What wonderful years to homeschool. The years the foundations are set. They fly by, no matter what your thinking now! Many of our Take Root Writers have been through these years several times and we all have different approaches. We will share, encourage and tell you about some things you might not know!
By, Homeschooling Moms of Take Root and Write Category Posting with vary
"Read this one, please," Katie Beth's chubby hands held the book up to me. I adjusted Julianna who had finished nursing and was asleep on my lap. I opened the lovely Christmas picture book and began to read aloud. Katie Beth and I smiled at each other and the baby slept peacefully.
Fast forward 20 years. My baby is a grown up lady. Katie Beth and my third baby, Jenny Rose, are cuddled up on the couch reading Anne of Green Gables aloud. They have both read the book several times, but there is something wonderful about reading a good book together aloud.
This summer I went to visit my aunt with two of my daughters. The four of us enjoyed an Agatha Christie short story together. We took turns reading aloud. My aunt wrote me a note the next week about how much she had enjoyed that sweet time reading aloud together.
What is it about reading aloud that is so wonderful? Is it the story? Is it the sound of someone you love reading aloud? Or is it the sense of togetherness? There are several Christmas picture books out there. Which are the best for reading aloud?
Cranberry Christmas by Wende and Harry Devlin is a Christmas story set in Cranberry Port, New England where the winter is filled with snow, ice skating, and treats made with cranberries (like the cranberry cookie recipe on the back cover of the book). Meet Grandma and Maggie who help eccentric Mr. Whiskers prepare for a visit from his sister and fight to keep his property. A sweet Christmas tale and a great recipe! My children loved this book and there are great examples of kindness and friendship inside. Quaint pictures add to the delight of the book. I love the drawings of Mr. Whiskers!
One Wintry Night by Ruth Graham Bell shares the message of the Gospel. Lovely illustrations bring the story alive. Well, it is really two stories intertwined. We meet a mountain boy named Zeb who gets lost during a snowstorm. The kind lady, who takes him in and cares for him, tells him the story of Christmas, beginning with Creation. For two whole days while Zeb waits for the blizzard to end, he is immersed in the beautiful story of salvation. What a lovely book! This is a long one, though, and will require a long time to read it or two days of reading aloud.
"I want to make a clothspin angel," Hannah chirped.
"Wait, let's make the folded stars. They look cool," Mark pleaded with his mom.
"I'd rather make the snowflakes," Brad said quietly. The whole family remembered last Christmas when the family room was filled with paper snowflakes of different colors, provided by Brad.
"We are going to make a different project every day for the month of December," Mom began, patiently. The four of them were leafing through their new E-book.
Visual Manna's Christmas Holiday Arts and Crafts by Rich and Sharon Jeffus is a treat for homeschooling families. Visual Manna has long been supplying art curriculum for home educators with a wide variety of art and crafts.
I received this book free when I attended the Ultimate Homeschool Fall Expo online conference. What a blessing the entire conference was with its focus on keeping Christ in Christmas and making the holidays stress-free. Speaker after speaker challenged and equipped homeschooling families to keep Christmas Christ-centered.
Speaking of keeping Christmas Christ-centered, this e-book proved to be more than a little "thank you for coming" gift. Though the cover said Christmas in big letters, the book was filled with craft ideas for all the holidays from a Christian perspective.
In the introduction, celebrating Christmas with the arts is addressed. Art appreciation is a wide open field. There are many lovely paintings from different time periods, styles, and artists that display the nativity scene. Baby Jesus, his mother, Mary, and earthly father, Joseph, are depicted over and over in art. There is something so fragile and beautiful about the King of Glory laying aside His Splendor to become a man, a baby boy. Several paintings are mentioned, including The Nativity by Boticelli and The Presentation in the Temple by Rembrandt.
Have you ever wondered if children can build their own websites? Well, they can! With Web Design for KIDS (and Curious Grown-Ups), this DVD will not only teach your children how to research and gather information, but also build a website with confidence and ease.
Even though it took months for me to finally watch and review this DVD (because I felt so technologically-challenged), I wished I had watched it sooner. It was easy-to-understand and enjoyable to watch.
The host and web designer teacher, Brian Richardson was easy-going and personable. I couldn't help but like him. There are also two children in the video who help Brian with the teaching by asking questions and making comments. (I was thankful they asked questions, because they were the same ones on my mind too!)
The quality of the video is great. Captions flash across the screen when Brian makes important points. And when he explains how to do something on the computer screen, his screen fills the television so that we know exactly what he's describing. Brian shows where to point your mouse and when to click. It is so easy, you can't help but feel like he's speaking directly to you.
"When I grow up, I'm going to be a stewardess," I told my grandmother sincerely. Daddy worked for Eastern airlines and we traveled all over the country. I loved the beautiful stewardesses with the friendly smiles who went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. I would practice at home lining my dolls up in chairs, leaving an aisle for me to wheel my mother's tea wagon down the center and serve my dollies drinks and snacks.
Children love to imagine life as a grown up. It is wonderful to have dreams in your heart about the future. Our children belong to Jesus and He has big dreams and plans for our precious little ones. I found some books to put into their little hands that will give them some ideas for their future.
Each Wanna Be book is full of clear bright pictures, charts, graphs, links, fun activities, education opportunities, and interesting information about the career. Looking through the book is fun because every page is attractive and easy on the eyes. The reading is for children ages 4 to 10, but older children will enjoy it. I learned new things as I read through these books to review them. Each books was also filled with links to sites online that would be helpful for the reader to learn more.
When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be a Chef was put together by a group of ladies headed up by Angelina Stanford McBride. While reading the book, I met 3 lady chefs who taught me about being a chef. I learned about personal chefs, caterers, restaurant chefs, executive chefs, institutional chefs, and chef instructors. I enjoyed finding out about the brigade system, a system used in large kitchens to orangize the kitchen. I followed the link provided to learn even more!
"But that's not what John Adams said in the Federalist Papers," my daughter interrupted my reading from a history textbook.
"No, it isn't," I agreed pulling off my reading glasses and looking her in the eyes.
Wealth of the Nations, The Federalist Papers, The Communist Manifesto, Plimouth Plantation, and The Prince are all quoted in textbooks. More, often than not they are attributed with content that is not really there. That is why, if we truly want to be educated, we must read original works, rather than rely on what history and science textbooks say about these works. So, where do we begin? What books and writings should we add to our homeschool curriculum?
Most of these books and writings can be obtained online for free. Because they are so old, they are public domain.
The Prince by Niccoli Machiavelli has been read by conquerors and leaders for centuries by those who rule kingdoms and by those who rule businesses. It is a guide to conquering and subduing nations written in the early 1500's. This book on political power was written in a time and place (Florence, an Italian City-State) of great political upheaval and unrest. It teaches a Prince how to obtain and maintain his rule and reign with a focus on the end justifying the means.
This book is a great way to understand why rulers that followed did what they did, as well as great insight into the Renaissance mindset. It is not difficult to read, but will shock you at times. It changed the way the world thinks, moving rulers away from a "duty to God and goodness" to pragmatism.
This is a great book to read in a Great Books Class or a World History Class during high school.
"A teaching tape? Oh, Mom, I hate listening to teaching tapes. They are so boring," my son moaned when I told him our plan for history.
"You will like this one. . .it's Diana Waring. . .she is funny and enthusiastic. . .and interesting!" I responded, eager to sit down and listen to one of my favorite speakers.
Jimmy did not look like he believed me, but was determined to have a good attitude, avoiding a "talk" with Daddy later.
To his surprise, he loved listening to Diana.
"She's really cool!" was his assessment.
I discovered Diana Waring at a homeschool convention in the early 1990's, attending her workshop because I am a history buff. She satisfied my desire to learn more about history from a Christ-centered perspective, but she turned out to be one of my favorite speakers. She is so bubbly and enthusiastic in her love for history that you can't help smiling as you listen to her speak, in person or on CD.
Diana agrees with me that history starts at Creation (in 7 Days by our Loving Creator in Heaven) and ends with Jesus' Return. She believes that the Bible is true for all of life, including history. The research she uses to compile her teaching material is from solid historians who trust the Word of God and archeologists who have made discoveries that confirm that the Bible is true.
Diana loves the Lord and expresses wonder at the Sovereign Hand of God in history throughout all time. She not only teaches our family history, but encourages us to love and pursue God.
History Alive!
History Alive! is a complete history curriculum in unit study format. You can use it all or use her teaching CDs to supplement your own history studies. History is shared by Diana in the form of stories on her CDs. She offers What in the World is Going on Here, True Tales, and Digging Deeper series. Her curriculum and CDs are divided up chronologically into 3 time periods: Ancient Civilizations, Medieval to Early Modern, and Modern History. She is working on Modern Times. She offers teacher guides, elementary activity books (K-4), and Student Manuals (5-12) to go along with the CDs.
"What should my children do for English class," many homeschool moms ask me.
"Read good books," I reply without hesitation.
"Should they read anthologies or English textbooks?" they continue, amazed that the answer is so simple.
"NO! Just read good literature. It will build vocabulary, teach grammar effortlessly, and improve spelling."
"What should they do for book reports?" homeschool moms continue.
"They don't need to do book reports," I reply.
"What?" they are aghast.
"Just talk about books with your kids," I explain. "You can tell if they understand the book when you talk about it with them. Ask questions like this....
"Did you like the book? Why?"
"Who was your favorite character in the book? Why?"
"Tell me about the story. Was it exciting or boring? What made it exciting or boring?"
"Do you think your sister would enjoy this book? Why or why not?"
So, with all that said, let me make it clear. Literature is homeschooling curriculum. Your children just have to read it. Classic literature is still around because it is timeless. A good story is always a good story, even 2,000 years later. Your children can learn to love to read by reading good stories and talking about them with Mom or Dad. They don't need to answer endless questions or do time-consuming book reports.
Just, let them read! Here are some of our family's favorite classics.
Sheri Graham is a busy homeschooling mom with a houseful of children. She also runs her own business and writes books. Somewhere in all that hard work, she manages to post a blog each day. I am encouraged and challenged by Sheri and her ministry.
To do all that she does, and to to it all so well, Sheri must be a very organized lady! So, when she sent me her Intentional Planner to review, I was eager to see it. I like to learn from other homeschooling moms who do all things well.
The Intentional Planner is an E-book that you can download the minute you purchase it on Graham Family Ministries online store. You can make as make copies as you need and put together as many planners as you need for your family. Before I tell you any more about it, though, I have to give you some really good news! The Intentional Planner only costs $5.00. Yes, that's right, only $5.00 for 247 pages of wisdom from Graham Family Ministries. I could not believe that you could spend so little and get so much!
With a desire to combine her planner, calendar, journal, and home management binder into one notebook, Sheri created the Intentional Planner. It is everything you need to manage your home and home school in one neat package. There are fields on the pages available to customize your planner too.
"The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner is finished!" Heidi wrote in her email. Attached was the The Old Schoolhouse magazine's homeschooling and home management planner. This planner has to be the most thorough planner I have ever seen. As always, I was eager to look through this 614 page planner.
The brand new edition is here! Heidi Stawser and Kris Price have done it again. The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner is an administrative delight to those who love organizing and for those who can't stand organization, but know they desperately need it! This contains everything you need to manage your home and school.
Planning sheets, charts, logs, articles, recipes, and more fill the 614 pages in the newest planner from the Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Available as an E-book, you can purchase the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner from The Old Schoolhouse Store for $39.00.
The planner is divided into monthly sections (211 pages). This is followed by calendars (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), monthly calendars, miscellaneous education information (~50 pages), and forms (~300 pages). Like all of TOS's publications, this planner is attractive, easy on the eyes, and pleasant to read through. There is so much neat stuff to read--I found myself completely distracted for hours!
"What movie are we watching?" Lance asks before we begin our history coop class.
"Oh, we're not watching a movie today," I reply, shuffling the papers I need to teach about the Great Depression.
"No movie?" Cody overhears, stops what he is doing, and puts in his two cents. "I know a lot of great movies about the Great Depression."
"Me too!" Lance chides, not bothering to hide his disappointment.
Years ago, I started adding movies to our study of history, geography, economics, and government. A good movie can make a time period or place come alive. I gravitate toward older movies because so many of the movies coming out of Hollywood in the last forty years have a strong political bias to them that I don't agree with. But, there are some good exceptions.
We study the historical time period by reading living books, textbooks, and historical fiction. Our studies also include research and writing assignments. We will often make a historical feast to snack on while we watch our history movies. For more ideas on teaching history, see Making History Come Alive!, Making History Come Alive II, and Making History Come Alive III.
One thing that we love in our house is reading good literature! Everyone loves curling up with a good book and, if possible, some homemade cookies and milk. Nothing is more wonderful than a good story. You might call it escapism....we call it growing intellectually.
Now, for all those who love reading a good story, there is a hidden desire to make up a good story. Most will not admit this, but it lurks quietly in the souls of almost all committed readers of fiction. Even young children want to make up their own stories. In fact, I think almost all children who have been exposed to good literature will have a desire, no matter how small, to write their own work of fiction.
I have reviewed a great curriculum for high school students, One Year Novel Adventure, that teaches teens to write their own adventurer novel. But, what about a great curriculum for younger children to write a great story?
Reach for the Stars Young Author's Fiction Workbook by Susan K. Marlow is a new fiction writing curriculum for the younger set. Published by Media Angels, this is another valuable resource for homeschooling families!
Designed specifically for younger children, the text is large, easy-to read. The explanations are clear and easy to understand. But what I appreciated even more was the fun layout of the workbook. Neat illustrations combined with a very attractive layout make the book a delight to thumb through. It was so cute that it could have been void of solid learning material and I still would have wanted to keep it. But such was not the case. It was chock full of wisdom!
I ran downstairs to shower and get dressed. My 15-year old son just got the okay from a young girl his age that she could go to a 4 o'clock movie. We checked pluggedin.com to check for appropriateness and once this was settled, I had less than an hour to get ready.
I could just taste the movie buttered popcorn and the yummy raisinets. I was trying to decide if I would have a coke or an icee. As you can tell, food is an important part of going to the movies for me.
My son and I headed toward the theater. We made it down one street when he announced to me that he didn't want me to actually go "in" the movie theater with him, because he felt it would be embarrassing. My heart sunk a little, and I felt a pout coming.
I asked about the young girl's mom to see if he knew what she felt about them going alone to the movie. He already knew that her mom was fine with them going together. So bummer, I got bumped out of going to an afternoon movie by some nice young girl that my son is not "dating."
I think I was sadder about missing out on the munchies than not seeing the movie or really having any concern about them needing a chaperon in the middle of the day at the movies. I can't help but think, "Well so much for all the "dating rules" my husband and I made when our children were toddlers."
"Look at this beautiful picture book!" I gasped as I opened the unexpected package that had arrived from the mailman as we were leaving for homeschool coop.
"C'mon, Mom, we're going to be late. . .Wow! That is beautiful! Where did you get that book? It's amazing!"
We brought it with us, passing it around in the car. I gazed at it intently every time I stopped at a red light. We were are entranced by the pretty artwork.
I was so excited to finally be able to sit down and study each page carefully. It made me feel little a little kid again. I wish I had learned U.S. geography with this book. It made everything so simple!
I wasn't the only one in the family who couldn't wait to sit down and spend time curled up with this book. Little Man in the Map was one of the most popular items with my children that I have reviewed!
And so began our introduction to The Little Man in the Map by E. Andrew Martonyi. This large and lovely picture book is the most creative way I have ever seen to learn the fifty states. Of course, I do love well-written beautifully illustrated picture books. Is there anyone who doesn't love them?
This book is filled with little clues to help you remember the fifty United States of America. Betcha didn't know that there is a state shaped like a chair, another like a cup, and one state is even shaped like a dining room table. But you have to start with the Little Man in the Map.
I love meeting moms who have raised godly children and who are raising godly children. You see, I want to learn from women who have done it right and have good fruit to show for it. I also love meeting moms who are funny and spunky.
So, for me, reviewing this book was not like other reviews because I got to meet a happy, energetic mom who has run the race and is now enjoying her grandchildren. Her daughter is carrying on the principles her mother lived by and heartily endorsing them.
Secret Code Time is written by Paula and Sky, a mother/daughter team who believe in the relational principles of Secret Code Time and practice what they preach. Well written and engaging, the book is 142 pages long. Not a long book to get through. You will enjoy all the photographs through the pages of the authors and their family. The book itself looks lovely and would make a great gift for another homeschooling mom for birthday or Christmas.
"Bring back the good ole days," I find myself thinking sometimes as I pick up new-fangled, fancy curriculum that seems to have more bells and whistles than meat. But, honestly I had very little idea of where to find that curricula. In fact, I had little idea what these textbooks were actually like. That's all changed now because I got to review the Eclectic Education Series.
The Eclectic Education Series (EES) is a set of textbooks that were used in the latter part of the nineteenth century (1800's). Over 10,000 independent school boards across the nation chose to use these textbooks. Some of these textbooks will sound familiar to you, even after they have been out of use for 100 years: Ray's Arithmetics and McGuffey's Readers. All of these textbooks emphasize traditional values, patriotism, and the Bible.
My favorite books were the Thalheimer's Histories. In General History, the textbook opens with a discussion of the dispersal at Babel. It was so exciting to see Christ and the Bible honored in all the textbooks! I was so excited to receive the 3 volume set of Oliver Cromwell's speeches and letters. What a blessing! I love original documents and this is a lovely addition to my growing collection!
Good Morals and Gentle Manners was an amazing book. There were two chapters that delighted me: Duties to God from Scriptures and Duties to Man from Scriptures. Wow! That was in a public school textbook? This book gave so much wisdom on forming godly habits based on Scriptural principles. Also discussed were keeping one's word, guarding the heart, and avoiding evil influences. I think every Christian should read this book! It was awesome!
The Manual of Methods was a thorough guide on how to teach students to read, write, spell, and grasp the other subjects. Different methods of teaching were discussed and evaluated. I was impressed.
This collection of twaddle-free textbooks is huge! Here is a listing of ALL the textbooks available for your family. You can do an entire K-12 education using this curricula. Just keep in mind, there are no bells and whistles. Students are written to as if they are intelligent and attentive scholars. Yet, nothing seemed too difficult for children to understand. There are just no frills!
Ray's Arithmetic
Ray's Primary Arithmetic (95 pages)
Ray's Intellectual Arithmetic (141 pages)
Ray's New Elementary Arithmetic (192 pages)
Ray's Rudimentary Arithmetic (193 pages
Ray's New Practical Arithmetic (337 pages)
Ray's New Higher Arithmetic (409 pages)
Ray's New Elementary Algebra (241 pages)
Ray's New Higher Algebra 407 pages)
Ray's Treatise on Geometry and Trigonometry (421 pages)
Ray's Analytic Geometry (608 pages)
Ray's Differential and Integral Calculus (442 pages)
Histories
Thalheimer's Histories (Ancient History, General History, Medieval History, English History, United States History)
Oliver Cromwell's Histories & Letters (3 Volumes 1,434 pages total)
Cyclopedia of Social and Commercial Information (737 pages)
Andrews Constitution
American Poems
Rhetorical Reading
Good Morals and Gentle Manners
Science
Norton's Elements of Chemistry (331 pages)
Norton's Elements of Natural Philosophy (468 pages)
Norton's Elements of Physics (259 pages)
Norton's Elements of Astronomy (342 pages)
Ray's Surveying and Navigation (492 pages)
Complete Book Keeping (161 pages)
Schuyler's Principles of Logic (169 pages)
Introduction to Botany (372 pages)
Nature Study
First Year Science (505 pages for High School)
Political Economy (396 pages)
Simplified Industrial Mechanics (289)
Guide to Health
McGuffey's Readers Set
McGuffey's First Eclectic Read & McGuffey's Primer
McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader & McGuffey's Alternative Second Reader
McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader & McGuffey's Alternative Third Reader
McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader & McGuffey's Alternative Fourth Reader
McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader & McGuffey's Alternative Fifth Reader
McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader
McGuffey's New High School Reader
McGuffey's Word List
McGuffey's Juvenile Speaker
McGuffey's Eclectic Speller
McGuffey's Familiar Animals
McGuffey's Living Creatures
Heman's Reader for Female Schools
Grammar Set
Pinneo's Primary Grammar
Pinneo's Analytical Grammar
Pinneo's English Teacher
Pinneo's Composition
Pinneo's False Syntax
Harvey's Elementary Grammar
Harvey's First Lessons in Grammar
Harvey's English Grammar
Teacher's Books
Manual of Methods (261 pages)
Question Book (165 pages)
Successful Teaching in Rural Schools (294 pages)
Dollar Homeschool wants to make these classic textbooks available to homeschooling families who would like to use them. You can buy a complete set of curricula available on CD for $159.00. You can also purchase the collections separately on the Dollar Homeschool Website.
Why did the United States of America stop using these textbooks? Well, there was a professor named John Dewey who headed up the Teacher's College of Columbia University. As a humanist, socialist, atheist, and signer of the Humanist Manifesto, Dewey went on a campaign to replace these textbooks with others more in line with the current trend in public education. It would be a fun research project to compare the textbooks offered by Dollar Homeschool with the textbooks in your local public school. Please let me read it if you do!
If you are interested in twaddle-free textbook learning, consider this set of curricula. If you are interested in having a set of historic textbooks on your computer, this would be worth the price. I am so glad to have this wonderful set of books. Thank you, Dollar Homeschool for a big treat!
"Where is Four Musketeers?" Shine asked all of us. "I have looked everywhere."
"Did you look on the literature shelf?" I responded, almost chiding.
"It's not there, Mom. I've been looking for it," Rose backed Shine up.
"The Godfrey's have it," Jimmy announced, looking up from the book he was reading.
"Oh, golly," I fumed. "Did they use the check out list on the computer at the top of the stairs?"
"Sometimes they forget," Rose reminded me.
"There must be a better system to keep track of our stuff and get it back when we need it."
Lobster Network to the rescue! This website was created especially for me and all the people in my life who borrow stuff from me. Not really, but it felt like that when I was sent to the website to review Lobster Network. I was so happy to find this because I spend many hours each week trying to figure out where on earth a book has disappeared to, finally discovering that it is at a friend's house. I have tried keep files on the computer, but then I have to get on that particular computer--hard to do in a household of nine people.
I remember those precious days when I was first starting out with homeschooling. Katie Beth was four years old and I just couldn't wait to begin! I bought Ann Ward's Learning at Home Preschool-Kindergartenand began teaching Katie Beth all kinds of nifty things! We made little shape books, cut pictures out of magazines to make collages, and wrote numbers and letters. What a fun year!
With the children that followed, I never did any kind of formal preschool/kindergarten work. They tagged along with the older ones while we did school. I would give them paper, markers, pencils, books, and math manipulatives to play with and keep their hands busy while I read to the older kids. Somehow, they picked up everything that I so meticulously taught Katie Beth. When they were ready, we began learning to read with Sing, Spell, Read, and Write and started Bob Jones Math 1.
Nineteen years have gone by quickly since Katie Beth started homeschooling with me. Now, she is working on her master's degree and there are only three children left at home. But those days are still so fresh in my mind.
Ideal Curriculum's Month 1 Kit arrived in my email inbox to review. Yes, it arrived via the internet and is packaged in pdf format. The thing I love about E-Curriculum is that it is so easy to store in the computer! No need to make more room on already crowded bookshelves. Although, I adore my over-crowded bookshelves full of treasured, beloved books!
Saving money is an elusive goal for many families. Debt reduction is a big deal right now with our country's economic woes. But, at all times, money is a big issue for any family. Often, as parents, we are in the situation of wishing that we had managed our own money better in the past. How we hope that our children will start out in their new homes better than we started in ours. But how do we train our children to be wise, frugal, and generous?
Family Mintis a free online training tool that aids in teaching children to manage their money wisely. It offers tools to help parents provide guidance for their children to manage money and cultivates the skills needed to do so.
Family Mint is an online system that is high-tech and fun! You, the parent, are the banker. You name your bank, create a profile, and let your kids create their own profiles as well. You determine the interest rates for each account and can set up matching deposits on important savings accounts such as the college fund. The parent/banker also sets up an automatic allowance deposit.
Guy sees
girl. Girl sees guy. Guy and girl talk, dance at a great distance, sit
on a bench. . .and, it feels good inside! The ride home in the 'courting' wagon can be
very eventful. . .hands move, heads turn, lips touch, oops! The buggy mirror
gets all steamy. (I just hate when that happens to my buggy!)
Blink. . .blink..oh,
I don't live in an Amish world. People don't have courting sofas in
the parlor anymore. Maybe that is it! If I would only have a courting
sofa made for my children when they have a 'friend' over.
Can't you see it? They can sit
on this special sofa to remind them that they are courting, not dating. Oh, my house doesn't have a parlor. Could the front porch
be as effective? So much pre-planning to be concerned about in a
courting world!
"Courting" is what many homeschool parents desire
for theirchildren. I will confess right away I was one of those homeschool parents, and might still be, to some degree. We want our children to believe courting is how a godly person finds a future spouse.
Some families don't even use the d-word (dating), hoping
their children never learn there is an alternative to courting. This means the family will be watching the weather channel and cable news, renting only G-rated movies and staying away from magazines in the grocery stores. And clearly, a church youth group is also on the 'not-to-do' list.
I remember typing class in seventh grade. We had a big picture of the keyboard in the front of the room, but all the keys on our typewriters were blackened out. This forced us to look up while we typed. That developed a habit that I appreciate today because it allows me to type more quickly and efficiently.
I have often wondered, how on earth do you learn to type on a computer keyboard? Should I blacken the keys and put a big poster on the wall? My husband's disapproval has prevented me from trying this method of teaching my children.
Keyboarding for the Christian School by Leanne Beitel is a back-to-basics curriculum. It's nothing fancy; no bells and whistles. I like it!
This 107 page e-book contains 42 lessons that take you from the basics to formatting, footnotes, and addressing envelopes. The first 20 lessons help the student learn the location of the letters. Then the students become proficient at typing numbers. Here is a list of all the lessons.
We are studying American History this year. Five families have united to co-op every Tuesday in my living room, kitchen, backyard, and nearby park. We have listened to numerous books, read aloud, shot arrows from bows, worked on time lines, recited famous speeches, and created many hands-on projects. The fascinating thing to me about American History is the deep devotion to God that once lived in the hearts of men and women in this nation. Even those who rejected the Gospel, admitted that God had His hand in the formation of this great nation.
Once, faith in the Lord led to core values that helped to make our nation great: personal responsibility, integrity, and love for fellow man. My daddy always said, "You are responsible for your own actions. If everyone jumped off a bridge..." Your daddy probably said the same thing to you. Concern for the welfare of others led to charities and neighbors helping neighbors. People expected their politicians to be men and women of integrity and honor.
There also existed a great love of freedom so strong that people were willing to die to hold on to freedom. There was great pride in being a citizen of the United States of America. George Washington urged unity above political party affiliation. Patriotism, love of freedom, and a desire to move forward to make the world a better place for the next generation all united Americans.
While we cannot go back in time, we can pass on a Godly heritage to our children, reminding them of the providential blessing that has hovered over our nation. We can pass on the same values that led Daniel Boone across the wilderness, Teddy Roosevelt to storm San Juan Hill, and Lincoln to speak at Gettysburg.
The American Heritage Foundation is serious about teaching students the truth about the United States of America and current events. Historically, the United States of America is Modern History's first attempt at self-government. This adventure was bathed in prayer and led by men who feared the Lord and understood biblical principles.
This non-profit organization was formed to teach American history and to promote patriotism in young American lives. Though a non-religious organization, it promotes conservative, family-friendly values. Lesson plans have been created for use in public schools to fill in the gaps in public school history and government classes. Their lesson plans are offered free to homeschoolers too!
Our family will never be on a reality TV show for homeschooling; unless they did a series on homeschool horrors. Don't be alarmed! My children can read, write, and do their arithmetic. But...what we couldn't do were homeschooling unit studies, textbooks, charts, schedules, chores, singing hymns, lesson plans, read-a-loud classics, tests, handwriting, spelling, Latin, logic, and music theory. Besides that, we’ve had great success!
Fancy unit studies were not for us. I couldn’t convince my children to pretend we lived in a pioneer village for a few months. I, myself, struggled to get all the books, crafts, and real-life supplies gathered.
As for other popular methods...note-booking our learning experiences, making nature diaries, and writing creative journals barely got started, much less completed. I marvel at the wonderful notebook binders I have seen made by other families with drawings, photos of handmade items (like full-functioning cabins built with popsicle sticks), and those precious book reports that made parents squeal with delight at the learning accomplished while their kids simply played.
"We are just starting out," the young woman informed me with shining eyes. I thought that she was a high school homeschooler with her fresh smile and "girl-next-door" looks.
I smiled to myself as I remembered those days. Was I ever a young mom who didn't need to reach for her reading glasses to check a writing paper or look at the numbers to explain a math problem? How wonderful those early years were when we enjoyed making volcanoes of paper mache and going to the zoo for a field trip.
"I need all the wisdom I can get," my new young friend interrupted my thoughts.
"Well, have I got a book for you!"
Though I have read many books on homeschooling over the past twenty years, this was my first time reading The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell (sent to me by Apologia Press to review).
The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell is an honest look at educating children at home from a mom whose run the race with joy and success! Debra is honest and insightful. She doesn't sugarcoat homeschooling. Debra and her husband, Kermit, have four children who are all homeschool grads. Saved in college, Debra never envisioned herself teaching her children at home. However, she saw good fruit in the lives of home educated children in her church. This led her to pursue homeschooling for her own family.
Debra homeschooled her children and built friendships with other homeschooling families. She mentions the support group, co-op, and home educator friends in her book over and over. As she speaks about her family, you can tell that she values relationships. Her life, and the lives of her children, have been changed in these relationships.
I was excited to get another product from Math Tutor DVDs. Last year, I reviewed The Algebra II Tutor and The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor DVDs and loved them. Jason is one of my favorite math teachers because of his easy-to-understand style. I wish he could be part of our homeschool co-op and teach my children higher level math. Of course, Jason lives in another state. So joining our co-op is not a possibility. But, Jason can come visit your home school through his DVDs.
Math Tutor DVD is a company
devoted to ridding the world of math-challenged students by turning them
into successful math students. To this end, they have DVDs to watch and
online courses to take! The teacher is Jason, who has a masters degree
in engineering and physics, formally worked at NASA, and is a great math
instructor!
Why is mathematics so important for your homeschool student? Well, a
daily lesson of math is like a workout for the brain. The way our brains
process information when completing math problems and equations trains
our minds to think clearly, sequentially, and logically. Success in math
will overlap into other subjects, producing confidence and competence
in areas as diverse as logic, foreign language, economics, reading,
writing, music, art, science, and history.
"Is this an exercise video? Is this a math video?" I wondered aloud when Exploramania Gymathtics arrived in the mail to be reviewed.
The answer to my question is YES! It is an exercise video and it is a math video.
What a fun, colorful, exciting video to watch! Our hostess, exercise leader, and math teacher is energetic and upbeat. She reminds me of my spinning teacher at the Y. Her name is Carrie and she is the creator of Exploramania. The exercise video is a high-energy aerobic workout with a twist. The twist is that you are always doing math while you move and sweat.
"Isn't exercise fun?" perky Carrie asks throughout the 30 minute workout.
"Yes, Carrie," I have to agree. "This is fun!"
Exploracise Gymathtics is a 30 minute exercise DVD. It is also a 30 minute math DVD. Let me explain. Carrie, an energetic mom, wanted to provide something educational for her high energy children. Would there be a way to help her children learn math and be physically active at the same time? I think that Carrie has her answer now because her motherly concern led to the birth of Exploramania, a company dedicated to learning in a high-energy, active way.
This brain and body workout promotes healthy living while reminding children of math concepts children need to hold on to so that they can be successful in school.
The workout, like all good workouts, starts with stretches. These stretches, however, are line, circle, and polygon stretches. With your arms, you make parallel lines and intersecting lines while you stretch. There is a side portion on the screen showing you parallel and intersecting lines, the way you would see them in a math book.
"Where is that book I got in the mail to review?" I asked no one in particular.
No one admitted to taking it, so I began searching through the house. I finally found it next to a cup of hot chocolate and some cookies. It was dog-eared near the end of the book.
I picked the once perfect copy of the book up and examined it closely. There was now a stain on the front cover! The book was worn, that worn look that comes from aggressive reading! What happened to my brand new book? Where was the fresh-off-the-press copy that was neat and clean? What had caused this well-loved look to come over our new book, MY new book!
"Oh, sorry!" Shine admitted sheepishly, walking into the room that I was currently searching, "I borrowed your book and read it!"
My annoyance subsided. After all, how can you get mad at children for reading books?
"Did you like it?" I queried.
"I love it!" she replied with gusto.
Ah, I have a reader to interview for the review. So, here is the opinion of a thirteen year old girl who loves Jesus and reading with all of her heart.
Meredith: Shine, you read Bertie's War by Barbara Tifft Blakey. What did you think of the book?
Shine: I really like it! It was interesting and I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Sorry I borrowed it without asking
Meredith:I forgive you!Who are the main characters in the book?
Shine: Bertie, Aaron (younger brother), Tamara (older sister), and Bertie's parents. They are a Christian family who really love the Lord.
Meredith:Are they a happy family?
Shine: Yes, they seem to be really happy and her parents had rules and made sure their kids obeyed them. These rules came from the Bible. They lived by the Bible. When her siblings do something bad, they go to the woodshed and Bertie doesn't know what happens there because she always tries to be good.
Meredith:What happens in the story?
Shine: Bertie is afraid of everything, especially her father. She doesn't want to disappoint him or disobey him. So, she tries her hardest to always be good so she doesn't disappoint him. She can never stand up to anyone. She is always trying to earn the "nod of approval" from her dad, but when she does try, she always messes everything up. She is also always playing make-believe. All kinds of things happen in Bertie's life! I won't give you all the details. People will have to read the book and find out!
Ballet. Classical music. Two loves of my life! How thankful I was when the girls were little and donned their ballet shoes to took lessons. Katie Beth continues to choreograph worship dances for church celebrations that are beautiful. The girls have also enjoyed attending opera and ballet. My son, however, is less interested in classical music and ballet lessons don't seem to be the way to introduce him to classical music.
The Tortoise and the Hare arrived in a small white package to be review and I was blessed. I couldn't wait to investigate the classical music story CD from Maestro Classics.
This CD, The Tortoise and the Hare, comes in a bright cheery cover that immediately gets a positive response from everyone I showed it to, especially young children. The Tortoise and the Hare is a delightful piece of music played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Stephen Simon.
Stephen Simon is a conductor, composer, and expert in the music of George Frederic Handel. He has delighted audiences, young and old alike, for years with his insightful explanations of the music he is conducting during his concerts. His warmth and humor shine through in this CD. I couldn't help but think about how much fun it would be to take the children and their friends to see Stephen Smith conduct an orchestra in our own town!
His wife, Bonnie Ward Simon, is an art director, music educator, and writer. She and her husband, Stephen, have teamed up to bring this wonderful series, Maestro Classics, to children all over the world. Capturing the feel of a live concert, Stephen narrates the story while the music plays in the background for the first twenty minutes of the CD.
Stephen is a good story teller and children will enjoy his rendition of this classic fable from Aesop. This short story has been expanded in an amusing way with a very cute personality given to the tortoise. He is "slow and steady" in all he does with an almost Eeyore personality. The story is set in France with bits of French music thrown in here and there. I only wish the music was a little bit louder compared to the talking. The next track features Bonnie teaching children about the story itself, fables, and other interesting facts. Younger children may be a little lost during this section.
"Look at this baby book!" I grabbed Laura's arm and pulled her over to the table with the baby book on display. Laura, who was gazing at science curriculum, reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged away. We were at the FPEA Homeschool Convention in May, 2008 at the vendors' hall. "Look! It's a baby book for Jesus! Is that not the cutest thing in the whole world?" I cooed, picking it up and flipping through the pages. "Look, it says "Before Jesus was born, he was creating the world!" and this page says, "Here are the gifts baby received..." And, here is a page about His parents, God and Mary." By now, Laura was interested. We scanned through the book several times, and, of course, I had to buy the unit study.
Celebrate the Savior by Charlene Notgrass is a Bible Study with history and crafts. There are craft projects and creative writing assignments. The children make two booklets: a Baby Book for Jesus and a Christmas Traditions around the World booklet. With fifteen lessons on the birth and life of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, this book is a great way to teach your children about Christmas!
Charlene and Ray Notgrass have been homeschooling since the 1990's. They have three of their own children and three adopted children. Both Ray and Charlene write curriculum. Check out Ray's history curricula, Exploring America and Exploring World History. With a heart for conservative Christian values and truth, they equip homeschooling families to educate children effectively!
Celebrate the Savior is a unit study that begins with a closer look at the birth of Christ Jesus our Savior revealed in Scripture and progresses into a look at the history of Christmas celebrating and traditions. Bible, history, geography, writing, music, and art are covered in this unit.
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus," (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and it just seems like the perfect time for children to thank Mom and Dad for investing in their lives by homeschooling them.
"I am thankful that my mom and dad homeschool me because...
"... I learn more about God, I have less temptation form the world. At school they called me names and now I have new friends that love me, I get up later, and my dad is reading to us." (Christina, 13, Oviedo, FL)
"...I am able to cultivate relationships with Christ, my family, and my church, in a way I couldn't do otherwise! It's given me a firm foundation on biblical truth that I will carry into the rest of my life." (Jennifer, 17, Lake Mary, FL)
"... I don't have to get up at 6:00 a.m., I can stay home and do my work, and I don't have to go to school all day and come home to do MORE work!" (Nicholas, 15, Oviedo, FL)
"...it provides a positive and biblical atmosphere. It also provides a flexible schedule that allows for sleeping in and spontaneous field trips." (Cody, 17, Sanford, FL)
"... I like my math book work, get to cuddle with Mummy while she reads me books and I play fight with my brothers!" (Declan, 6, Australia)
"... I get to draw pictures, be with my baby brother, and build Legos with my big brother. I can get a hug from my Mum anytime I want. I don't think that kids who go to school get that. (Kairon, 4, Australia)
"...She does everything nicely and she's able to teach me. And she teaches me from a Christian perspective." (Mae, 11, Sanford, FL)
"...She teaches me about math and I get to do it better. She gives me a good education." (Saxon, 9, Sanford, FL)
"...I can combine my studies and interests together." (David John, 13, Abu Dhabi)
"...I learn more skills like cooking and sewing. I also can read, read, read to my heart's delight." (Deborah John, 10, Abu Dhabi)
"...The atmosphere isn't as secular. When I was in public school, I was taught unbiblical principles and untrue information about the world and the things of the world. Now, I'm being taught biblical principles and things that are true about the world through biblical references and people." (Josh, 14, Sanford, FL)
"It is more Christian Based than secular, like when I was in public school. I can work at my own pace." (Lance, 14, Sanford, FL)
"...It keeps me away from the public school system, in which I've had bad experiences in the past. My mom keeps me working on task and to the best of my abilities." (David, 16, Sanford, FL)
"...I'm in a place where I'm not surrounded by unbelievers to be tempted. My mom's an awesome teacher!" (Jim, 11, Lake Mary, FL)
"...I get more freedom in what I learn. It brings me closer to my mother." (Phoebe, 14, Sanford, FL)
"...I get a better education. I don't have to be around bad influences. (Joshua, 13, Sanford, FL)
Here are a couple of homeschool grads to answer a similar question. "I am so thankful my mom homeschooled me because...
"...of the responsibility that was instilled in me. Also, the morals and values that my mom taught me. It's caused me to stand firm in college." (Marla, 20, Student at Stetson University, Deland, FL)
"...It allowed me to get firmly grounded in the beliefs and principles I hold to now. It allowed for a more personalized education." (Zack, 19, Sanford, FL)
"...I received a rigorous, well-grounded academic education and personal spiritual discipleship. And because I built close family relationships, that caused me to value people and the Lord above the values of the world." (Katherine, 23, Lake Mary, FL)
"...it has equipped me to minister to all kinds of people in order to extend the Kingdom of God by force, as a forceful woman of God." (Julianna, 20, Lake Mary, FL)
It is a good and joyful thing to give thanks. It is good for our children to appreciate the sacrifice and time we invest in homeschooling them. What a glorious heritage we are giving our children each day as they receive an education that is priceless. So, before you give in to discouragement again, sit back and realize what a great impact you are making on the young lives entrusted to you. And stop and give thanks for the freedom and opportunity to homeschool your precious little children.
Have a Thankful Thanksgiving and be Blessed in all You Do Today!
"I'm fasting all healthy food," I declared to my family as I popped a bad cholesterol-building cookie in my mouth. "Can someone pick me up some eggnog?"
I know, I know, at my age, 47, healthy food choices are important. Oh, how I wish I had been a healthier eater when I was younger. I knew something about nutrition, but obviously not enough because my heart leans to white chocolate Resee Cups, M & Ms, Moose Tracks Ice Cream, and Whoppers.
Maybe this review isn't about sharing information with you, but learning and cleaning up my own nutritional life.
This book is meant to be worked through together as a family. Neat! The idea of the book is to learn together and CHANGE together! The goal is to become healthy eaters in 448 pages. The authors recommend that the family using this curriculum together...
Get rid of junk food
Make a list of healthy food each family member likes
Each family member eats the healthy foods they do like
Thank the Lord for each food and involve His help in changing
Try at least one new thing at each meal
Find healthy alternatives to those old favorites
The book is divided into 6 units, each unit containing 4 chapters. Every chapter has discussion questions, activities, additional resources, and recipes. One of my favorite things is all the "Fun Facts" scattered throughout each chapter. Here are the units:
A large tubular package arrived and I have to admit I was excited! Was it a painting? Was it a poster for my son's room? Hopefully, it would be a sports poster, if it was a poster. Jimmy loves sports posters.
It turned out to be something better. Now, if you are not a homeschooling mom, you may think I'm crazy because it was a timeline. Yes, better than a painting or poster, a timeline is one of my very favorite teaching tools. I love to use glossy professional timelines and I love to have my children make their own timelines by rolling a roll of newsprint down the center of my house from the front door to the back wall of the family room!
One more timeline? Oh, no, not just one more timeline. This timeline is different than all the others in my house. All my timeline are long, long, long strips of cardstock, often laminated, and sometimes folded up into a large book-like container. The Amazing Bible World History Timeline is a large (36" x 48") and sturdy poster that can be spread out on your table or hung on your wall.
While I do prefer timelines to be laid out straight, the circular effect was neat. And it is wonderful to be able to see everything at once when you are looking at a timeline.
There were some concerns with this particular timeline, though, that I must share. First of all, there are references to the Book of Morman (Church of the Latter-Day Saints) which concerned me. There is even a Latter Day Saints Book of Morman Timeline available. You can get to know more about the publishers of the timeline, Bill and Margaret, on their website page, About Us. They produce two timelines, one for "Latter Day Saints" and a "generic one. Here is their explanation of why there are two different timelines.
Okay, here is my feeling about this timeline. It is lovely to look at and would be helpful to use. However, because of the link to the Church of the Latter-Day Saints, which does not adhere to Orthodox Christian beliefs, I cannot recommend this timeline. If you do want to purchase it for your family, the cost is $29.97 on their website, The Amazing Bible World History Timeline. If you do purchase this timeline, I recommend reading The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes by Ed Decker and Dave Hunt.
At this point, I must be wary of the scholarship of the timeline because of the link to the Mormon church.
Dear friends and fellow homeschooling moms, be very careful about the books, curriculum, and materials you purchase and use in your home school. As much as is possible, use Christ-centered, Biblically-based materials that will uphold your beliefs and values. We are in a spiritual battle for the souls and destinies of our children. Everything that looks good on the outside is not necessarily good underneath. I was taken in by this timeline, only to discover that it was not in line with our family's values. Yikes! Another lesson on being careful as I educate my children at home!
"Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil," (I Thessalonians 5:21-22 NIV).
With that said, I want to heartily advocate the use of timelines in your homeschool. And, teach your children that the earth is young, about six thousand years old, not millions or billions of years old. I appreciate the scholars we have today that research dates, historical events, and original texts. How blessed we are to live in the days we do. Surely with the all the apostasy and upheaval in our nation, we were born for such a time as this! Lift up your eyes and look to the Lord for wisdom as you prepare your children to be world-changers!
After hoping and praying for a baby for ten years, Sue Patrick recieved a beautiful bundle of joy from her Heavenly Father. Grief was to follow, though, when her son was diagnosed at the age of two with Autism while Sue was working on her master's degree from North Carolina State University and getting ready to give birth to her daughter. She got through her grief as quickly as possible so that she could give herself to raising two little children. While they slept, she spent time researching and making materials and curriculum to use with her son. The result of this time of research and creativity is her Workbox System. It is loosely based on the structured teaching approach advocated by TEACCH (Treatment & Education of Autistic & related Communication-handicapped Children), a division of University of North Carolina's Department of Psychiatry.
While there is no cure for autism, the program Sue created, the Workbox System, has worked for her son. Even with a seemingly insurmountable language disability, he is at grade level academically, participates in group activities, and plays team sports. Sue believes that the research she has done and the resulting home program she has created for him has made all the difference in his life.
God opened the door for Sue to share what she learned with other families who had children with developmental disabilities. Trial and error, continued research, and interacting with more and more families has allowed Sue to improve the Workbox System over the years.
The Workbox System consists of two components: the physical structure and the educational philosophy.
"What is this?" my daughter picked up the magazine after scanning the pile of mail that my son had brought in and dumped on the table.
"The pictures are beautiful," Jenny Rose exclaimed, looking over Shine's shoulder as she perfused the magazine.
"Oh, it's Nature Friend magazine," I replied to Shine's original question. We used to get this when you kids were little. I remembered the lovely pictures and the Christ-centered articles.
"I like this," Jimmy said a few minutes later when he finally got a chance to look at the magazine himself.
With Nature Friend, what is there not to love.
Nature Friend magazine helps families explore the wonders of God's creation with lovely pictures and Christ-centered articles that keep your children's interest. I received the September 2009 issue with lovely photographs on the front and back covers of birds. The issue was filled with beautiful photographs of nature and animals. My favorite was a Roseate Spoonbill in Virginia sent in by a young reader. This large pink bird was feeding on tadpoles in a flooded field by a river. Another reader sent in an interesting story, "My Experience with a Snapping Turtle." I like the way that readers participate in the magazine! There are letters, drawings, and poems sent in by readers that are featured in each issue of the magazine.
Each issue is filled with articles, fascinating facts about animals, crossword puzzles, a drawing lesson, a hidden objects in the picture page, letters to the editor, Fill-in-the-Blanks, Acrostic puzzle, Research suggestions, and a writing lesson. In the issue I reviewed, there were articles on plant pigments, stars, weaverbirds, walking sticks, taking fall foliage photographs, Pacific golden plover's amazing flight, and wondernose birds. My favorite page in the whole issue was the reader's own creations from the May 2009 lesson on how to draw a dogwood flower. The reader's pictures were lovely and all pink--my favorite color!
When Sarah's Wish by Jim Baumgardner arrived to be reviewed, I decided to read the book and found myself immediately involved in Sarah's life and dreams. Emotionally involved, I wanted her to find a family, to help her friends escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad, and to protect her from the evil slave catchers that made her life miserable. I felt scared with Sarah sometimes and, other times, found myself laughing aloud at her antics.
When I finished the book, I wanted to read more about Sarah, to stay involved in her life. I felt like I had made a new friend.
Though JIm Baumgardner has been writing for forty years, Sarah's Wish was his first novel. He wrote the book for his grandchildren, hoping to teach them about history, especially about the horrible institution of slavery and the brave Americans involved in the Underground Railroad. Both slaves and conductors had to be very brave to help people escape from bondage into freedom. As I was reading this book, I couldn't help but think of how Christians are like conductors on the Underground Railroad, helping those in bondage to sin escape to freedom, not in Canada, but into the Kingdom of Light. Jesus has an Emancipation Proclamation for all of those in slavery to sin and darkness. His life paid the price for us to be welcomed into the grace and mercy of God forever.
Born and raised right on the Ole Chisholm Trail in Wichita, Kansas, Jim demonstrates his love of history in his books and his life! He volunteers at the Old Cow-town Museum in Wichita. He also visits schools and homeschool groups to teach about the Underground Railroad, cowboys, trail drives, early Wichita history, and writing.
Sarah, our heroine, is a spunky girl living in Ohio in 1858, who loses her mom in an unexpected buggy accident. She fulfills her promise to her dying mother to "deliver the package" to the next station. The "package" refers to a slave couple and the "station" is the next stop on the Underground Railroad. As an orphan, she is forced to rely on God and His people to help her with her grown-up responsibilities as a "conductor." Having lost her father previously, her mother's death makes her an orphan with one wish: to be adopted by a loving family.
"How do you like the game?" I asked my four volunteers: Maria, Aisha, Christina, and Saxon.
"Saxon is frustrated because he can't get any of his dogs out," Maria answered first.
"Well...." Christina paused. (She is twelve and the game was created for much younger children.)
"I love it!" twenty-two year old Aisha gushed. She is very young at heart.
"It's a lot like Parcheesi," Maria added, "You move around the board and if you land on someone else's spot you send them back, no wait, that's the other game. In Tornado, you just share a spot.
I glanced at the small plastic game board. It was bright, cheerful, and colorful. The little doggie pieces were cute as could be. Thirty minutes later, Saxon, who had by then gotten out onto the board, was enjoying the game immensely. Saxon is nine years old!
Hank the Cow Dog is a lovable mutt that solves all kinds of mysteries with his friend and fellow Cow Dog, Drover. The game, the children were playing was based on Hank and his life. We received a book, Hank the Cow Dog: The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse by John Erickson, the Tornado game, CD, and audio tape to review.
My son, Jimmy and I both read the book, agreeing that Hank the Cow Dog was hilarious. The book was a little young for Jimmy, age eleven, but we thought his friend, Saxon, age nine, would enjoy it. Neither of us could help laughing aloud at Hank's escapades on the ranch where he lives with his assistant, Drover, Sally May, Loper, Little Alfred, and his nemesis, Pete, the cat.
Hank is always doing something he shouldn't do, whether it's snacking on bacon grease, licking Sally Mae's nose, or stealing the family's pumpkin pie. Hank is incredibly funny as he narrates the book, telling the whole story from his perspective. I loved to see the story unfold through his eyes. For the most part, Hank is a wholesome character, but in the beginning of the book, he does encourage his readers to lie about wetting the bed. It's all very tongue-in-cheek and silly, but still. . .however, though Hank gets into trouble because of the choices he makes, in his world, good is good and bad is bad. Bad deeds are punished and good deeds are rewarded. And though the stories are silly, I felt like I was visiting a ranch in Texas. I liked the book!
"What on earth is this?" I wondered aloud after opening the package Federal Express had dropped off at my front door. "A book holder? Isn't that nifty!"
"Here, let me help you," my husband offered, seeing that there was assembly required. Not difficult assembly, mind you, but assembly nonetheless.
"Soon the little book holder was holding Jimmy's reading book, The White Seneca. It stood at attention on the dining room table where everyone could admire the newest addition to our growing collection of "homeschooling supplies."
"I love it!" Sarah cooed, walking through the door minutes later. "That's what I need. I need something to hold my books and papers to keep my hand from getting tired."
"What? That's the silliest thing I've ever seen," Zack scoffed. "It's just a flimsy piece of plastic."
"Not so flimsy," I corrected him and picked it up to hand it to him so he could examine it himself.
"Oh, it is pretty strong," Zack adjusted his earlier evaluation.
"I like it!" Jenny Rose exclaimed. "Can I have it."
"It's mine," Jimmy explained, "See, it has my book in it."
"But, I wanted it," Sarah complained.
I guess one StudyPod is just not enough for our house!
The StudyPod is a nifty study tool designed to hold books open for the reader while he reads. You assemble the study pod quickly, standing on a smooth hard surface. The book is held into place with small wire-like prongs that don't hide words on the page. With your reading book in place, your hands are free to take notes, eat chocolate, or munch on popcorn. The book stays at eye level and is wide open, making studying so much easier. It is recommended for books up to 2.25" thick.
The study pod is portable and shaped like a book. Students can carry it around in their book bag with their other books and notebooks. There is also a section to hold pencils, pens, calculators, and note cards.
There is even a "how to use" video on their website; just scroll down the home page. This will make assembly and use so simple! In fact, everything about this product is easy to use.
To purchase Studypod, go to the store Stores/Locations page of their website and find the stores near you. The closest store location that sells the StudyPod near me is Stetson University Bookstore in Deland. My daughter just happens to attend Stetson University! There are also possiblities for reselling and fundraising. Or you can order online for $19.95.
Can anyone have too many books? I don't think so! I love books. My house is filled to the brim with books with overflowing bookshelves in every room. Still I buy more. But there is a new kind of book that fascinates me too...the e-book! It is easy to pop open on your computer, enjoying the beautiful pictures and information, but is doesn't take up any room on your bookshelves. E-books are easy to store.
Hamster Holidays Noun and Adjective Adventures by Cynthia Reeg is a delightful way to learn about nouns and adjectives. With adorable illustrations by Kit Grady, this book is kid friendly! The book opens with this poem, Nouns names people, places, and things, proper or common they may be, Adjectives stay close to nouns and describe them to a T, In this book of hamster days, You'll find both these parts of speech, Adjectives in red, Nouns in blue, How many can you find of each? After a brief explanation of nouns and adjectives, what follows is a fun-filled tale of the hamsters' holidays and how they celebrate them. Of course, every noun is blue and every adjective is red. After the enchanting story is finished, there are 8 pages of noun and adjective activities and teaching helps! What a fun way to teach or reinforce grammar!
The Sum of Our Parts No Bones About It by Bill Kirk is another painless way for children to learn. This book is about our skeletal system and I really like it! With a Bachelors degree in Nursing, I appreciate well-written anatomy books for young children. This one pleases the nurse in me, as well as the homeschooling mom in me. Each page has a short poem, a factoid, and a zany illustration. The poems are lighthearted but true. For example, here is the poem from the first page: Without all our bones, We'd be shapeless and blobby--Just skin, guts, and muscles, All gooey and globby. Silly? Yes, it is. True? Yes, it is true. Without our bones, we'd be walking, oops not walking but oozing along, blogs of mush. Our bones are so important! This book drives this point home, while teaching all kinds of important facts and information. Some of the illustrations are funny, but all are excellent drawings of our bones and skeletal system. All ages, even high school students, will enjoy this book and benefit from reading it!
In the last election, Sarah Palin captured my heart and imagination with her spunky attitude, devotion to her family, and good common sense. I was so excited to see a woman of God who was not ashamed to talk about her faith in Jesus! Who was this woman from Alaska that I'd never heard of before? A governor? I never think much about Alaska, though my parents dreamed of taking an Alaskan cruise together. "Brrr...too cold," was my thought when they asked if I wanted to join them. But, as I have been learning more about this beautiful wilderness state of ours with its breathtaking landscape, I'm having second thoughts about taking an Alaskan cruise. At the very least, I am interested in learning about this wild state that produces hearty, spunky souls who value family and hard work.
With this in mind, I was eager to take a look at an E-book, Aunt Sarah's Alaskan Cookbook by Cheryl Moeller. With lovely illustrations by Susan R. Smith and breath-taking photographs by Clifford McGhyghy, this cookbook is a homeschool treasure. Use it as a foundation for a unit study on Alaska or just enjoy the yummy recipes.
More than a collection of recipes, Aunt Sarah's Alaskan Cookbook gives you a look at Alaska's history and beauty throughout its 60 pages. Divided into seven sections (six chapters and an appendix), each section contains information about Alaska that can be used as a springboard for a unit study or as a supplement to your family's Alaska unit study. Here are the sections with some recipe examples from each section.
Chapter One: Refreshing Cold and Hot Beverages (Polar Bear Guzzler, Pacific Rim Hot Lemonade, Dogsled Caramel Apple Cider, and more!)
Chapter Two: Berries and Fruit ("After the Sauna" Cold Fruit Soup, Aleutian Grilled Fruit-Kabobs, Klondike River Rhubarb Bars, and more!)
Chapter Three: Salmon and the Fish of the Sea (Fairbanks Citrus Salmon, Kanai Breakfast Fish Tacos, Water's Edge Crockpot Trout, and more!)
Chapter Four: Choose Moose, Rabbit, Deer, Elk, Bear and Caribou (Katishna Venison Sausage and Flax Pancakes, Barrow Buttermilk Grilled Rabbit, Wild Buck Beans, and more!)
Chapter Five: Dog Sled Race Party for Kids (Finger Lake Moose Munch, Rainy Pass Wheat Germ Cookies, White Mountain Ice Cream, and more!)
Chapter Six: Banquet of the North (Czar Alexander Elk Meatloaf, Easy Baked Alaska, Okmok Volcano, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, and more!)
Appendix: Curriculum for Children (Coloring Pages, Comprehension Chapter Questions, Comprehension Chapter Questions Answer Sheets)
Is there anything more fun than celebrating holidays? Christmas stockings, Easter baskets, and Valentine hearts filled with chocolate all bring a smile to my face and my heart. Life is good when there's a holiday to celebrate. God, of course, is the inventor of holidays, or holy days. What holidays did God establish for the nation of Israel? I can't think of a more enjoyable Bible study to dig into.
Grapevine Studies' Biblical Feasts and Holy Days by Diana Wiebe is a thirteen week study for your home school Bible class. Written for teens, this study would be enjoyed by younger and older folks too. We have college students, high school students, and middle school students in our home. All liked this Grapevine study on the Biblical holidays. We received a teachers manual and student worktexts to review.
Before I tell you about this delightful Bible study curriculum, let me tell you about Grapevine Studies. I love their mission. In fact, let me just quote it from the teacher's edition. "Our mission at Grapevine Studies is to provide believers with a method and curricula to study the Bible, using a timeline, stick figures, words, symbols, and colors to teach chronological lessons." What a great idea! Combining the intellectual (timelines, chronological studies) with the more emotional (stick figures, symbols). The result is that both the left and right sides of the brain are engaged, but more importantly, I think, is that both the heart and mind are engaged in these studies.
Each of their Bible studies start with a timeline as the framework for the entire study. Bible passages, characters, and events are understood within the big picture. Being a "big picture person" myself, I immediately latched on to this teaching method! Each day, your student reads a passage and then does some "stick figuring." Stick figuring is a method of notetaking using stick figures, colors, charts, words, and symbols. It is definitely more fun than normal notetaking. The lesson ends with a memory verse.
"The kitchen is a living laboratory, demanding curiosity. Cups of water and corn syrup can be measured, heated, and transformed into one pound of hard candy. The circular circumference of a pizza can be measured, baked, and cut into fractional parts. Cylinders and rectangular prisms sit comfortably on the pantry shelf waiting to be sorted, counted, and stacked in geometric sculpture. Children love to experience and experiment with these math wonders, yet adults often scoot children from the kitchen because it is easier to plan, process, and prepare without the help of little hands. However, when a child's desire to help is tapped, math skills and life skills can be taught and will be remembered because of the natural inquisitiveness which saturates the kitchen. Children love the kitchen, a perfect place to be immersed in math." --Cheryl Bastian, author and homeschooling mom of six
Flip 3 Pancakes with 1 Spatula by Cheryl Bastian is book filled with hands-on learning ideas for teaching math without a textbook. It's a handbook to teach to the heart of your child, who most likely LOVES your kitchen and is constantly asking if he can "help." Cooking is fun. Math can be learned by cooking with mom in the kitchen. Ergo, learning math can be fun. That sounds logical to me!
You will love this book! Set up like a cookbook, it is divided into the following categories: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks & Desserts, and Holidays & Celebrations. Each page contains a complete math lesson set up unit study style with a yummy recipe. You start out by reading one or two picture books. After gathering the needed materials listed on the page, the math lesson takes place while you are cooking. There are also Add Ons. The Ad Ons include additional math lessons, social studies activities, more books to read, science projects, writing or language assignments, and art projects. All are easy and fun!
There is a table setting symbol in the upper left hand corner of each lesson that indicates the math lesson level. One table setting symbol represents pre-number skills, two table setting symbols represent number skills, and three table setting symbols represent computations and equations (higher level thinking skills). This means that you can use these lessons for several years and/or for several children of different age levels. Pre-number skills include comparing, classifying, seriation, patterning, and geometry. Number skills include counting, measurement, graphing, numeration, place value, and estimation.
"Pass the colored pencils, Jimmy." Shine was focused on the blank outline map in front of her, filling in places that Lewis and Clark explored on their expedition.
There was silence in the room as the children concentrated on filling in their color-coded maps just right. Silence? Wow! That's not a common thing in our house.
Knowledge Quest's Shaping of a Nation: Blackline Maps of American History was just what I needed for American history this year. In past years, I have discovered that maps and mapping assignments really help my children understand history with more clarity. Just seeing the WHERE helps them to remember the WHAT, WHEN, and WHY. My favorite mapping assignment is filling in blank outline maps, but all I have had in the past are large portions of the continents. I can zero in on smaller areas and then enlarge those areas, but it can be frustrating. Knowledge Quest to the rescue!
Shaping of a Nation: Blackline Maps of American History contains 112 hand-drawn maps pertaining to specific time periods. You can reproduce these maps as often as needed for your individual family. There are two versions of each map: a blank map and a map already filled out correctly. A great help if you are not as geography literate as you wish you were! Here is a list of all the topics covered by the outline maps.
"Help! My kids are terrible writers. Do you know of a writing curriculum that would help?"
I have been asked this question many times because I happen to love to write, as do several, but not all, of my children. There are plenty of grammar, spelling, and phonics workbooks, but you can't really teach good writing skills with a workbook. Contrary to popular belief, good writer are not born good writers, they are taught to write well. Often, the only barrier to teaching your child to write well is the confidence factor. This book may help you to feel more confident as you instruct your children in the art of writing.
Writing curricula that actually teach kids to write are hard to find. The Write Stuff Adventure: Exploring the Art of Writing was created by Dean Rea, a retired newspaper editor and university teacher, for his homeschooled grandchildren. It is a delightful book that I have used with great success for all of my children at various grade levels. I use the section on essays sophomore or junior year in high school when we focus on non-fiction writing and research. This year, my sixth grader and eighth grader have done several of the newspaper writing assignments from The Write Stuff Adventure.
This book covers letter writing and journaling in a fun way. Students even write an autobiography. The Write Stuff Adventure teaches children the art of interviewing with family history and news article assignments. The basics of journalism are covered in this wonderful book. My favorite thing about the book, though, is the way it teaches students to write essays. What a great job Dean Rea does in teaching how to write the essay--the best I've ever seen.
Students,even as young as fifth grade, can use this book on their own. Dean's style is friendly and engaging, easy to understand. Your children can easily understand the assignments and come to you for help or simply to correct their papers! The assignments are interesting and fun! This book is NOT intimidating, but, boy, will your children learn to write!
You can purchase The Write Stuff Adventure at Great Christian Books for $17.99. A very good bargain, considering today's economy!
After homeschooling for 18 years, I have come to the conclusion that you can spend a ton of money homeschooling your children or you can be very frugal, cutting homeschooling costs to a minimum. Truthfully, I haven't seen any correlation between the spending of money and the quality of education. What makes homeschooling such an amazing way to educate your children is that it uses the one-on-one tutoring/mentoring method which is so very effective.
With the turbulent economic times we are living in, it makes sense to be cost-effective in your homeschooling. So, when I find a homeschooling resource that helps us to keep the price of our homeschooling to a minimum, I want to check it out and pass it on!For those of you who will be homeschooling kindergarten, this is a resource to help you homeschool frugally.
Kindergarten Basics: Building a Solid Foundation by Kim Kargbo is the help you need to face homeschooling kindergarten with confidence! There are no bells and whistles here. Just a wise homeschooling mom passing on to you what works in her home. Kim believes that kindergarten should be fun, not a burden. She expresses concern that many people try homeschooling at this level and decide that homeschooling is just not for them. Why? Maybe they are making it too hard!
Kim starts by explaining the six basics of kindergarten: Bible knowledge, basic math skills, basic phonics skills, early writing skills, general skills, and general knowledge. She takes each of these basics and explains how to teach these kindergarten basics for almost free.
Kim's next step is to give you a sample schedule that is practical and workable. The rest of the book is devoted to all kinds of hands-on-activities that you can do with your child to teach the six basics. The activities are, of course, divided up under these kindergarten basic categories. I love her hands-on ideas--they are fun and easy!
Kim gives a blank weekly lesson plan sheet that you can use at the back of the book. She also has a list of helpful resources: books and websites. Let me give you an example of her suggestions on teaching kindergarten.
The goal for young children in the area of Bible knowledge is to
learn "The Story" of God's Word from Genesis to Revelation. This is not
to be cluttered up with lots of facts and information, but let your
kindergartener see the flow of the big story that starts with Creation
and ends with Jesus coming back to take us home. People and places will
become familiar, as stories are listened to each day. Kim encourages
parents to read a passage from Scripture or to read aloud a Bible story
from an accurate storybook. Afterward, your child just tells you about
the story (Narration!) and then you (the teacher) explain how this
story is part of a bigger story. The total time involved is probably 10
to 15 minutes. Kim also encourages Scripture memory work too. The only
cost involved here is to purchase a Bible or Bible storybooks, but most
of us already own both!
I was born in Venezuela and grew up hearing my parents speak Spanish and though I understand Spanish, I have trouble speaking it. When I visited my daughter, Katie Beth, in Mexico while she was studying in Guatajuato, she teased me about my attempts to speak Spanish. I kept messing up my vowel sounds. In high school, we learned to read, write, and to conjugate verbs. Remember "Esta Susana en casa?" I wish we had done more speaking in Spanish class. I have tried many methods over the years to teach Spanish to my children, so I was filled with hope as I unpacked Tell Me More to review.
Tell Me More is five levels of Spanish in one small box. Well, it's really ten levels, but you only have access to five. With eagerness, I opened the box to find one DVD, two CD-roms, one page of instructions, and one headset microphone. "Is this all?" I wondered. Boy, was I surprised to learn how much information was packed in this little DVD--5,000 lessons of Spanish instruction! There are four complete levels of Spanish instruction: Complete Beginner, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Tell Me More uses the immersion method of teaching Spanish, which is the most natural way to learn a language. That is how we learn to talk as babies. We hear people speaking, gradually associating words with the things or people they represent. Honestly, though, immersion is not so comfortable when you are in high school or are an adult. While I respect the concept of full immersion, I prefer a little more structure for my children and my children prefer even more structure than I do when learning a language. Having a Spanish-English dictionary handy is a necessity for survival in our house with this method! (Though there is a translation button that I discovered later!)
When you purchase this curriculum, you gain access to their website where you can set up your child's course of study. You can set up multiple accounts and might even want to set up an account for yourself to brush up on your Spanish! Honestly, it is all overwhelming at first, but beginning the introductory DVD and starting on 'Guided Mode' can help you as you take the plunge.
There are three ways to use the lessons: Free to Roam, Guided, and Dynamic Mode. In 'Free to Roam,' the student chooses lessons based on her interest and level. In the 'Guided,' the student is guided along in a systematic way. 'Dynamic Mode' allows the student to progress at her own pace, adjusting the activities and lessons accordingly.
"Have you done your math?" is the question you can hear me asking everyday around 9:30 when I see the children reading a science book or working on a writing paper. We begin our day with Quiet Times, but we begin school hours with math. What a great way to wake up and energize our brains. Math teaches us to think logically and helps our brain to work more efficiently. Consider starting your day with math too!
What math curriculum are you using? In our house we have used Bob Jones Math for younger grades and Saxon for older grades. We have also enjoyed Math-U-See, especially the skip counting tapes. So, I have never looked at other math curricula, being happy with our own. However, I received Math Mammoth to review, so let me tell you about this math curriculum designed to make math simple and easy to understand.
Math Mammoth is an inexpensive way to do math! Maria Miller is the author of the Math Mammoth series. Her desire is to make math simple and easy to understand. Maria has tried to explain each math concept so simply that even homeschooling moms can "get it" by reading the book along with her child. She also wants to make it affordable.
The Blue Series, for grades 1 to 5, is organized by topic. Each book covers a few topics only. The topic is explained thoroughly and there are pages of problems. Topics include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, place value, clocks, metric measurement, fractions, decimals, U.S. money, and Canadian money. You can purchase individual e-books at Currclick with prices ranging from $2.00 to $5.00. There are some great deals on packages too!
The Light Blue Series, for grades 1 to 5, is a complete mathematics curriculum. The Light Blue series covers all topics for each grade level. Everything is explained thoroughly. Each grade has two worktexts: A and B. There is also an answer key, tests, and a worksheet maker. Part A and B both sell for $15.50 a piece, whether printed or e-book. The complete curriculum with answer keys and worksheet maker can be purchased for $29.70 at Currclick.
The Gold Series is a set of worksheets only with no explanations. These workbooks are collections of worksheets by grade level. The Gold Series covers third grade math through Algebra I. The worksheets cover only one topic per worksheet. These workbooks books range in price from $6.50 to $9.75 are are also available at Currclick. The Green Series is workbooks by topic. The worksheet pages are pulled straight from the Gold Series.
"Look, Mom, the alligator is eating the cow!" my son informed me with glee.
"Can I see that?" his friend, Josh, put down the elephant he was holding to examine the cow-eating alligator.
How realistic the Schleich animal action figures are! My imagination traveled to all sorts of places with one glance at the animals the boys were examining: African Safaris, Wisconsin dairy farms, Everglades National Park, and a Kentucky horse farm. What hours of fun the boys had examining and playing with these animal action figures.
Hands-on activities are the fun part of unit studies. Imaginative play and role playing is a great way to process and remember information. Hours of fun await the children who play with these life-like toys. They can imagine that they are back in the days of dinosaurs and ancient peoples. Of they can turn the family room into a section of Kenya while they play with Scheich's wild animals. So, these toys can be educational tools in your home school. Children will love to play with these realistic animals, knights, trees, plants, people, and elves.
"And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.' So, God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged creature according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.' And there was evening and there was morning--the fifth day.
Have you heard of lapbooks yet? They are a fun, hands-on way to learn while you finish off a project! Lapbooks are made with simple file folders (you can use pretty colored folders if you want to!) and projects that are small enough to display. The little projects your child makes are glued on the file folders to make a "lapbook"--something he/she can show to friends and read to younger siblings!
Homeschool in the Woods sent me their New Testament Activity Pak/Lapbook to review! What a great way for your students to get an overview of the New Testament! In the picture, you can see the finished lap book (made from a red file folder) and several of the completed activities that go inside!
Homeschool in the Woods is the Pak family business, a homeschooling family that takes great delight in learning history and sharing their learning adventure with you! While studying history through living books, drama, writing, and hands-on activities, Momma Amy, a free-lance designer/graphic illustrator began to illustrate the all important timelines they were using to learn history. Soon, their business, Homeschool in the Woods, was born.
The most important thing about a person is what they believe, truly believe, about God. Discovering the amazing character and love of Jesus Christ changes our lives forever! When we glimpse our Lord, we are transformed to become like Him. To discover who we are in Christ, to walk in our identity in Christ, and to walk with Christ each day will not only fill our lives with joy, but will change the world around us. It is our highest educational goal in homeschooling to teach our children the Word of God and the biblical principles found in the Scriptures. Not only is this our duty to raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, but a great delight and privilege!
Deeper Roots sent me a junior high Bible curriculum to review. Since the authors are from my hometown and are also New Tribes missionaries, I was excited to review their materials. I received a student workbook and teacher's guide (The Homeschool Edition!). I was not disappointed. Discovering Who I Am in Christ by Jan L. Harris, & Howard & Bonnie Lisech is a 200 page Bible Study workbook written for 7th, 8th, and 9th grade boys and girls. There are three more workbooks in the series for this age group by the same authors: Discovering our Amazing God, Discovering Christ-Like Habits, and Discovering Christ-Like Character. There are materials available for older and younger students too! They also have short-term missions resources that I would love to see!
Discovering Who I am in Christ is an unique Bible Study workbook. A lesson has six days worth of work and should take about a week to finish. The lesson begins with a memory challenge. Each day there are passages to read, questions to answer, and fun assignments to complete. In the second lesson there is an interview assignment, a drawing assignment, and a writing assignment. At the end of each lesson, there is a review of all the previous lessons and a final test. But I haven't told you about my two favorite parts of this Bible curriculum. I love the Reflections questions where students are given the opportunity to meditate on what they are learning. They can write down their reflections on the Reflections pages, which are really journaling pages. Another part I loved was the Unreached People Pages! Found at the beginning of every lesson, these beautifully illustrated pages are packed with information about people groups around the world who are waiting to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the very first time. There is even a prayer focus for personal or family devotions. I remember years ago using Operation World in my Quiet Times to pray for unreached people groups, so this brought back fond memories. The illustrations in this workbook are gorgeous! They add so much to the book!
Wrapped in a lovely pink ribbon, three Beautifully Made! Books looked too pretty to open up and read. So glad I overcame my hesitation and looked inside the pretty covers. Straightforward, but overwhelmingly pure, these small books are a treasure for young women and their mothers, who are wanting to lovingly guide them into womanhood.
Beautifully Made! Approaching Womanhood edited by Julie Hiramine introduces young girls to the changes occurring in their bodies. This book is straightforward, but not awkward in any way. I love the way the physical changes in a young woman's body are introduced as being a good gift from a loving Heavenly Father. I was thrilled when I entered womanhood because I knew that my body could bring forth life--our glorious privilege as women! Unfortunately, most of the time, a young woman's first period is marked by negative comments about "the curse" and "Oh, you poor thing." How sad! Our monthly cycles are a reminder that our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image to bring new life into the world. Julie Hiramine and her friends remind us of this fact in all three books and recommend celebrating this brand new phase in a young ladies life with flowers and lunch out with Mom!
Beautifully Made! Approaching Womanhood covers all the physical changes girls can expect during the early years of puberty. Everything is clear and easy to understand. Soundly scientific and from a Creationist perspective, this book would make a great addition to an anatomy or health class for your daughters in high school.
Beautifully Made! Celebrating Womanhood looks at the emotional and spiritual aspects of the womanly process covered in the first book. With a lovely look at blood in Scripture (yes, you read that right!), girls are encouraged to look at their periods as a monthly reminder of the grace of God and how the blood of Jesus purifies us from every sin. I was so touched that I read that section aloud to all my girls (my four daughters and our dear friend, Aisha, who lives with us!). I will never see my period in the same way again. There is another look at suffering in Scripture, followed by practical ways to alleviate the sometimes uncomfortable side-effects of cramping, PMS, and heavy discharge. Throughout all three books, there are real life testimonies that girls can relate to. Always upbeat, girls are reminded that it is a glorious privilege to be a woman!
In 1991, I was a brand new homeschooling mom with a bright eager student. Reading every book and glancing through all the curriculum I could get my hands on still left me feeling insecure. What I wanted was someone to be there just in case they were needed in the first few months. "What if...?" "How should I teach....?" "Is there an easier way to explain...?"
There were other homeschooling moms in my life, but they were finding their own way too. What a blessing Homeschooling ABCs would have been to me when I was just starting out. Are you new to homeschooling, feeling a little lost, or just wanting someone who is a further along in the homeschooling journey to give you a hand? "School for Mom" arrives each week in small packages, manageable in your hectic life.
Intrigued? Terri's vision is summed up in her own words: "Creating and maintaining a healthy, well-rounded, academically superior, and God-honoring environment at home requires some intentional planning and execution." Sign up for the course at Homeschooling ABCs. When you order, you can instantly download your first lesson and freebies that come with it! After the initial download, you receive an email every week with a link to download the next lesson for six months! Yes, it's like being homeschooled by Terri!
Let's continue the interview we started earlier this week with Terri?
Meredith: What inspired you to put together this amazing course, Homeschooling ABC's?
Terri: One day last summer, it hit
me like a ton of bricks...there is nothing comprehensive out there that
takes a new homeschooling parent by the hand and guides her through the
steps necessary to being homeschooling her kids. Over the years, we
have talked with many parents via email, over the phone and at
homeschool conferences about "how to homeschool." And, yet, I know that
these ten minute conversations are just not enough to fully equip a
parent to dive right in. There is so much information out there, but
your brain goes into overload when you try to digest it. Have you ever
googled "homeschool"? There is a lot of information out there, but none
of it assembled into one easy-to-digest comprehensive program.
