your sibling is really good at something doesn't mean you're no good at anything. Try to find out what you're good at and, if you already know the areas where your talent lies, take time to become the best you can be in whatever area you do well in.