HOMESCHOOL

Reading for today…striving to find a sense of normality

Well, we’ve been in this house for over one week now but I have to say that this seems like one of the hardest, longest moves we’ve done in quite awhile. I don’t know if it is because it wasn’t an interstate move and only 20 kms away or that we’re just plain tuckered out but we are nowhere near settled. Not wanting to wait until everything is perfect, I wanted to start easing into lessons today- sounds good eh? Until ‘Miss A’ couldn’t find the MUS DVD needed for her Maths. Oh well, she did Wordly Wise and read 2 books before going to work.

The boys and I read some from the Psalms and Proverbs and then we read a devotional lesson from Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism by Starr Meade.

We also read another chapter from Boyhood and Beyond: Practical Steps to Becoming a Man
by Bob Schultz which always challenges the boys.
The boys listened as I read aloud a poem by William Blake and then they practiced their oral skills by reading it aloud themselves.

The major highlight was starting William Wilberforce: The Freedom Fighter by Derick Bingham. We are preparing to watch the movie when it comes to a cinema near us. Is anyone else reading a biography of this man’s life in preparation for the movie? I’d love to hear about your reading and discussion.

This afternoon, I’m taking ‘Miss R’ to the library so she can get some good books to read while she waits to go back to school on Thursday. Then I need to try and make sense of the study or the lounge room. Everything is in the rooms, just not where they should be. I can’t put my hand on books that I want- there just seems to be less room here even though the measurements of the house don’t agree.

Also, please continue to pray for Robin (from Heart of Wisdom) who had to go back into hospital following her heart bypass surgery. You can find updates on her blog. Your prayers for her and her family would be most appreciated.

Oh well, that’s all for now.

Bible Study This Week…

We’ve been so busy house-hunting for a rental house that there hasn’t been much time for anything else. Anything else except AFL (Aussie Rules football, of course!). We drove to the Gold Coast on Saturday night to the watch the Adelaide Crows beat North Melbourne. It was a good night out.

I find it hard living in ‘limbo‘, not knowing what my week will hold. We could pack and move this week, next week or in two months time. Then there is the open inspections that we have to attend in order to see if a house is suitable. All this meant that we didn’t do any lessons last week- and it wore me out!

While this week may be similar, I really desire to at least do Bible study with the children. If nothing more is done, then that is fine…but at least I want the most important things tended to. I don’t need to do large, overwhelming lessons rather ‘here a little, there a little‘ lessons will enable me to reach the target.

I will be working with ‘Miss A’ this week, through a book called Help Me to Grow and it is by Rev. John Annells, who is a local Baptist minister in South Australia. He is also a lecturer at the Baptist Theological College and Tabor College. This study has been designed for the new Christian and while ‘Miss A’ has been raised in the ways and knowledge of God, this study will still be beneficial for her, as she slowly starts to make her way into the world. She will benefit in also learning to articulate her thoughts. She has a lot of knowledge and wisdom when it comes to being a believer but she often has difficulty in communicating her thoughts.

Anyway, this fabulous little book is available FREE online (as is most books from New Creation Teaching Ministries) so you can view the page here or download the pdf here. It is only 345 kb.

The boys and I will continue to go through ‘Training Hearts, Training Minds’, as we read the Scriptures. After finishing book 3 in the Kingdom series, we will go on to read Bridge to Terabitha. We are waiting for the next books in Kingdom Series to arrive from the US. Once we finish Bridge to Terabitha, we might go to the cinema to watch the movie. That will be a real treat- just the boys and I. Leonie posted the links to the movie site and a study guide that I will glean some tips from. Thanks Leonie!

What Bible study are you doing with your teens? I’d love to hear about it.

Training Children in Innocence or Ignorance?

girl-innocence

In my day-to-day world of homeschooling, I often have cause to remember why we chose to homeschool…what is it exactly we are trying to teach or instil to our children?

Are we raising our children to live in this world as productive members of the community where God has planted them or are we raising them for something else? Like you, John and I live in this world. We are not of this world but we do live in it. We are quite aware of the worldly and sinful acts that are committed each day. We are also aware that Christ died for us while we were sinners. What makes me different from the people down the street who are keeping us awake and having John stay up all night to ward off stray drunkards from relieving themselves on our car? Is it that we are better? More pure? Or is it simply that God revealed Himself to us, and revealed His love to us through Christ the Saviour and that we (after having that revealed to us and having our eyes opened) saw and believed the truths of the gospel? It is the latter.

Some people live in a way that separates them from the mainstream world and this might be right for them, but it isn’t our life, nor the way we believe God would have us live or raise our children. Therefore, if my children are going to go into the world as adults, then they will need to be educated/equipped with skills to handle it. So, as we walk down the road of life we have our children with us all of the time. This has seen them exposed to many, many things which would make some Christians shudder but it fits in with our deliberate and purposed training plan for our children. There are things that we discuss, read and watch that may not be ‘pure’ as such, but we find them to be a beneficial training aid which assists us to work toward our goal.

When it comes to literature, I have tried to either pre-read everything or I go on the advice and recommendations of trusted and respected friends and other parents of whom I know their worldview. This doesn’t always work though. I once took the advice of a friend and allowed ‘Miss A’ to read a book that went against my initial promptings but my friend felt it was suitable for her son and encouraged me to read (a whole ‘nother topic) Once ‘Miss A’ started narrating it to me, I was horrified! Shocked! It introduced concepts that we hadn’t discussed yet… I knew we would discuss them one day but I wanted to be the one to introduce her to those concepts, not a secular author and their worldview. Oh, a battle raged within my own self. Do I stop her reading the rest of the book, and possibly turn her heart against sharing with me or do I allow her to read it but spend a good deal of time in discussion? I chose to do the latter and we actually had some good conversations and many opportunities were raised for me to share our thoughts and views of the world. For me, narration is good but discussion is the best!

Raising children to be kids or adults? The end goal?

We are raising our children to become mature adults. Yet they will live in a time and era like has never been before. This new age of technology and progression opens a whole world of issues such has never occurred in history before. Our children have a task ahead of them that we cannot even begin to comprehend! Oh the strength needed, the responsibility…Whilst we wish to preserve our children’s innocence, this can often mean that they are grown to adulthood yet ignorant. I’m not convinced that this is the best way to raise a child who is required to live in the world. Boys need to develop in strength and character, firmness and masculinity…how do we work toward that? Some thing in life just happen! We can’t shield them from everything and sometimes literature (or well chosen television shows) can be a good way to introduce those hard or difficult concepts to a young person. (In fact, it is here that I may lose some readers)  Science fiction can be good for tackling these type of ethical, moral and social issues in an ‘otherworld‘ setting. Yes, in real life people are tortured, have their eyes gouged out; people do get raped and murdered, run over by cars, commit fornication, etc. (Goodness, I’d have to rip out quite a few pages in their Bible if I didn’t have them reading about the evil acts in the world) In our house, we don’t avoid talking about those things- we discuss them openly as then we are able to teach the children our values and God’s standards and thoughts about it all. But this is part of our ‘innocence not necessarily ignorance plan‘. Are we right? I don’t know. Time will tell. I might not see the fruits of my parenting until I see how my children parent their own children.

I have thought a lot over the last few months about the difference between ignorant and innocent. I will paraphrase but Webster defines ignorant as:

  • Destitute of knowledge; uninstructed or uninformed; untaught; unenlightened.

and it defines innocent as:

  • Free from guilt; not having done wrong or violated any law; not tainted with sin; pure; upright.

 

Offence or defence? Is there a balance?

As a softballer I use analogies that parallel with my sport. When I am coaching a team, it is important the team learns how to bat well and run the bases. This is our offensive game. We spend a lot of time training in this area. We also spend a lot of time in defense… practicing set strategic plays to defend the opposition’s offensive game. I also spend some time in watching and studying the opposing teams. Sometimes, I will send charters over to watch their games and chart the strong or influential players- looking for their strengths and weaknesses. This is an important part of my role as coach. It is necessary that I am aware of their style of play so that I can teach my own team in the ways of suitable defence. As a coach, I cannot afford to be ignorant of the tactics that the other team may use. On the other hand, I don’t need to over stress about them either. This could lead to our own team being ill prepared due to focussing on the other team rather than preparing ourselves offensively and defensively.

I guess it’s a little like that for me with parenting. My children will one day be Out There in the world, without me to help them or make decision for them. I don’t want them to be ill prepared…I want them to be equipped to stand firm in their beliefs and convictions. To do this, I think they need to be aware of the pitfalls and the subtleties of them, else it be easy for them to fall. However, I also want them to be free from the guilt of such things…I don’t desire that they engage in the sinful activities. This is the best way I can try to explain what I mean when I say that part of our parenting plan is to train in innocence not necessarily ignorance. We are raising our children to live in the world yet not be of the world.

Building immunity

I wonder if I can push the limits by talking about another (yet also imperfect) analogy. Knowing that our children will one day be Out There in the world, I also know that they will be exposed to chicken pox and other nasty infections. When they were little, I didn’t put them into a sterile, glass bubble to protect them from all possible infection. Instead, I allowed them to build immunities to low-level pathogens whilst in their environment. Sometimes, they got sick. (Most of my children have had chicken pox). However, by building up their immune system, when they are older and are confronted with more serious possible infections, they will be better prepared to defend themselves. If you know your children will be one day in the world, needing to make decisions for themselves, how are you inoculating them? Are your methods guiding them toward maturity and responsibility, so that they will be capable of making their own wise choices when bombarded by the ways of the world?

Having said all that, I am careful with what our children read and watch. I like to know the worldview or philosophy of the author (not that I have to agree but I need to know so that I can tackle it). I like to know the details of the book. From what position does the author write- for/against? If I’m in doubt, I will pre-read it. If I don’t get time, I’ll research it on the Internet. If I don’t get around to that, I will search the homeschool catalogues and ask on homeschool forums for a review. If I still come up empty-handed, I will err on the side of caution and put the book/movie on the back burner till later.

For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.
Romans 16:19

I do want to reiterate that we don’t blindly allow our children to watch, read, discuss or study sinful or worldly ideas. We are careful in what we choose to expose them to.

If we make every decision for our [older] children, then how is this training them to make wise choices? Sometimes, allowing a child to make a decision which may not be the best, yet in the loving guidance of the family home, can be turned around to achieve some benefit. It can also allow them to develop a sense of responsibility after all, they will not always be under our authority. Are we training them to always be under our authority or to one day be self governed? Some people say that experience is the best teacher. Well, whether or not that is true is beyond the scope of this post but I know I would rather my children learn responsibility in decisions and learn about the world through the controlled ways of literature in our home than by personal experience via immersion once they are adults. That is a rockier and longer path to travel.

If, after reading this, anyone has any questions, please ask me to clarify or send an email. I don’t want to think that I would be encouraging anyone to think that we are careless or thoughtless about our parenting approach.

As always, seek first the Kingdom of God.

innocence-boy

People will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

 

 

People WILL learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn WHAT they need to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn what THEY NEED to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn what they need to know, WHEN they need to know it.

People WILL learn WHAT THEY NEED to know, WHEN they need to know it.

What an interesting statement. It’s one of those statements that can encapsulate an educational philosophy…not totally define it but summarise, supplement and complement one’s own philosophy of education.

Teach Children to Plan with Index Cards

What is it about children that they always want the opposite? 😉

My girls always wanted to be independent in everything when they were young. Of course, as the 16yodd gets older, she is becoming more aware that independence comes with responsibility but that’s a growing process. Yet the boys aren’t in any hurry to be independent. I’m not overly fussed about this as they will have a lifetime of responsibility as they mature. However, it is my duty to train them toward maturity and responsibility and independence.

One of the ways I use to train is the area of academics or lessons. Maybe it is my method or maybe it is something else but having self directed learning boys has not been easy for me- they seem to struggle with it. We used to have learning journals, where they would record the things they had done each day, but these would only get filled in for a day or so before they’d lose interest or lose the journal! It ended up being my responsibility, which defeats the purpose of the exercise.

‘Miss A’ is very self directed and motivated with her softball and fitness. I offer little bits and pieces where I can. I suggested that she might like to use a more visual system for keeping track of what she has done throughout the week. She liked this idea and set about doing it. She got the coloured index cards, wrote on them and sticks them on the wall when she has completed her workout. She likes it! It gives immediate feedback.

So I thought that type of system might work for the boys with their lessons. Well, it’s only been one week but it is still assisting them to record their lessons.

I used blue and yellow index cards and wrote out a week’s worth of their lessons. There are:

  • 5 Math cards
  • 5 Copy work cards
  • 5 Spelling/Wordly Wise cards
  • 5 Literature reading cards
  • 3 Science cards
  • 3 History cards
  • 3 Geography cards
  • 1 Personal development card
  • 5 Practice reading aloud cards
  • 5 listening to read aloud cards

Each day, as they have completed a lesson, they blu-tac the card to the wall. This provides immediate, visual feedback, which is a good motivator. They can also see how many lessons they have left to complete, which helped them to plan what they would do next. I taught the girls how to plan and record using notebooks or journals but the boys found this difficult. But this is something visual and hands-on! This seems to be working, at least for now. 🙂

Christian Biographies

Christian Biographies

A few years ago, I felt strongly impressed of God to read more biographies of believers to my children. We have read some of the book published by YWAM and the Trailblazer books by Dave and Neta Jackson
New Creation Teaching Ministries is an excellent teaching ministry that John sat under for years.

John Bunyan
http://www.newcreation.org.au/books/covers/297.html
George Muller
http://www.newcreation.org.au/books/covers/326.html
John Newton
http://www.newcreation.org.au/books/covers/285.html
Charles Spurgeon
http://www.newcreation.org.au/books/covers/278.html
George Whitefield
http://www.newcreation.org.au/books/covers/288.html
John Knox
http://www.newcreation.org.au/studies/pdf/johnknox.pdf
all by Rev. Dean Carter
Great for adults and high school aged students.

And some more links from my bookmarks:

Christian Heroes
http://www.christianheroes.com/

Christian Biography Resources
http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bio.html

List of carefully chosen biographies for purchase at Grace and Truth
http://www.graceandtruthbooks.com/biographies/default.asp

Biographies of Baptised Believers
http://www.21tnt.com/biographies.htm

Sword of the Lord Biographies
http://www.swordofthelord.com/biographies.htm

Fire and Ice: History & Biography
http://puritansermons.com/hist.htm

James Kiefer’s Christian Biographies
http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/home.html

Awake and Go! Biographies
http://www.watchword.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=4

Biographical Sketches at DesiringGod
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/

Spiritual Journeys of Great Christians at In Touch Ministries
http://www.intouch.org/myintouch/mighty/portraits/index_77957.html

Christian Biographies, Biographical Sketches, Puritan Biographies
http://www.graceonlinelibrary.org/articles/default.asp?id=38

A few biographies at BibleBelievers
http://www.biblebelievers.com/biographies.html

Sir Wilferd Grenfell – To show the need to beware of FRAUD in “Christian” biographies
http://christianbeliefs.org/biographies/grenfell.html

Annie Johnson Flint
http://christianbeliefs.org/biographies/a-j-flint.html

These links are listed for your convenience and their inclusion does not necessarily signify that I agree with everything written on each site. The best policy is to “Examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
1Th 5:21, 22,cf Acts17:11

Kingdom's Hope

Yesterday we started our new read aloud! Book Two in the Kingdom series. I blogged about Book One (Kingdom’s Dawn) and we zipped through it in excitement so we could start Kingdom’s Hope.

This book spans the time from Moses to Malachi. It is has on the edge of our seat each day. I get goosebumps while reading it. If you haven’t checked this series out yet, please do! It will be well worth your effort to source them.

Visit the website to learn more!

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Learning with Different Ages and Levels 2

In the last post, I wrote about using unit studies in the homeschool. In this post (part 2), I want to write in a more practical way and show exactly how a unit study can be accomplished.

How can I plan a unit of study?
Let’s consider a unit on ‘Ancient Eygpt“, a unit that we spent several months on and thoroughly enjoyed. The older child could read a biography or (fictional) diary and then orally narrate to the rest of the family. Or, she could try a written narration or prepare a factual report on a character or event. The younger child could dress up and role play or act out a scene from a book. The family could make recipes or crafts, draw and diagram maps, watch videos and visit museums together. You may like to look at the diet of the people and subsequent problems (deficiency’s, illness etc), to the terrain and climate of lands explored, other cultures that influenced or impacted Ancient Egypt (now, there’s a long rabbit trail) and so on.

Some people say that this is too hotch potch for them and they would like a more chronological or systematic approach. Easy! You can study history chronologically and integrate your other subjects around that. Some people prefer to only use units for the Social Studies and keep Math?s and English (Language Arts) separate. This is fine too. Whatever works for your family.

Here are the subjects that I try to include when thinking of relating topics:

Bible, Literature, History, Science, Language or Vocabulary, Independent Reading (Fiction and non-fiction, biographies, diaries), Composition or various forms of Narration, Poetry, Copywork, Applied Math, Foreign Language (if at all applicable), Art Appreciation, Music Appreciation, Geography, Current Events, and craft or hands-on activities.

Maybe an example will help you too see what it can look like.

Ancient Egypt

Bible (Joseph & Moses),
Literature (Golden Goblet, Mara, Daughter of the Nile)
Poetry – Ozymandias
History (culture and times of Ancient Egyptians)
Narration of reading and other learning
Applied math– structure of pyramids
Foreign Language– (hieroglyphics) No, I’m not kidding
Art- Ancient Egyptian artwork and architecture-reading about it and trying it yourself
Music – instruments and celebrations
Geography– ancient – modern -drawing/tracing maps including landforms and landmarks.
Craft– dressing up, making Egyptian style sandals, Nile River models, model pyramids.

Now, if all this seems too complicated, let me assure you that it isn’t. Your local library should have plenty of books on these topics. Just have them in the lounge room and let the children peruse them and be prepared to go with their excitement! One thing I find that kills this excitement is a feeling or sense of “Quickly, let’s hurry up and finish this topic so that we can move on“. That sentiment is really like a wet blanket.

If you?re a beginner at incorporating subjects you could just try to start with a few simple ones. Choose a family read aloud to go along with your history study and look at a good book that relates to the artwork or architecture of the period. That’s it to start with, but I can fairly confidently assure you that it won’t end there. History and geography go well together and from there you can start to add in art, music and literature.

I hope this encourages other homeschooling families, to live and learn together.

Go to Part One | Part Two

Susan 2002

Learning with Different Ages and Levels

Homeschooling Multiple Ages…

(first written in 2002)

Do you have each of your children doing separate studies? Do you long to have a more natural family oriented approach to your homeschooling journey? How do you homeschool with more than one child, and all at different ages?

Firstly, the most important point is to visit the Throne Room! It is good to be able to listen to others and be willing to adapt and change our own ways but what suits one family, may not suit another. It’s good to always consult the Lord God before running off with new ideas, no matter how good they may seem.

It’s good to always consult the Lord God before running off with new ideas, no matter how good they may seem.

As I said earlier, each family is different and each needs to seek the Lord for their direction. Some common threads that seem to work for most families are to have some sort of schedule. This might be to attend to ones own chores (bedroom, hygiene etc) and then make the house reasonable presentable. I don’t mean spick and span because we’d never get around to lessons, but we at least need fresh coffee cups!

Lessons often take around 2-4 hours, varying with the different developmental levels of the children. Afternoons are often taken up with music practice, library visits, grocery shopping, visitors, gardening, business needs, ministry, reading or community services just to name a few. Sometimes your high schooler may need to work in the afternoons to finish assignments or study. Other families with a baby find it easier to do some lessons with the children in the afternoon, when baby is napping.

Don’t forget to foster the attitude of servant helping in your older children by asking them to teach the younger children.

Don’t forget to foster the attitude of servant helping in your older children by asking them to teach the younger children. It can be very beneficial for the older child to have to explain a concept over and over in a variety of ways to a younger brother or sister. ‘Miss A’ , my 11yo helps John, her 7yo brother, with his Maths? and phonic instruction and sometimes he just doesn’t get it. She has to then think of other ways, which she may not have thought of before, to try to help him understand. This builds the families relationships as well as cementing in the older child many valuable lessons. Lessons such as, not everyone is the same, and we are all different as an example. As she must ponder the basics it is also being reinforced in her own mind, which we have found extremely helpful. Try it!

I must say from the onset that Miss Mason was not totally in favour of units or unit type of studies. However, Miss Mason was in charge and responsible for a school, not a family. God has placed me here, in this family to work to His Glory and that is what I am to seek.

I always keep that in the forefront of my mind. My situation is very different to that of Charlotte Mason?s. I am a wife, a mother of 4 blessings, a homekeeper, laundress and all those things that fall into the domestic realm. These things I do alone, with the help of my servants like the washing machine, dryer and microwave etc. However, I wear many hats and homeschool teacher is one of them.

So, considering this, I asked myself- is there any value or merit in units? Yes, I believe so! If we were to follow a boxed curriculum I doubt that any of my children would be studying the same thing at similar times. I think that for me, this would spell *burnout* with a capital B. I don’t believe that we need make a unit study out of everything. Sometimes that can lead to overload. However, if we were to use the eldest child as the (yardstick) then all of the children could end up having a liberal education but with the benefit of studying together. If the eldest child is studying ‘explorers’ in history study, why can’t the family all study explorers? Keep in mind that we will never teach our children all that they will know. Is that the goal though? Or is your goal one of instilling a love and desire of learning and equipping them with the skills to be able to research whatever they wish to?

Keep in mind that we will never teach our children all that they will know

A lot of boxed curricula appear to approach learning with a mentality of “just put in the facts over a 12 year period and then voila! Down the track, out comes a “well educated” individual. If only life were like that, it may work but I’m sure that we know differently. Textbooks aim to cover *everything*; all the vital and important facts that everyone ought to know. How many students know these all important facts at the end of Year 12 and continue to remember and use them in their later life?

I must admit the scope and sequences look very impressive and the Education departments may like them too. It can reassure us, as parents that our children must be learning a lot, learning what they should be at the right age. However, in the scope of an entire lifetime, what does it all really mean? Does this scope of study necessarily mean the child has a desire to know more or does it assist in creating a curiosity about things or does it simply help the student to pass the next exam?

I would encourage all new homeschool mums to take upon a theme and linger over it for a period of time. Your child and you will be learning much, much more than just one subject. You could use a scope and sequence chart to check off all the areas that you have studied but the ticks may not be nice and neat straight down the page. They will be all over the place, from Kindergarten to Yr 12. Have a really good look at a scope and sequence of a science or history program. How many times are the topics repeated? They are, supposedly, building concept upon concept but they are designed for a school system, not a homeschool system.

In all this, I’m not saying that you must ignore your state requirements or authorities. If, for example, your state requires that your student must study astronomy in grade 5, then go ahead, by all means and study astronomy along with the whole family! In a unit approach your families learning can become a way of life! It can assist in building curiosity and independent thinking in the children (and maybe even yourself). Learning can become more meaningful. No longer need the children cry “Oh, what does this have to do with me? Why do I need to learn this?” Most importantly, you can all learn together. Your child will learn more about true education by watching you, than sitting through a hundred dry texts.

In the next post, I will continue my thoughts and look at how we can practically go about using unit studies in the homeschool.

Part One | Go to Part Two

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Labour Day-Public Holiday

Today is Labour Day! It is a public holiday in Queensland. Yahoo! But many people don’t know what significance this holiday has for them. Do you know? Do your children know?

Labour Day is a public holiday in recognition of when workers won the right to a reduced work day of 8 hours in the late 1850?s. Their struggle was founded under the philosophy that each day should consist of 8 hours for work, 8 hours for recreation and 8 hours for sleep. The Stonemason?s spearheaded this campaign and after a long battle, the unions eventually achieved their aim and they held parades to celebrate the victory. Before this time, workers were required to work 10 to 12 hour days, six days a week. (Whew!) The five-day 40-hour week was achieved almost a century later in 1948. The first parade was held in Melbourne on 21st April 1856. How does your town/city or state celebrate Labour Day? How did you spend your public holiday?

I have made a sheet that can be printed out and used as a prompt. You can download it here.

Let me know if you find it useful and if you’d like to see more sheets like this.

In His Grace,

Susan <><

Teaching Savvy Shopping Skills

I enjoy Belinda’s blog…don’t you? Why don’t you pop over and subscribe to her blog? Anyway, today she wrote a post on shopping and how it relates to home-schooling and this led me to thinking about some of the adventures we’ve had while shopping.

One night, John and I thought about getting take-away for tea. It was late, we were all tired…but we couldn’t make a unanimous decision on what to order. So instead of takeaway, John took us all to the local supermarket. He gave everyone $5 each and told them they had 10 minutes to choose their food and then we’d go home and eat it together!

Everyone had the opportunity to buy whatever they wanted. Firstly, I will say that the first time we ever did this took a little longer than 10 minutes. The children all ran around putting their favourite foods into their basket. But when we all got together again they saw things in other’s baskets that they desired and became confused. Some of the children grabbed delicious, yummy food but it wouldn’t have filled them up (one child chose a whole packet of TimTams but didn’t have much money left).

After some (make that LOTS of) discussion, they finally figured it out! They joined forces!

They formed into pairs and went about choosing their meal again! They worked together and looked at quality of foods and their own little budget. They also saw that they got to have a wider variety of foods this way. It was a fantastic exercise!

We arrived home and had a FEAST. We had heaps of fun that night. It has become a treat for us instead of getting takeaway. Not only is it cheaper (A venture to MacDonald’s can cost us well over $35 so we don’t do it often)…not only is it yummier…not only is it more fun…but it is very educational! Everyone is happy (and satiated).

Share some of your ideas for teaching budgeting and shopping skills. I’d love to hear from you!

In His Grace,
Susan <><

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Carnival of Homeschooling

The new Carnival of Homeschooling is over at Dewey’s Treehouse! It is a truly inspirational carnival.

If you can’t remember when or where the next carnival is to be held, just come back to my blog, look down the left hand side of the page and you’ll see that information.

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Do Your Kids Read Books?

I sometimes read the blog of Albert Mohler and I am always blessed, encouraged and informed by his posts. He wrote a post back in January about “Do Your Kids Read Books?” Interesting. Thought provoking. As a homeschool mother, what will I do about it? Does this change anything in my homeschool?

He ends with these words…

Do our own young people read books? Do they know the pleasures of the solitary reading of a life-changing page? Have they ever lost themselves in a story, framed by their own imaginations rather than by digital images? Have they ever marked up a page, urgently engaged in a debate with the author? Can they even think of a book that has changed the way they see the world . . . or the Christian faith? If not, why not?

Go check out the full article. It isn’t overly long, won’t take you long to read.

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Carnival Time

I really like visiting the Carnival of Homeschooling…it’s a great way to travel around the world and read other’s thoughts and see things that they do in their families.

This edition of the Carnival is being over at Sprittibee’s. Not only has she compiled the post but she has added her only bee flavour to it. A carnival is simply a place where the carnival host showcases a group of blog posts, dedicated to a particular theme, in this case the theme is homeschooling.The host writes a few lines to whet your appetite so that you will go on over to the full blog and read the complete post. For each new carnival, there is a new host.

This new carnival will have you busy for days…enjoy!

If that isn’t enough to keep you hewing for awhile, then the Christian Carnival certainly will. It is being hosted by MandiKaye.

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The Kingdom Series

The series is one continuous story with characters that portray courage, loyalty, discipline, and honor. Read chapter excerpts and reviews or listen to theme music from each book.

We’ve just started book one in our new read aloud fiction. I have wanted this series for a few years, ever since I first saw it advertised in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. However, as there was no Australian distributor, other books and resources seemed to take priority. Wasn’t I pleasantly surprised when I saw the series in Word bookstore??!!

The Kingdom series is a Biblical allegorical set of books that is set in a time of knights, swords, and kingdoms. Book One starts with a Prologue and has a set of discussion questions at the end of the book. Some families have used this series as an introduction to discussions about the end times. Each book even has its own score for original music, which would be wonderful for an aspiring musician. Best of all, there is no magic, mysticism, or wizardry in The Kingdom Series.

They cover the span of time from Genesis through the 2nd return of Christ. They are full of action and adventure where swords, knights, and battles are all Biblically symbolic. The allegory teaches Godly character, the adventure captures the imagination of all ages, and the action keeps teenagers engrossed from cover to cover…even non-readers! Deep symbolism with an action story makes excellent reading for ages 8 to adult.

The author, Chuck Black, wrote the first book as an attempt to capture the attention of his children and inspire them to read the Bible more. This led on to further allegorical parable like stories resulting in the rest of the series. The books are also available as audio CD’s.

Visit the website!

We’re only up to chapter five so far, but have been sitting on the edge of our seats for parts of it. My skin prickled with goose-bumps during certain parts. There are just some book that you just know you’re going to really enjoy…this is one of them!

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Appreciating Poetry

I didn’t grow up with a love of poetry…and to be perfectly honest I still don’t fully appreciate poetry, mainly because I don’t fully understand it. Nevertheless, I try to foster a love and appreciation of poetry in the hearts of my children as much of the Bible is poetical so I want them to desire to read these areas and not shy away from them.

courtesy of Diane Romanello

A few years ago, we started doing poetry appreciation using Charlotte Mason’s methods, which is to study one poet per term. I found that by reading all the poems aloud together over morning tea was enjoyable and enriching but this practice also depended upon me to do the work and as my girls got older I wanted them to be more independent so I started adding the poetry to their schedule but it never seemed to get done. Maybe this is because it is small and bite-sized that they’d leave it till later…but it didn’t get read at a rate that I was happy with. I think that every child should have heard the poetry of R.L. Stevenson and A.A. Milne.

Then, I printed out the *should-read* poetry list from Ambleside Online. The girls were supposed to read a poem a day (or so). I also requested that once a term they completed a Poet Biographical Sketch and one Poem Synopsis. (‘R’ didn’t complete all this yet she still likes and appreciates poetry)

poetrybookDo you ever get that feeling that you’re running out of time? Well, as silly as it is, I feel that way too at times. I found a good book called the The Walker Book of Classic Poetry and Poets. This book has a short biographical sketch on each poet and has a few notes on each selected poem, which I found very helpful in simply giving it to ‘Miss A’ and telling her to slowly work her way through it.

I also select and read aloud poetry that fits in with our learning whether it be a unit on ‘whales’, ‘Summer’, “Easter’, ‘flowers’, ‘family’, ‘Bilbo’s Song’ or an historical time period. We read Australian poets too- who doesn’t like A.B. Paterson? I have many pages printed and filed in binders and much poetry is included so that the children can freely choose to write for copywork. If I have selected poetry to go along with our theme, they will usually do that for copy work. I also might read these poems aloud a few times before asking the children to have a go and reading it aloud, teaching them to read with character and inflection.

We have also done a unit of work on poetry. Sometimes this has come up in their LLATL books and other times, I’ve devised a mini unit on it. What this means is that we work on a few poems for copy work and dictation, while discussing the structure and language of the poem. I have bought a few books of poetry which I will strew around the home. Occasionally, I will sit in the lounge room and read a few poems myself and if one takes my fancy I will share it with the children. There are some good downloadables from CurrClick

My oldest child is now starting to read Christian poetry and enjoys the Psalms more also. I used to struggle with reading the Psalms and thought they were a bit boring…but in the last 10 years, since I’ve been stimulating my literary appetite with more poetry, I find that I enjoy and relate to the Psalms more.

My goal is not that the children should know every major poet or every classic poem, rather that they have a love for the literary language and appreciate the rich beauty of imagery presented in the poems…that they would become accustomed to reading in this way and that this may lead to a desire and joy in reading the very best forms of literature.

I have tried to accomplish this goal by learning to appreciate poetry for myself…and by not making it a ‘subject’ that needs to be ticked off until the student is older. I don’t think it really matters how you read poetry…just enjoy it!

Course Requirements for History Program Using Living Books

 

I managed to creep into the deep, dark recesses of my computer to find the Course Requirements that I compiled for my high school children.

• Complete one essay in-depth (biographical, comparative,changing over time, or question based essay) from each group of three lessons, per week. (Ensure that student covers all forms of report/essay)
• Read two relevant/appropriate books per term. (One book must be either primary source or classic, depending upon availability. (see Mum for high school booklist)) Submit a written book report, book synopsis or chapter reports for each book.
• Submit 2 – 3 projects (either assignments or choices from MoH or HoW)
• Maintain history timeline. Complete any mapping exercises as per course book.
• One page essay per term, in preparation for exam.
• Take tests/quizzes/worksheets as prescribed in course book.
• Take term exam.
• Take yearly exam.
• Watch appropriate video’s, documentaries or shows and discuss.

This allows the students to read for understanding and knowledge. They read quality literature as well as learning to write in in various forms. Creative and individual activities are also catered for.

The Archaeological Study Bible

Study Bible coverThose of you who know me will probably have gathered that we place great importance upon the Bible. I love the Narrated Chronological Bible with its running commentary.A few weeks ago, when DH and I were in Word he showed me a new Bible but I gasped at the price. I thought I’d come home and do an online search to find out if I could source it cheaper. I couldn’t. By the time I’d gotten back to Word, they had completely sold out. So, I ordered one and I received last week.

It’s great! It’s called the Archaeological Study Bible– an illustrated walk through Biblical History and Culture.For those that like a Bible-First approach to home-based-learning, this looks like a great study tool. It will provide a wonderful and rich resource, especially when used in conjunction with other study tools, like the Victory Journey through the Bible.

It is a NIV with full colour illustrations, a bonus CD-Rom, study notes, articles, and much more.

I won’t rave on about it anymore. You can go to the website and download a free 90 page sample for yourself!

Practising the Presence of God…

This book.gif

I’m starting to read this little book called, “The Practice of the Presence of GOD” by brother Lawrence. I’d like to read it slowly and try to absorb as much as I can. I’m using an abridged version for now and maybe later I’ll read the unabridged version.

The unabridged version says, “That we should establish ourselves in a sense of GOD?s Presence, by continually conversing with Him. That it was a shameful thing to quit His conversation, to think of trifles and fooleries.That we should feed and nourish our souls with high notions of GOD; which would yield us great joy in being devoted to Him.”

My more modernised version says, “Brother Lawrence insisted? that it is necessary to always be aware of God’s presence by talking to Him throughout each day. To think that you must abandon conversation with Him in order to deal with the world is erroneous.”

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“That we ought to give ourselves up to GOD, with regard both to things temporal and spiritual, and seek our satisfaction only in the fulfilling His will, whether He lead us by suffering or by consolation, for all would be equal to a soul truly resigned.”

“Our only happiness? should come from God’s will, whether it brings us some pain or great pleasure. After all, if we’re devoted to doing God’s will, pain and pleasure won’t make any difference to us.”

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“That there needed fidelity in those drynesses, or insensibilities and irksomenesses in prayer, by which GOD tries our love to Him; that then was the time for us to make good and effectual acts of resignation, whereof one alone would oftentimes very much promote our spiritual advancement.”

“We also need to be faithful, even in dry periods. It is during those dry spells that God tests our love for Him. We should take advantage of those times to practice our determination and our surrender to Him. This will often bring us to maturity further on in our walk with God.”

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I’m intrigued about what it might mean to practise the presence of God. I want to know more…I want to experience this but I get so caught up in the day to day things that make up my life. I want to be closer to Jesus…to feel His presence more closely…to feel Him nearer.

During my early morning time on the pooter, I came across a site with sermons on it. One, in particular, caught my eye and has been on my mind all day. I’ve decided to act upon it. Some of these things I already do but I want to do them with more awareness…with more joy. These things are such as,

  • Waking to the Lord- giving Him my first thoughts.
  • Early prayer and quiet time before family prayers.
  • Plan my day with HOLINESS TO THE LORD at the forefront.
  • To work diligently at my calling…of being a child of God, wife, mother, homeschooler, friend, etc.
  • Guard my heart and mind throughout the whole day- being on watch for things that tempt me.
  • Make a conscious decision to talk to myself and the children of the everyday things of God- to see God in everything.
  • Be quick to confess my sins.
  • Strive to do my best in my relationships and duties of them…as unto the Lord.
  • Pray and give thanks before I go to sleep.

As well as modeling this, I want to share this with my children.

Bible Study resources

‘A’ has been using a wonderful book to enhance her understanding of New Testament readings. She currently uses “The Narrated Bible” and this is a chronological Bible with a small commentary at the beginning of each section. This is good and ‘A’ is enjoying it. However, I finally got around to working out the schedule to combine her Bible reading with a great book called, “The Victor Journey Through the Bible“, by V. Gilbert Veers. This book goes through the Bible story by story! It is really connecting the dots for my daughter. This book goes story by story through the Bible from Genesis through to Revelation. It has many good pictures, maps and background information.

If you want to read through the Bible in a chronological order but don’t have a Bible that is arranged that way, you can download this plan, from Heart of Wisdom, and print it to use.

Click Here For Bible Checklist

To see more about the many uses for the Narrated Bible you can visit the HOW site:

Click Here For Information on the Narrated Bible

You can see more of the “Victor Journey through the Bible” book here:

Click Here For Information on the Victor Journey through the Bible

And no, I don’t work for HOW…just really like the philosophy and products 🙂

Music Appreciation for the HomeGrownKids

I love music! All styles and genres. I was fortunate to grow up listening to and developing an appreciation for classical music. I also loved the tapes that came out in the 1980’s: Hooked on Classics and such. A few years ago, I was introduced to Bond and fell in love with their work and this morning while surfing the ‘net, I came across an orchestra that is new to me. However, this is not ordinary orchestra! No siree! Talk about a beautiful, stimulating blend of classical and modern. Visit here and view the video of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance.

I enjoyed reading Peter O’Neill, the band’s founder and his thoughts what the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was about, Paul O’Neill replied, “It’s about creating great art. When asked to define what great art was, Paul said, “The purpose of art is to create an emotional response in the person that is exposed to that art. And there are three categories of art; bad art, good art and great art. Bad art will elicit no emotional response in the person that is exposed to it, i.e.; a song you hear in an elevator and it does nothing to you, a picture on a wall that gives you the same emotional response as if the wall had been blank, a movie that chews up time. Good art will make you feel an emotion that you have felt before; you see a picture of a forest and you remember the last time you went fishing with your dad, you hear a song about love and you remember the last time you were in love. Great art will make you feel an emotion you have never felt before; seeing the pieta, the world famous sculpture by Michelangelo, can cause someone to feel the pain of losing a child even if they’ve never had one.”
[Emphasis mine]

You can also read an interview that Christianity Today had with Paul O’Neill here.

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and I can’t vouch for their productions or performance, but we had some great discussions about the power of music and how stimulating and evocative this band is. This is great art, in my opinion…I’d love to pass an appreciation of music on to my children.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Bible Study Toolbar

Have I mentioned before that I love the Internet??? I am constantly amazed at the generosity of people. There is so much information and products available for FREE these days.

I love to study the Bible…and I often use the Internet and online Bibles to do so. I usually use bible.crosswalk.com as it’s easy to type in but now there is a new feature available. It is a toolbar (for use with Bible Gateway)? that you download and install for Firefox (and if you’re still using IE, then you need to stop and get a decent browser!).

This easy to install toolbar has a groovy number of options, letting you change versions and languages, restrict your search to certain parts of the Bible, and more.

See here for more info: News at Bible Gateway

Go here to download the toolbar.

I hope you enjoy it and are as blessed by it as I am!

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Do You Strew?

Strewing…What is it?

We know there is unschooling and carschooling, there is even fridgeschooling, but there’s another new term which is popular. Even though it’s a new term the practice of it isn’t new…in fact, I’m sure everyone does it to varying degrees. Did you know that ‘strewing’ has now become an ‘official’ homeschool/unschool term? I’m sure that many of us do it quite naturally but there is still good value in the practice of it, so I decided to write and share about it today. Strewing simply refers to the placement or scattering of objects and learning materials around the house where children will discover them.

The dictionary defines strewing as:

  1. To spread here and there; scatter: strewing flowers down the aisle.
  2. To cover (an area or a surface) with things scattered or sprinkled: “Italy . . . was strewn thick with the remains of Roman buildings” Bernard Berenson.
  3. To be or become dispersed over (a surface).
  4. To spread (something) over a wide area; disseminate.

I strew books that may be of current interest but I also strew books and computer games that may not be MY area of interest nor even in our realm of study topics but simply to put something new or different before the children. I often strew art books, grammar books, lovely picture books with beautiful illustrations, and books filled with inspiring quotes. I may strew computer games that teach electricity or Australian history, Art History or House/Architectural Design or things like that. I also strew video’s and DVD’s although I do try to keep them in the lounge room. Sport equipment, musical instruments, board games, posters, quotes, etc.

I’ve strewn collections. We have a sea shell collection and a rock collection that often inspires a child to look at it and then ask questions in order to learn more. We also strew with excursions! Some times we’ll go on an excursion if it relates to a topic that we’re learning about (Science and History usually) but we also go out to places for no other reason other than, ‘just because!’ How about strewing with food?

Unschooler’s are very good at using this method and I personally suspect it is similar to how Sally and Clay Clarkson describe their ‘learning centre’s’ in Wholehearted Child. Personally, I don’t get hung up on how others describe it as I know I do it naturally. The only problem with strewing in my house is that while often an abode for creative and stimulating discoveries, the place can also look rather hotch-potch. However, not everyone’s home is like this so I don’t blame strewing, it’s just me.

When I raised this question on a forum there were some great responses and one lady suggested rain-gutter bookshelves. What? Being raised in a mining town where homes are often built from tin metal and now rusting, did not build a pretty picture in my mind, until said friend sent some links. Have a look, they might spark some creative ideas of your own! Just imagine, you could strew PC games, DVD’s, cookbooks, works of art…the possibilities are endless!

The Rain Gutter Literacy Revolution

Rain-Gutter Bookshelves

So, I wonder…do you strew? If so, how, what and where? I’d love to hear from you.

Global Warming-My Thoughts

?But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good?
1 Thessalonians 5:21

I?ve been called a skeptic. I?m prone to investigate some conspiracy theories. I like to think that I examine things (within my own limited knowledge and understanding). I think that we need to be good, responsible stewards of the earth. There!. Had to get that out of the way.

I want to teach my children how to think critically, how to read information and examine it, how to apply God?s word to everyday life. Therefore, I love learning at home with my children and am thankful for the responsibility and opportunity to do so.
Every person holds a worldview. A worldview is a way of looking at the world?it is what you believe, what you understand the world to be about.
Everyone has assumptions or presuppositions. This is simply having an idea or a belief and you filter new knowledge or information through that assumption. Each worldview has various presuppositions supporting it.

There is a naturalistic, Biblical and pantheistic way of looking at things. Various trains of thought (worldviews) have adaptations but they basically can fit into these categories. (Learning about worldviews is an important topic!) So now knowing that everyone holds a worldview, I’ll start honing in on my subject.

Over the course of history there have been many beliefs. Beliefs that people held and defended to the hilt. Others who did not agree with these beliefs were mocked, persecuted and all manner of things. Remember when people thought the world was flat? Well, it?s all well and good for us to sit here now and laugh at that because we have the benefit of history and science behind us. Do we look and see ourselves in that picture? Do we believe everything that we are told without examining it? How about Y2K? Future generations may laugh till their insides hurt when they hear of the hysteria and confusion around Y2K?yet it was a real threat in our minds only seven years ago.

There is a lot of hype and hysteria surrounding the whole climate change issue. Ever heard the saying, ?he who controls the media, controls the world?? Think about it. While we are busy, worrying and adapting our lifestyle, stressing over the current issue (climate change, Y2K, terrorism, etc) other things, important (world, national, state and local) issues, could be slipping under the radar. Fear is a powerful motivator. And with every ?issue?, there is fear behind it. I haven?t watched the latest movie, ‘An Inconvenient Truth? but the snippets I have seen are designed to produce fear in the hearts of the viewers. But oh, that?s meant to be ?information?, facts to make the people aware. Are the people who are doing the alarming changing their lifestyles? There is truly much to think about with the whole issue. Michelle Malkin has a clip here which is thoughtful and enlightening.
There are plenty of informed scientists and speakers who disagree with the whole alarmist view of global warming but they are not being heard or listened to. I wonder why?

Do you remember the animation, Captain Planet? Cool eh? It was indoctrination- pure and simple. It did not have a biblical basis or worldview. Pick up a newspaper, magazine or turn on the television today. What information are you being fed? Have you really examined the facts or are you being led into an emotional trap? Are you being indoctrinated?
A popular website that is being pushed in Australia is cooltheglobe. Here?s a snippet from the site:

“Climate change is the greatest threat facing our planet. Humans are causing climate change, and humans can stop it getting worse. We can keep our planet healthy for future generations by acting on climate change now and reducing our greenhouse pollution.”

I think that sin is the greatest threat facing our planet and the humans that live on it.

I don?t believe in evolution, or a type of Christian Evolution. I guess you?d call me a young earth creationist. However, if I believed in the process of evolution then I?d believe that the world is millions of years old. I guess I could then think it?s possible that the earth is in trouble. Also believing in evolution, I?d believe in the superiority of man (I mean underneath all the rubble, even racism stems from an evolutionary worldview). If man was capable of evolving into the intelligent species that we are, I?d have to believe that we can fix this problem. Apparently the ice caps on Mars are melting due to our actions here on earth. Wow, we?re pretty powerful uh! So the earth has been around for millions or billions of years (so apparently has man) yet it is only in the last few hundred years that we have managed to destroy the earth and universe as we know it. This view holds a very high opinion of man, doesn?t it?

There are a few issues within the whole crisis that I am concerned about. The experts compare today’s weather to hundreds and thousands of years ago but I can?t see how this is accurate. How long have there been reliable weather stations throughout the world? Granted, the experts use measures of tree rings, they analyse ice-cores and so on but these don?t build an accurate picture, especially as one considers that scientists can?t even agree on the age of the earth! They say that this weather pattern and climate change is not normal?I don?t think man has been officially recording the weather for long enough to know what ?normal? is. (Apparently they started recording in the mid 1800?s?even in a time frame of 6,000 years that is not much to go on) It?s such a short term view.

A statement at National Geographic says:

Over the last million years the Earth has fluctuated between colder and warmer periods.

How does a Christian reconcile this with the Bible?s teaching? I?m no great scientist, but I believe that when we truly understand and believe in a catastrophic event such as the Great Flood we can see how it would have had a major impact on the geophysical and biological system of the earth?and that dating systems which do not reflect a biblical worldview nor take into account the devastating flood, are simply not correct.

We can see that over the course of history, the climate has indeed changed. Was this the result of man? Was man big enough to control the universe? Sure we need to be good stewards and live carefully but the fear mongering must not be allowed to control us. We must teach our children to think critically and examine issues. We need to prepare our hearts for the day when we meet our Maker.

Where is God in all of this global warming/climate change issue? Is He so small that He does not control everything? Some times we need to stop, take a step back and actually read our history and science books?and try to see things from a biblical worldview rather than our own small perspective.

Whether or not you do or don?t believe in all the hype, I hope you can see that we need to teach our children to think?we need to educate our children about the real issues: being that fear is a powerful motivator, combined with the media using every means available to appeal to our emotions, (propaganda) can be a strong driving force that can be used?and is often used, sadly, by politicians.
I don?t want or expect anyone to agree with my thoughts?but I hope you look closely at the facts and research for yourself, for the sake of your children. A few sites that I like are:

http://www.junkscience.com/Greenhouse/

http://www.icr.org/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16960409/site/newsweek/

http://www.michaelcrichton.net/speeches/index.html

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v1/n2/global-warming

Link at AnswersinGenesis

Upgrade 2

Upgrade

Upgrade

After my review on Upgrade, by Kevin Swanson I was asked how this book impacted my life so I’ll attempt to share my thoughts here.

Upgrade! How it helped me.

I’ve already written a review so I won’t rehash that so I’ll approach it from another angle without rewriting the entire book!

Kevin Swanson devoted one whole chapter to ‘education’. I like this as it is helpful to know what the goal is before we attempt to formulate a plan toward aiming for it.

“Education is the preparation of the child, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and physically for life and for eternity.” (p10) He then writes in the broader sense.
He says that each worldview will affect our understanding of education (see why I like it?) He then pulls apart his own definition by explaining ‘preparation‘: preparation for what? He also questions (and answers) the concept of a ‘successful education’. He gives another definition of a successful education on page 17 “A successful education is achieved when a child is prepared to make maximal use of his God-given talents and abilities in the accomplishment of the child’s calling.”

Education is the preparation of the child, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and physically for life and for eternity.

Then he writes 10 Secrets for a Successful Education, which aren’t really secrets at all. 😉
The first secret is on the Pre-Eminence of Character. Now all CM enthusiasts agree on this but he brings out a point which allowed or encouraged me to change my first character training habit from that of developing ‘Attention’ to Honour of Parents (duh!)

The 2nd secret is Quality One on One Instruction. This really spoke to me as my homeschool methodology had me focusing on good books. Now this is a good and worthwhile habit but it cannot and must not take place of quality one on one instruction. Of course some subjects take more individual instruction than others, like Math’s, (which I had to learn the hard way). He gave me a focus point of one hour per day for 2 full years with each child. (p47)

The 3rd secret is the Principle of Protection.
He says that protection is itself is ineffective but combined with a purpose of preparation is effective (p52). To be prepared, a child ought to be protected?all this with an identity or individual focus! He talks about monitoring the inputs and controlling the inputs that the children are exposed to. He warns of the dangers when protection becomes an end in itself:

1) the child might try to escape the world
2) amalgamate with the world and become like it or
3) change the world

The Principle of Individuality is the 4th secret and he talks about our children as individuals. This wasn’t new to me but he brought out some interesting points. The principle of individuality is liberating, so Mr. Swanson says. It can be wielded with amazing adaptability and effectiveness in the home and removes a tremendous amount of pressure from the backs of children and parents. He suggests that this principle takes the individual gifts and abilities of each child and maximizes them. This often means that a homeschool moves away from standardization. He goes on to say that this principle holds profound implications for the involvement of the state in education.

The 5th secret is Rooting in Relationships.
Mr. Swanson puts forth that every child is an individual with individual learning styles and rates and emotional concerns. An educational program will only be optimized for each child by a mentor who knows the child well. He states that studies have shown that there is no difference between the academic performance of students whose parents are professionally trained teachers and those who are not. He attributes this to the God-designed factor of relationship based teaching. In this lengthy chapter, he also discusses the issue of delegation… delegation while still retaining responsibility.

A successful education is achieved when a child is prepared to make maximal use of his God-given talents and abilities in the accomplishment of the child’s calling.

The Principle of Doing Well is the 6th secret.
Charlotte Mason enthusiasts would know this one! The main aim of education is to communicate so he encourages us to do this well. Reading and writing is fundamental. He then gives 10 focus points which I found beneficial:
1) read aloud
2) the best literature
3) don’t waste significant time doing anything but the basics
4) do not multiple the course requirements upon the student (this one hit me hard)
5) memorise portions of the highest quality literature, poetry, drama, and prose.
6) Copywork is a valuable tool
7) It is advantageous to teach them the languages of Hebrew, Greek an Latin once they are advanced in their own native language.
8) Don’t advance a student to the next level until he has mastered the basics
9) Basic learning required disciplined repetition
10) Teach the Scriptures

Reading, thinking, (verbal and written) communication, discernment and singing are basic fundamentals.

The 7th secret is the Principle of Life Integration
He writes of the difference between knowledge and wisdom… about life integration and the best way to do this is to maintain a life integrating educational environment. He encourages the reader to avoid the separation of school and life (yet he is not an unschooler). The student must have real lie experiences on which to hang the knowledge that he learns from the textbook else the textbook learning just becomes head knowledge and not wisdom or understanding. He gives another more tips like:

1) Tie their textbooks learning to real life..
2) Limit the time they spend listening to lectures.
3) Build relationships and spend time doing the important things?take the children with you everywhere.
4) Train your children to think and communicate all the time
5) Train them to be able to interact with others well
6) Encourage them to start their own business or work with you
7) Prefer hands-on training, develop a learning environment
8) Use curriculum that understands the importance of real life application.

Maintaining the Honour and Mystique of Learning is the 8th secret.
We should strive to cultivate a sense of wonder. This can be stifled if we don?t take into account the principles of individual character, etc.
Modeling a sense of adventure, self motivated learning and spontaneity while encouraging the inquisitive mind is important. Avoid activities that mesmerize yet don?t encourage wonder and discovery. He also talks about honouring and commending true achievement and achievements. Children need affirmation.

Building on the Right Foundation is the 9th secret and it deals with the content of education.
Again this chapter deals with worldview … the big questions of life. As parents we need to know what are children are learning and at the least we need to discern the worldview that under girds the books we use. In this we need to know and discern the difference between polytheism, monotheism, relativism, absolute truth, atheism, humanism, biblical theism, nihilism and those that have a providential view of history. (I’ve found that the need for understanding this, increases as the child gets older)

He says that that there is no neutrality in books or programs (see why I like this book?). God’s word must be tied into every aspect of our child’s experience be it entertainment, history, geography, science, music or reading… we must train our children to think in terms of God’s world. This doesn’t mean that every book so sentence must have God in it rather that our children must learn to see the connection to God in all that they do.

1) know your worldview
2) know what your children are learning
3) accept that there is no perfect curriculum
4) think ?integration?
5) use principles of protection and wise progression
The 10th secret of the Principle of Wise, Sequential Progression.

This chapter talks about the stages of learning:  knowledge (collection and storage of facts), understanding (discernment and arrangement of facts) and wisdom (application of those things). He warns us to beware of programs that only spit out facts or information all the way through high school. It’s important to learn the basics well but also important to progress toward critical thinking and wise independent problem solving.

Chapter 13 talks about developing a vision for your family: where to start, how to get there, etc.

These are the areas that helped me in my family. While not necessarily new to me they condensed and highlighted all the information in my own knowledge bank so that much of could become practical and I could apply it to my life. So many things cry out for our attention yet not all are necessary. They may be good but not necessary.

Don’t take my word for it though…rush out and get your own copy! These points are just what I took from the books…I haven’t done a complete chapter review, I’ve tried to speak more personally.

How Many Hours in Bible Study?

John Stott used the following time allocations dedicated to Bible study:

* One hour a day
* One 3 hour period a week
* One day every month
* One week every year

I think this is a good and worthwhile goal to aim for. What do you think?

English Lessons HomeGrownKids Style

We still use a spelling list. (We like the lists from PocketBasics.com) I have found it easier for me to teach the various spelling rules when we have followed a list. I can easily review what rules I have and haven’t presented to the child…and set about continuing on with that. If I feel that a child does not grasp a particular spelling/grammar rule, then I will search for a passage or selection of work so that they can specifically write it out for copy work.

Copy work is preparation for dictation

The reason I have used a spelling list is also because I haven’t been as diligent with the practice of dictation as I would have liked, but that’s life eh! I do believe that the CM method of education is full and rich and thorough if adhered to…which is where I fall down.

The Lessons

We would do a passage for copy work on Day One. I read the passage aloud to the children once or twice. I would review any of the spelling and grammar rules that are applicable and I would then teach new concepts from the passage. I tell the child that they can spend time and take care with this selection as they will be writing it for dictation soon. I ask them to notice any words that they may need to spend time on or look up in the dictionary. I ask them to notice any grammar or punctuation rules, and we discuss it. If they haven’t noticed anything, then I jump in with my comments but I like to give them opportunity first. At the end of the lesson, I ask the child to read the passage aloud to me. (I think this is an important step) They also have to read (or listen to) good living books and then narrate to me. After a few days (depending on the passage I’ve selected) I will have the child write the selection from dictation. This is where they need to apply the habit of attention, else they will get spelling and punctuation incorrect.

Dictation Lesson

To start the dictation lesson, which may be on day 2, 3 or 4 (on this day, dictation REPLACES copy work and is not in addition to), I read the passage aloud to them. I’ll slowly read a phrase at a time as the child writes it on their paper. I try not to re-read any phrase as I’m trying to develop the habit of attention, requiring them to concentrate and use their memory…but I don’t let myself get hung up on it. My goal is to train them in the habit of attention, develop their ability to focus and recall, to have neat handwriting and develop their spelling, grammar and punctuation skills.

I think the basis of a CM English program is Copywork and then also Dictation, Narration, and good Living Books. Exposure to Great Ideas is a big part of this.

Tip

Another tip which I have found very useful is to have a double copy of a book that I’m reading aloud. As I’m reading it aloud, another child will have the second copy and be following me along. This helps them to SEE and HEAR the word so they hear the correct pronunciation and see the correct spelling in a very gentle way.

I also buddy read: where I will read a passage and then the child will read a passage. Having the child read aloud is very important as I can *hear* exactly where they are having difficulty and then I can help them straight away without needing to wait until the rule or concept arises in the textbook.

Focussed Seasons

We also have focused seasons which probably isn’t very CMish but it works well for us. By seasons I mean that we will have a period of time (could be weeks or months) where we will all learn and focus on grammar. We’ll do a course like Winston Grammar and we focus on it during our copy work times. We might put another topic or area on the backburner for awhile as we do this. Then, when I feel that we’ve done enough there for the time being, I’ll put grammar to the backburner and bring another area into focus. Some people can’t handle this way of doing things but it is the only way that I can manage.

I hope some of this has been helpful, if only in sparking some ideas.

There are a few links that you might like to read over:

AmblesideOnline Scope and Sequence for LA

LA with Penny Gardner

Copywork with the Parker’s

Record Keeping – HomeGrownKids Style

I was recently asked how I keep records so thought that I may as well post the response here.

I believe it is a matter of documenting your learning opportunities, and then jargonising them, which isn’t that hard really…especially if you are familiar with the requirements as laid out by the particular Board of Studies and Ed. Dept’s. We use a recording journal that I made up…I make them yearly for each child and they can be personalised. Each year they have looked different although the last 2 years they’ve been the same. As we go throughout the day, I can easily look back and see where things fit into various subject areas: (For the older children)

BIBLE
Catechism
Bible reading
Bible stories
Proverbs ? character

ENGLISH
Copywork
LLATL
Spelling / Vocabulary
Writing
Grammar
Individual Reading
Reading Aloud to others
Listening to Reading Aloud

MATHS
Text / workbooks
Biographies / stories
Times tables / memory work

SCIENCE
Science text/workbook (Medicine, Chemistry)
Living book/biography

GENERAL
Folk Song
Natural History
Shakespeare Story
Current Events
Manners & Etiquette

SOCIAL STUDIES
History General
History Australian
Geography
Economics
Citizenship

FINE ARTS
Music Appreciation
Composer study
Art Appreciation
Artist study
Art Application (Artistic Pursuits, ArtPacs)

LITERATURE
Well, this is way to big to cover, but I”m sure you get the idea.

LIFE SKILLS
Well, this is way to big to cover, but I”m sure you get the idea. This area also covers heaps of the Key Learning Area’s (KLA’s)

EXTRA’S
Well, this is way to big to cover, but I”m sure you get the idea.

For the younger children, it is a different layout:
It is a 2 page spread and it has Mon-Sat down the left side.

The left side has boxes so that either the children or I can fill it in. There are boxes for:

Spiritual Life
God’s World – Science and Technology
God’s Story – History (places, events, people)
People and Places – Geography, etc…

Then, when we look back over our day, we can slot in the days activities into the relevant boxes. This helps the children to learn to record their learning opportunities, although we aren’t the most diligent with it but more than that, it helps them to see that all of real life is learning.

When presenting this to the Ed. Dept, I would give as little as possible. This might be something like a summary report, with a short paragraph on each subject matter, outlining if we used a text or books and I’d talk about things that the student enjoyed learning about. We also record the character and spiritual/emotional development of the children but this is purely for *us*. No one else sees it. This is where we write about the spiritual, emotional and character development of the children. For us, this is more important than the academic record.

It seems like a lot, but once you get the hang of jotting things down it just becomes part of a daily habit, like brushing teeth, and doesn’t take very long.

History Scope and Sequence

HomeGrownKid’s  Scope & Sequence for world history

Birth to age 9 ( birth -G4)
Old Testament History (Egypt & Sumeria)then Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, Middle Ages, Reformation & Renaissance, ….  with read-a-louds. Use the Bible and Bible stories and easy  (but not twaddle) biographies, fiction, and use drama, drawing, colouring in and other hands-on activities. Learn the basics of the different cultures.

Age 10-13 or (G5 – G8)
Review the same cycle but in greater depth. begin to look at the possible world-views of people groups and major characters.
Use the Bible, stories and related works, deeper biographies, historical fiction, plays etc not necessarily in chronological order –  the time-line or Book of Centuries will tie things in for the student. Books like “Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World” or the “Usborne World history” books are always a hit! Mystery of History is an excellent resource and our absolute favourite is the Heart of Wisdom Unit Studies and Approach.

Age 14 through 17-18 or (G9 – 12)
Time to tie things all together using a chronological and narrative approach. Possible books to use would be: “Picturesque Tale of Progress” by Olive Beaupre Miller, “Story of Mankind” by Van Loon, “A Brief Story of the World” by Niver, “Streams of Civilisation”, “Western Civilisation” by J. Spielvogel or” TruthQuest History Guides”.
Consider biographies, historical fiction and primary sources. Pay particular attention to discussing thoughts and ideas, updating the time-line or Book of Centuries. Tie all studies in with a Book of Centuries (Timeline), good living books, and a Kingfisher or Usborne type History Encyclopaedia.

The next day…

This day was the beginning of a new routine for us, in that we haven’t done ‘lessons’ for quite some time (many months) so we’re trying to ease in gently.

Wednesday 31st Jan, 2007

After a full day out in the raging heat yesterday I had a good night’s sleep and was looking forward to being home for most of the day. I awoke at 5.30am and lay in bed having a quiet time, saying good morning to the Lord and pondering the activities for the day. I got out of bed at 5.45 and put a load in the washing machine and then went on to prepare lunches and breakfasts for my three who are out for the day. I woke dh and we had breakfast together and spent the next hour and a half preparing clothes and food and pottering around until I saw dh off for work at 6.45 to which I then sat and watched the news on Sunrise until 7.15 when the girls woke up. After our morning greetings, one showered while the other started on her breakfast as I pottered around doing odd jobs and chores.

At 7.30am I decided that it was about time the boys got up so I went in for a snuggle. While they dragged themselves from bed, I went to make tomorrow’s espresso and be with the children over their breakfast. Then, I organised the boys starting on their chores (John vacuums the floors and ‘Master C’ does the kitchen) and went and showered, did some cleaning of my bathroom and waved goodbye to Bek who went off to school. I spoke to my Dad who informed me of local (Broken Hill type local) news. I speak to my Dad daily.

At 9am, the four of us piled into the car to take ‘Miss A’ to work but we stopped off first at the library so she could pick up a book. (She works part time at a coffee house) We arrived home after some great discussions in the car) and the boys finished their chores while I prepared our Bible study. From 10.15am until 11.30am we did Bible study and spelling and then went into the lounge room for two chapters of our current read-aloud book, Farmer Boy. Well, don’t all good books bring about some great discussions? They do in our house! John made me a cup of tea and the boys had their ice water. As we have two copies of Farmer Boy, ‘Master C’ sat and followed along with a separate copy (which is great for reading skills) and John and I snuggled as we discussed the difference between the words ’till’ and ‘until’. We also bantered and verbalised our own thoughts as we discussed how Almanzo would rather be working at home on the farm rather than be at school. 😉 The best discussion came about from reading how Father gave Almanzo a half-dollar and Almanzo had to choose between succumbing to peer pressure (to buy lemonade) or the possibility of building his own wealth by buying a pig, raising it (and its future piglets) and then selling them for profit. We discussed the application and possibilities of this for our own life. The boys would love to have some chooks and also would love to plant some vegetables but sadly, it is impossible at this house so we then discussed where we’d like to move next and what qualities we’d like to have in our next house.

Then we pondered what to do next… so we put on a Moody Science video and viewed a segment on Spiders, which somehow led on to a discussion about evolution and Christian Evolutionists (people who believe that God used the process of evolution to create the world) and how this was a popular teaching and train of thought in the early 1900’s, especially prevalent amongst natural historians and naturalists, as evident by literature of that time. Whew! 1pm and the boys ambled into the kitchen to prepare their lunch while I hung some washing on the line and put a new load in the machine and fold clothes while talking to them as they ate.

I took about 15 min to type this up, while the boys hunted outside, in our teensy weensy yard, for spiders. Then they came inside for a few quite minutes in their room (this is their own choice and I love the fact that they know how to take some quiet time for themselves.) I ate lunch while watching the last few minutes of Oprah and I took a few phone calls. I pottered around a bit, waiting for ‘Miss A’ to call in her lunch break and chat but she doesn’t: they must be busy at the shop.  I miss hearing from her. After doing the lunch dishes, we lounged on the sofa and read ‘Drought‘ by Trish Oktober and then ‘Miss R’ came home from school at 2.45pm and I sat with John to lead him back into the ways of doing Math with Math-U-See. Meanwhile ‘Master C’ had been having some free time to play and then he sat down to so his maths lesson. I sat with the boys today and did most of their work with them as it is the first time in a loonngg time since we have done any book work.

Free time! When John comes home, we always sit together and share our day over a cuppa so I run around and try to do a quick house tidy before he arrived home.

Oh, time to go and get ‘Miss A’ . John and I head out to have a few minutes to ourselves while we drive to get her. We waited for awhile as she is a tad late. Then, on the way home we returned the dvd from the previous night. While we’ve been gone the children have had some free time, although that is Screen Free Time for the boys. The table has been set and we eat our tea. Over tea, John asks some probing questions as we have discussed our learnings and discoveries for the day. He confirms and expands on our discussion regarding making money work for us and what instant gratification means. Everyone else shares about their day and it is a wonderful time of coming together, even if the meal is only pies, pasties and quiche from ‘Miss A’ ‘s workplace!

After tea was Praise ‘n’ Wash Up! Various tasks have standard requirements and each child knows what they are, and what is expected of them so we all set about this. ‘Miss A’ takes ‘Master C’ into the booknook and he tells her all about our Bible reading. Then, they come back in and complete their jobs.

They had some more free time as well as a few chores like feeding the dog. 14yodd (who attends school) had homework and the others couldn’t help but snicker. I glared at them but they can’t help themselves.  (It’s all good fun really)

Everyone then was free to pursue their own free time. I sat and spent a few minutes on the computer. Then it was bedtime for the boys, of which they don’t agree but such is life eh! ‘Miss R’ must have been tired as she decided to head to bed early while ‘Miss A’ and I stayed up to watch Prison Break. We both struggled to keep awake during the show and we headed straight off to bed at about 10.30pm.

In and around the day, we had many enlightening conversations where we shared together, laughed together, learnt together and just hung out together. We prayed together and played together and vegged out together. We even managed to do some daily disciplines (like chores, lessons and things like that) so all in all, it was a great day!

Day at Our House – Tuesday

BEEP BEEP BEEP screeches my alarm clock at the sadistic time of 5am. Ugh, I have to get up early today to go ‘to school’! Why do I do this AGAIN? I ask myself.

I stumble out of bed and shower, make breakfast for all, prepare a few lunches, kiss John as he heads out the door. I throw some clothes at the boys and declare that if they don’t get up in 5 min (which was 7am) then they’d miss out on breakfast! They made it just in time (Oh, lest you think I’m a TOTAL meanie; everyone was warned the day before, of the hecticness of the coming day). We packed the car and ‘Miss A’ , John, ‘Master C’ and I zoomed off to travel 45 min to go to school! Bek saw herself off to school, although she did get a kiss and a hug from me!

‘Miss A’ was asked to go into the school and teach PE lessons for 5 weeks. As I’m a level 2 coach who has done this in schools 4 times before I thought it would be good for me to go and lead her and then support her. Argh, I could kick myself!?

We arrived late due to traffic conditions and not knowing where I was going. There was no teacher to meet us or give us directions although the teacher did send 2 students to tell us to go and set up on the oval. So, we did. My boys were fantastic all day, carrying a heavy gear bag filled with softball gear, and our esky.

Within a few minutes our first class arrived. My boys sat in the shade and talked and read books while for the next 2 hours solid ‘Miss A’ and I were out in the glaring hot sun, teaching 4 classes for 30 minutes each. Now, of course we couldn’t instruct them for a full 30 minutes because the lesson period went for 30 minutes so by the time they got there, we introduced ourselves and they settled down, it left us about 20 minutes! Then, we had 45 minutes for lunch so we all piled back in the car and went to a local general store to get some lunch and buy a bag of ice. We went back to school and did another 3 lessons (11/2 hours solid in the sun) and then had a 20 minute break and did another 1 hour solid, before piling all our gear into the car and heading home. Traffic was horrid.

We got home and Bek had let herself in. I jumped straight into a cold shower, which hurt due to the heat of sunburn! Bek then made me a cuppa and I promptly drank it and fell asleep on the couch. John came home and listened to the horror of our day and somehow I drifted off again! Bek suggested pizza so she and DH organised that. We had tea and then watched Barnyard on DVD and we were all in bed by 9pm.

After it all, neither ‘Miss A’ nor I desired to do this again but we are booked in for another 4 weeks. The students weren’t too bad, but the heat combined with the schedule was blistering. However, throughout it I managed to see some great points:

  • My sons are fantastic! They barely complained the whole day and yet they had every reason to. They are such troopers. They were sworn at by some of the schoolies but they just ignored them.
  • ‘Miss A’ had the opportunity to observe me coaching (I’ve always coached her but this time it was with a different perspective) and then I stood back and made her go it alone! The first time she faltered a bit but then she did fabulously! By the time the grade 2-3 were there, she was even able to adapt and modify the program to suit! Wow, I was impressed!
  • These three children have no desire to go to school and think it is a joke- the boys are now adamant that nothing much gets done at school and good students must either be naturally bright or work extra hard at home! (This is my 11yo’s opinion ) They said they’d rather run away that be forced to go to school.

So all in all, it was a tiring day but some positives came out of it. Whew! I’m looking forward to a quiet day at home tomorrow. (Wednesday)

p.s. oh, in case you’re wondering what it was all about – softball is our sport, it’s what we do. ‘Miss A’ is a softball athlete and as she improves she has been asked to take on this role. We jumped at it, thinking that it would be an excellent opportunity for her personal growth and development. (It is…it’s just hard). It also pays so that helps.

Upgrade: 10 Secrets to the Best Education for Your Child

Upgrade

Upgrade

Anyone who knows me (or reads my blog) would know that I like to read books on home-schooling…particularly books that speak about the heart of education. I like to read books by Robin Sampson, Sally Clarkson, Diana Waring, Marilyn Howshall and others. I have noticed that more women than men seem to write, which isn’t unusual seeing that it is primarily mothers who are the primary educators in the day to day lessons within the home, so it is refreshing to read a book written by a man.

I eagerly read my new book by Kevin Swanson. Mr. Swanson was home-educated as a youngster so he speaks with experience and authority. This book addresses the basic but very important points that are (and should be) of utmost importance to the home educator.

If you haven’t read this book then you need to order your copy ASAP. Upgrade will assist you in devising a vision for your family, or strengthening an existing vision. Mr Swanson also covers what he considers (don’t forget he has been a homeschooled student and now a homeschool parent) to be the most fundamental and important points essential for education.

I did read and gain some nuggets from R.C. Sproul’s book, “When You Rise Up” but I believe this to be more beneficial for every homeschooling parent. Mr. Swanson is a Christian and this is extremely evident throughout the book, but I still think there is relevance to all parents who love their children. To get an idea of his writing style and some things included in Upgrade, you can read this article: God’s Theory of Education.
I could go through and list the ten most important basics that Mr. Swanson has listed but I think you’ll be MUCH more blessed to read the ENTIRE book for yourself. As with anything worth having, it isn’t as simple as reading,
1.
2.
3. etc

but you’ll be glad you did. The book is not a difficult read and the practice of it is not hard. In fact it is quite simple…sometimes so simple that we often can’t see the forest through the trees.

If you are looking for a structured approach where you only need to write a rigid schedule for the child to adhere to then this book may not be for you. If you want a list of thorough curriculum suggestions then this book is not for you. If you are a parent, home-schooler, teacher or child-care worker, you will appreciate this book.

If you are beginning your home-school journey or have been living the lifestyle for many years, you need this book!

For those in Australia, you can order “Upgrade” through Homeschool Favourites.
It could be the best $25 you’ll spend this year on family/parenting/home-schooling books!

You can see more about Mr. Swanson at his website; and download a few audio broadcasts, and read a few articles.

The Stages of Learning

wisdom_understanding_knowledgeWe don’t use grade levels in our home. They are distracting and quite irrelevant. The labels of grade/year level can be of some use but I prefer to view things in stages of learning, rather than grades. Stages of learning is much more individual and personal, allowing for uniqueness to shine in the various subjects and topics of interest.

There are three definite seasons (or stages) in the learning process. They sometimes dovetail with each other and they do not follow a chronological timing. Once an awareness of these stages is understood then knowing how to move on with the learning process is made easier.

While there is a transition that occurs when a child enters from a ‘Collecting Knowledge‘ stage to the next stage, ‘Understanding‘. I actually believe that it is the next stage (Wisdom) that is very important and most enjoyable…and the one that we parents, need to recognise.

Collecting Knowledge

(Introduction to ideas)

In the Collecting Knowledge stage the child is young, curious and eager to learn as much about the world and the people around him as he can. He is taking it all in, observing as much as he can. This is like the first building blocks in his educational foundation. It is in this stage that memorization is important. The basics of English and Maths may often be learned by rote during this stage, but don’t expect them to completely understand it – it is the ‘collecting knowledge’ stage, not the understanding stage, regardless of how it may look to a first- time parent. (In our home, we prefer to memorise beautiful literary forms like God’s word, poetry and various worthy selections of literature, rather than dates, names and events that will one day perish.) This is a time, a season of preparation. The planting of many seeds that will one day bear fruit.  Children need exposure to the best things in life via the modes of reading, hearing , seeing – experiencing with all the senses. This stage often is around the K-3 range, although all children are different and may accelerate at different rates.

Understanding Information and Ideas

(Digging Deeper, Examining and Elaborating)

The next stage can start to become apparent around grades 4/5 and developing to around grade 8. After the child has some basic information and rote knowledge in his mind, he is able to piece together those fragments, to make connections of his own…this is when he starts to understand that knowledge…to participate in that prior knowledge. As he matures, this processing of knowledge also starts to manifest itself in the form of discernment. The basic subjects are still studied but it is the student who will view them differently this time around. He will not only know the basic phonographs but will be able to discern when they apply and why. The same concept applies for Maths and History, Science, Geography, etc. The material need not be much different than the earlier years, which is why unit studies and literature based methods are wonderful for many large families, but the student is able to receive and process the information at a different level. Here is where you are watering the many seeds that were planted in the previous stage. This is where exercises or activities such as comparing/contrasting, discussion, debate can be helpful, within reason and under the authority of a parent. Time is also a big factor during this stage. Children need lots of time to think, to process information, to ‘join the dots’. This stage or process can’t be rushed. Knowledge and Understanding are starting to work parallel—toward the next stage.

Wisdom

(Application or sharing of information)

This next stage usually occurs from grade 9 onward through to grade 12, although individual children are all different. (Are you getting the idea that this is all a very individual approach?) It cannot come before knowledge or understanding as the two stages go together to form the ‘Wisdom stage’. Building upon knowledge and understanding/discernment, the student is able to make choices, form opinions, express ideas and thoughts that are based on knowledge, understanding and wisdom. Of course, as Christians, we believe that true wisdom comes from God and so a relationship with God is important in this stage. The later years of this stage are where you begin to harvest the fruits…of course we continue to see this over the course of their lives. It is in this stage that we most desire to see some quality output of some type – creative output of some form, performing,, discussing, writing, etc. Here is where we apply all the information that we have collected, the relationships we have made, the ideas we have connected with, in a meaningful and helpful way.

Do you know someone who is knowledgable in a subject or an area? Do they parrot information or do they actually understand the topic? Are they able to apply their knowledge in a real way? Are they able to coherently share their knowledge in that area with others?

Many people have knowledge of the Bible yet know not God. Others may have knowledge of the Bible, may understand how the Church should operate, how to live a Christian life yet have not wisdom. Wisdom is what we desire most for our children to grow and develop into.

All children, youth and adults go through all these stages when trying to learn new material.  These are seasons- there is a season for everything.

Seasons

Natural times of growth

Think back to when you were first considering learning at home. There may have been a seed planted in your mind or conscience. Then, through some discussion or reading those seeds were watered. For some, this process can take longer than others but that’s fine- it’s the way it should be. Then you start working through homeschooling, tweaking schedules, buying curriculum, trying every new idea that comes along before you come to the Wisdom level where you are more confident in your knowledge and are able to express your ideas, opinions and knowledge of homeschooling in a concise and clear manner. (Harvest) You know WHY you are doing WHAT you do. I have been on my own journey of education, through all of these processes or stages, over the last 10 years. There are some aspects of home education that I may finally be entering into the Wisdom stage and other aspects where I am still in the knowledge stage. It doesn’t matter- I’m on a journey of self-education and it’s fun! But, the point is, it is education…I have tailored my education to suit me, based upon the natural stages of development and learning. Oh, that we should do the same for our children.

Just as a child’s knowledge level of one subject may be greater than another subject, so may his transition into the next stage- Understanding and then Wisdom. I believe that an Identity-Directed Approach accommodates and allows for this even more so than a structured, grade leveled approach. It is, I believe, important not to try and rush each stage lest you end up with prematurely grown plants whose root system in not deep or fully established.

There are particular methods for learning about a subject which fir perfectly with the stages of learning. It is called the 4 step learning process and is beneficial for all students, regardless of age or aptitude. If you follow this link, you’ll see how it all ties in together.

Grade 7 schedule for one of my children

Homeschooling at SimplySusan

 

Here was my daughter’s schedule for 2005 (approx age of grade 7)
** She was a reader!

BIBLE/DEVOTIONAL
Prayer is an Adventure by Patricia St. John.
Young Person?s Guide to Knowing God

MATHS
Saxon 65
Champions of Mathematics
Mathematician’s are People, Too

ENGLISH
Continue with Copywork from your Bible, Arthur Mee?s or other sources
Wordly Wise 6
Written narrations, letters, reports. Journals entries.
Selected units from Write with the Best.
Memorisation and Recitation
Poetry (according to our schedule)
Henrietta Marshall’s English Literature

SCIENCE
History of Medicine
The Astronomy Book
It just Couldn’t Happen
The Ocean Book
The Weather Book

CHURCH HISTORY
Mr. Pipes & the Hymns of the Reformation.
Selected chapters from Trial & Triumph and the One Year Book of Christian History and 100 Most Important Events in Christian History.

BIOGRAPHIES
Jane Austen
Florence Nightingale
Thomas Edison
Michael Faraday
For Those Who Dare (Tiner)
*Cross curricula with History
William Carey
John Paton
Hudson Taylor
Amy Carmichael
Charles Spurgeon
George Whitefield
Jonathon Edwards
John Calin
William Tyndale

Most of Sonlight 5

Australian SOSE
Australian Society & Environment Book 6.
Biography summary sheet of 1 per week.
Listen to Folk Songs.
Australian literature: My Story series (as interested)
Project on Matthew Flinders.
See associated literature

We did a unit on Money and Economics using library books

GEOGRAPHY
Exploring Planet Earth
Exploring the World Around Us
Legends & Leagues
Elements of Danger by Eve Pownall

TYPING & TECHNOLOGY
Mavis Beacon and Compositions
Construct basic website.

PERSONAL Development
Beautiful Girlhood
Fallacy Detective

SHAKESPEARE
Using Edith Nesbit, Charles Lamb, and Leon Garfield. Read play in Arthur Mee?s Shakespeare. Watch play or video.

FINE ARTS
Art and Music Appreciation

LIFE SKILLS
Cooking- continue skills
Learn CPR and first aid (This will also be documented for Health.) (St. John?s course)
Learn to balance fortnightly pays.
Learn to read a map
Start basic road rules
Learn to garden and/or yard care
Put air in tyres.
Show improvement in general housecleaning and jobs.
Instruct boys in use of Art Pacs.

HEALTH / NUTRITION
Abeka-Safety, Health & Manners,
Cooking.
E-Food (workbook-selected chapters)
Schedule regular exercise of some sort EVERY day.

LITERATURE
It Couldn’t Just Happen
The Case for Christ (Youth Edition)
Coils, Magnets & Rings-Michael Faraday
Rose & the Ring
Rose Round
Promise of Zion Series
The Prince and the Pauper
Across Five Aprils
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Cricket on the Hearth
The Whipping Boy
The Cay
Trim
Little Black Princess
Born Free
Call of the Wild
Wrinkle in Time
Bridge to Terabitha
The Giver
Hitty-her first hundred years.
Catherine, Called Birdy
Witch of Blackbird Pond.
When We Were Kids-Aust.
A Lantern In Her Hand.
Any by George MacDonald
Any by G. K. Chesterton
Any titles available in the My Story series.

Now I must say that my dd was a voracious reader and so she read even more books than this. It isn’t about the amount of books one can read through though…it’s about quality. Narration is critical, in my opinion.

I was asked about why we chose a textbook to do Australian studies when we obviously use many living books and have a delight-directed approach. Here was my response:

We chose to use this text as it suits my daughter’s learning style and it allows her to achieve the work which breeds a sense or feeling of accomplishment in her, which breeds success.

I think that success breeds success…so I want my children to succeed. To give them that taste of success I have to set situations in play that allow them to taste success. I can only set these things up by observing them; their interests and their gifts.

So even though my daughter read a lot of books *she* didn’t feel like she was accomplishing much…so rather than throw the ‘workbook baby’ out with the bathwater, I thought it best to create a situation whereby my child can taste and achieve success.

How did we work through it? I don’t know. I simply gave it to her and told her to work her way through it…and she did! She likes seeing pages completed and finishing a book- she feels like she has achieved so I didn’t have to motivate her. Rather, I found out how she is naturally motivated and set things in place so that she could achieve.

She worked on it about 3-4 times a week and she naturally continued to read good living books.

I also plan to use the same series with my boys but will be using it slightly differently. They are not motivated by the same things as my daughter was so I plan to do his WITH them, teaching them how to use workbooks and how to research and write as we go through the book. We’ll possibly do 2-3 lessons per week…also incorporating good living books into our day.

In finding a balance I’ve found it helpful to look at who and why is doing the choosing of the textbook (age appropriate of course) If the textbook is wanting…pleading to be used by YOU, then it’s important to recognise this…if they’re screaming to be used BY THE CHILD then it’s equally important to acknowledge it. This does not mean that it becomes child directed. Rather that by recognising WHO is the driving force behind the use of them, we can more aptly figure out a plan for HOW to use them.

People Will Learn What They Need To Know

People will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

People will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it.

I heard this statement earlier last week, and I’ve been pondering it ever since. It’s one of those statements that can encapsulate an educational philosophy…not totally define it but summarise, supplement and complement one’s own philosophy of education.

2006 Yearly Review

Well, it’s getting on toward the end of the year…which means a new year is acomin’. I’ve had such an interesting journey so far this year, and I’ve chronicled it a little on my blog but in scattered bits and pieces.

It all started when I pursued my own study on ‘the Sabbath‘ (Nov 2005)

I decided to try focusing on the 3 R’s for 2006- the new 3 R’s – Rest, Relationship and Refreshment.

Jan 2006 saw me not too excited about lessons this year so deciding to have a “Sabbath Season”

We moved interstate in May so we had to ride the waves of moving. Throughout this I was becoming more interested in getting fitter…and I realised something about our home and family, from reading Body for Life. The book talks about hitting high points and efficient workouts, etc. Gee, this sounds a bit like my homeschool- instead of wanting to do lessons and booky stuff all day every day, I want to do our lessons efficiently, hit some high points AND have a life!!!

In July, I was having such a good time that I decided to take stock of the year so far:
and in August I started to formulate our recipe for success… or not!

Throughout this time of Sabbath I have learned a lot…about myself, the nature of Man, the nature of God, how we learn, etc I also learned, in a whole new way, that ‘people will learn what they need to know, when they need to know it’.

So where to for next year? I’m getting a little excited about planning for next year…but with the lessons I’ve learnt firmly in my mind.

Our focus will still be on the 3 R’s.
Rest, Relationship and Refreshment.

There are so many books that we haven’t read……books that I know we won’t even get to read…lessons that I haven’t done, but that’s okay! The important ones have been read, the important lessons have been discussed, relationships have been nurtured and the curiosity that is essential for learning has been kindled. Whenever I start to look at how much a child hasn’t done, I stop and look at how much they care, not how much they know…and I’m left feeling content.

My family dynamics have changed a fair bit over the last 12 months and I’m looking forward to a new season of working with my boys. The girls and I have always loved learning about history- it has been our favourite subject but the boys are more interested in geography and science. Science is something I’ve tried to almost avoid! but I’ve even been writing a unit study based on a Willard Price book in preparation for next year. My goal is to bring John to a level where he will be able to work more independently so that I can spend a little more time with ‘Master C’ . I want to streamline the basics so that we an all spend more time in God’s word and learning according to their delights and interests.

We’ll still have interruptions as we’re probably moving again in May and with two girls working part time and youth group, and ‘A’s softball this means the waves are starting get a little bigger, but that’s fine because that’s life! It’s how we know we’re alive!

So I’m excited about switching focus to a new subject (science) and
teaching my boys, which is totally different to teaching my girls. I’m excited about teaching and showing them God’s word…ahhh, much to be thankful for.

Our HighSchool Experience

I?m going to write some of our experiences with our teen daughters. One of them is 15yo and she has always learnt at home. The younger daughter is 13yo and has always learnt at home except this year she spent 15 weeks at a small private Christian school until we moved interstate. She was home again until earlier this week when she started at a local state (public) school. Of course, as parents we still have the greatest responsibility and privilege of training and educating her despite the fact that she attends a school during the day.

When 13yodd first attended school she had to do some diagnostic testing. At first she was a little concerned about how she would fare with maths. Maths is a subject that although we do work on (in our own slow and steady way) she has not enjoyed, nor completely grasped. I explained to the school that I expected that she would be ?ahead? in some subjects and ?behind? in others. I thoroughly dislike all this sort of labeling and terminology but when in Rome?

She was ?behind? grade level with maths but very ahead with English and quite up to par in science, which is quite funny as we aren?t a big science studying family. However, as this school used a system that was self-directed and individual, she came to understand maths and as a result, came to love it! Then we moved interstate but by this time, maths was a great interest to 13yodd. We knew that attending school was a possibility and we told 13yodd that if she were to go to school, then she would have to get herself to grade level in maths. This was important to us as we felt that she would only get ?further behind? and then lose the love of maths as well as confidence. Well, completely on her own she has studied maths. I?m so proud of her. This isn?t something that I?ve pushed in any way. I don?t tend to push, cajole or insist upon lesson work from my teens as their education is their responsibility and I?m more than happy to facilitate in any way I can, but the ultimate responsibility for learning is theirs.

13yodd had her fourth day at school today. Her class had a maths test which she did not have to sit for, as she hasn?t been able to study any of the material, but she chose to anyway. She was actually quite shocked to find that there was only 8 questions and they were all multiple choice!!!!!! She thinks she did well. She also has a science test tomorrow which she will voluntarily sit for even though she hasn?t done any work on this material yet. I think she is pleasantly surprised at how much she actually does know ? even though we?ve always been fairly relaxed, natural-learning, literature based learners at home! She has often said (previously) that she doesn?t feel like we *do* much at home?in other words, we don?t have much to show for it?this is something I?d like to work on more but it always seems forced or artificial in our home whereas discussion and writing seems more natural.

13yodd is able to see how much time is wasted at school?and the futility of some much that goes on there but on the other hand she also enjoys some subjects that she wouldn?t otherwise have access to. Earlier this year, she made a coffee table and presently she is doing metalwork. This just doesn?t happen at our place- especially since we?ve been moving around and not living in our own home.

The Yr 8 class made muffins today in Home Economics class. It sounded like a real hoot to us. See 13yodd can make muffins with her eyes closed- been doing it for years! So she felt like the class was dumbed down as they all had to go step-by-step together. She didn?t have a tin of sweetened condensed milk so she asked the teacher if she could use normal milk instead, knowing that this would alter the measurements needed. The teacher sighed, seemed to get a bit cross but had to allow it. So 13yodd adds more milk as she was also using wholemeal spelt flour (it?s all we had here at home) and she knew she would need even more liquid. The teacher got upset at this too. Ah well, it?s a learning experience for 13yodd, that?s for sure.

I find some reassurance in it all (Hey, I have to get something out of it), in that we are learning HEAPS here at home, in our delight-directed, natural learning, literature based, unschooling life. Ultimately, it isn?t about academics?it?s about their hearts, their character, how much they care about the world and those around them.

Timeline helps

History Timeline Helps

Heart of Wisdom Timeline information

How to make a timeline easily

Printable version of a timeline

Printable version from Cindy Rushton

Other helps:

http://history.donnayoung.org/timeline.htm

http://www.fortunecity.com/millennium/plumpton/1141/timelines.html

http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/timeline.htm

http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/TimelineHelps/

http://www.chasesc.com/timeline.html

Free clipart – heads from history
and

http://utopia.utexas.edu/project/portraits/

Timelines on the web

How to Schedule with Heart of Wisdom

Following my review of the Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach, a reader, Jamie asked me the following question, and so I will write my response here as she doesn’t seem to be a HSB member and might not find her way back to read my comment.

Question:
I’m so glad I found your blog! I have never used HOW before, but have looked longingly at it for the last year. I have three teens (8th/9th grade equivalent, and one in 10th and 11th this fall) and am wondering if HOW would be something I could implement with some measure of success for the remainder of my eldests homeschooling? Since it is a four year program (and cycling at that) what could you suggest for me?

Hi Jamie,
Thanks for your comment on my blog! I too, looked longingly at HoW for years before taking the plunge and buying the book and a unit study. Yet, I don’t know why I took so long. I always knew that one day I would use HoW, but the timing just didn’t seem right. I think it is because God knows all and He knew that I still had things that I had to get out of my system and let go of before wholeheartedly accepting something new (new to me- or different to my worldly goals).

What many people don’t realise is that HOWTA is not just a curriculum, it is an entire method- a way of doing things that lines up with a Biblical worldview. It isn’t just a curriculum with some Bible study tacked on for good measure…it is basically Bible study!

I think that at the ages of your children, you may not want to completely change everything and offer them a whole new scope and sequence of study. Section Three of HOWTA tells us how we can change methods and use different ones that encompass a Biblical worldview.If I were to undertake this with my older students, this is what I would do. It isn’t so much about book A or book c as much as the WHY we study certain subjects and how we learn about them.

I would suggest that pick up in the history rotation right where you are now! What era are you about to start on this new year? (It is a new school year for you shortly, isn’t it? I’m Australian and our school year runs differently) Incorporate a Bible-First educational philosophy into your home and work…even consider having your older students read through selected chapters of HOWTA for themselves!

I think that a HOWTA is suitable for anyone and everyone…but I’m biased because HOWTA espouses a Bible-First education and that is my passion. Not only did it put forth a Bible-First education but it gave me some tools to achieve that and put it nto practice.

So, in a nutshell I would suggest that you purchase the Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach book and then commit your home and coming year to God, seeking Him for direction, for each child. If God directs you to use a HOW unit study then you can purchase one but if He directs you to devise your own curriculum, with a Bible-First education then you can do that. Either way, I don’t think your money would be wasted in the HOW Teaching Approach.

The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach

Click here to learn more or purchase

Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach

written by Robin Sampson

The Heart of Wisdom Publishing Company is a family owned and operated business that publishes a variety of homeschool resources useful for Christian families in the training of their children. This approach uses the Bible as the centre of all education. Those who are interested in a Bible based, Delight-Directed, Note-Booking, or Charlotte Mason approaches may like these products as the author has taken the best from each approach and blended them to make the Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach.

I have used some of the Heart of Wisdom units for a few years now but I have been most influenced by Robin’s book, ‘The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach‘. I have learnt that the Bible outlines how we should teach our children and that study is a form of worship. The goal of this approach is to train children to read, to study, to understand, to love to learn and, most importantly, to desire and seek true wisdom. A benefit to this approach is multi-level teaching and can be used by a mother with children of all ages. I loved ‘Educating the WholeHearted Child’ by Clay and Sally Clarkson and it provided a vision but, for me, it left out many practical how-to’s. The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach fully provides this yet with the expectation that each parent is to do what is right for their family.

Click here to learn more or purchase

Section One

The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach is divided into several sections. Section 1 tells of the Sampson family journey from school to homeschool- various approaches and methods. The author doesn’t tell the reader how they should approach education based upon her experience, rather she sends the reader to the Scriptures to find the answers.

Section Two

Section 2 is important as it looks at the foundation of Christian education, by exploring the roots of educational methods from the past until modern times. The book also looks at the difference between Christian, Hebraic, Greek and secular worldviews and how this impacts the methods used in modern education. Great reading for new homeschoolers or veterans.

Section Three

Now knowing about why there is a need for change in the way we view education, Section 3 tells us how we can change and use different methods that encompass a Biblical worldview. Learning styles and the Four-Step approach to a lesson plan as well as talking about Charlotte Mason, Unit Studies, Delight-Directed studies and Critical Thinking and Logic are included.

Section Four

Section 4 is a large chapter, full of meaty ideas that will challenge each reader’s thinking and method. A four-year plan that can be rotated to provide a full 12 years worth of study, based upon God’s Word and World is suggested. Scrapbooking or Notebooking is encouraged – assisting children in their learning as they plan, develop, classify, categorise, construct, and organise their work. History is taught chronologically while science is taught in the order of Creation. English skills are integrated into all studies. Scheduling, planning and much more is addressed in this chapter.

Section Five

Once the educational philosophy has been addressed, a change in resources may be required. Robin doesn’t leave us floundering. In Section 5, she writes about using the HOW unit studies or devising your own and where to get the various resources from for years K-12. Science, History, Literature and Life Skill resources can be purchased from the Heart of Wisdom online Store or from your local Christian bookshop.

Click here to learn more or purchase

Not only was I encouraged by this book but informed, refreshed and motivated to run the race. This book, this approach, is like a breath of fresh air. The book is available through a variety of means: electronic download, or bound editions. Regardless of the format, the content is excellent and I wholeheartedly recommend it for any parent, homeschool or otherwise.

Disclosure: I am compensated for purchases made via the referral links in this post.

Working out…in our homeschool.

We’re learning more about the Human Body through my latest interest than we ever could through a book!

I’m starting this venture (40 Days of Focus) with my 15yodc…this child is a great help to me. However, the other children were feeling a little out of ‘it’. So, they arose early yesterday morning and came out on the back verandah to join 15yo and myself. Yes, it did get a little crowded but it was all good fun to watch them do some stretching and do some walking on the treadmill.

13yodc is trying to tone their abdominals so set about doing some abdominal crunches and then after our workout we had a great discussion on the differences between a cardio workout and toning/strengthening muscles.We talked about the differences of them and how important it is for the function of the heart…how important it is especially as they get older.

For a few of the children this was simply putting some *mental hooks* in place whereas 13yodc already had a few mental hooks, but was able to place this information on those hooks, and then connect a few more dots. They learnt much more than had we simply had read a book. How? Because it was real- they DID it and not just read about it. Also, they can see it. They see the truths of it when they look at their mother who is often in pain and lacks fitness and strength.? Sure, they’ve read about it all before in books – for some children it was the book reading that put up those mental hooks. But, it is in the practical experience of it that makes it come alive – makes it REAL.

So, what did we do for lessons yesterday? Well, we did do some other things but the most impactful lesson was on the functions of the heart…and that happened at 7.30am.

p.s. my 40 days of focus has nothing whatsoever to do with the latest fad book by Rick Warren.

Using Bible Stories Year After Year

This time of year is always fairly spiritual for me as I meditate and ponder fully the work of the cross, the work of God to redeem His people.



Yesterday I was reminded by my 15yo daughter that this is also an opportunity to learn more about the Lord…and opportunity for our children to develop more of those *mental hooks or pegs* in place or to make some connections. As we were reading the story of the Passover and the Exodus, my daughter and I were having some great discussions…and I tried to ‘enlighten’ the boys (rather unsuccessfully might I add) when ‘Miss A’ said,

“Mum, why don’t you just stick with the story like you did for me at that age?” Well DUH!!!!!!!! (See, I’ve told you more than once that I can be a tad thick-skulled).


When I immediately agreed with her, she went on to remind me that reading and discussing the stories was what I had done with her, and that hearing them year after year enabled her to build upon the mental hooks more and more until she is now at the point of understanding a great deal. Uh? It takes a 15 year old to remind me of things.


The local Christian school here has done very little in commemorating or teaching about Passover or Easter. I find this sad. I think they had ample opportunity, especially this year. In Victoria, the schools only schooled for 6 weeks and then they had two weeks holiday for the Commonwealth Games…then they returned for 2 weeks of school before breaking again for end of term one holidays. Those 2 weeks back at school could have been a great time for teaching in their Christian Studies period. However, they chose to have the students watch a video…the animated Moses, Prince of Egypt.



Now don’t get me wrong…I’m all for using modern technology (we use tv and dvd’s fairly liberally) and then documenting that as a learning activity or opportunity. However, I was saddened at the lack of teaching on the Centrality of Our Faith. There’s also a time and a place for watching animations…I guess I just expected a little more from a combined Yr 8/9 class at a private Christian school.



On the bright side, if it is acceptable to chart Moses, Prince of Egypt as the Christian Studies subject for the week…then it is certainly acceptable for me, as a homeschooler, to document similar activities as one learning opportunity in a subject – not that I care to compare to a school system, but it can be an interesting exercise.

The blog about not blogging about the Big Picture Conference!

What a whirlwind weekend!

‘Miss A’ , ‘Miss R’ and I excitedly set off early on Thursday morning to drive to Sydney for the Big Picture Conference. On the way, we listened to a downloaded audio of homeschool speaker, Cindy Rushton and then we listened (rather, I grimaced through) some of ‘Miss A’ ‘s music. If I were having trouble staying awake, which I was not, this music would have seen me keep wide awake and on the lookout!

We stopped at Yass for a cuppa and we met up with some homeschooling friends of ours and had a brief catch-up time. We waved ‘Miss R’ off as she has gone to stay with them for a week. We continued on our way making good time.

We got to Sydney and made our way to the north-west of the city where we were to meet Bec and Lisa at the Richmond train station. Feeling pretty pleased with myself for arriving early, I sent an SMS to Lisa telling her that we were waiting. Well, we waited and watched the train pull up, and then go again…with no Lisa or Bec departing. Uh oh, please don’t say we were in the wrong place!!!! I called Lisa and asked her where she was. Oh! they were at Richmond?where was I? Hmm, good question eh? Turns out I was only a few blocks away at East Richmond station.

Rebecca and I first met years ago when we lived in the same town but Lisa and I had never met in real life. We’ve ‘e-known’ each other for a few years though and get on pretty good online. A few people had told us both that they thought we would get on famously in real life but then again, who knows? What if we were so alike that we clashed??? Well, as it turns out, we did get on wonderfully, although I’m still amazed at how I struggled to get a word in edgeways!

We drove to the Merroo Centre and had a few cups of tea when we found out that we weren’t going to be able to eat tea there! Eek, after a day of travel and talk, we were hungry ladies who needed sustenance! So we headed out for pizza. We came home and made ourselves comfy in our bunkroom and then went down to the main centre where some of the vendors were setting up their book displays. Oh goody! A sneak preview.

With all good intentions we hit the sack pretty early that night although we were kept awake by Bec’s snoring!

The next morning (Friday) saw us all up early as we went into the meal area for breakfast and then it was the beginning of many greetings and the speakers presentations. In between meals and presentations, we also had some workshops which were led by local homeschoolers and these were great! Again, another late night with lots of talking and giggling but this time, ‘Miss A’ kept us awake with her snoring! Kath and her daughter, Lizzie had joined us Saturday morning and Kath kept us in fits with some of her stories. Saturday was another fun-filled, excitement laden , informative, encouraging day with many good-bye’s at the evening’s close. Meeting Belinda and spending a little time with her and her husband was a highlight of my weekend too! Full of mixed emotions, we said our farewell’s and planned to catch up online once we got home.

With nearly everyone making their way back to their homes, there were only a few of us left at the centre- those leaving early the next morning. We had a beautiful time of fun and fellowship over a cup of tea but after all the excitement of the weekend it was hard to wind down and get to sleep, but we did?about 1.30am, I think. I don’t know if anyone snored that night. We also had a gate-crasher that night as Kath and Lizzie had left and all the Canberra ladies had left poor Michelle on her own so she decided to drop in on us. (Well, really we did invite her but… She fitted into our room like a hand in a glove and we loved having her with us.

I planned to leave early the next morning so that we could get home to John and the two boys but after a leisurely breakfast, the fellowship just didn?t seem to want to end?it was about 11am before I dragged myself away and ‘Miss A’ and I headed off home. I didn’t want to leave but at the same time, I really wanted to get home.

‘Miss A’ talked non-stop on the way home! She had really enjoyed the conference and a few sessions had been geared toward and about teens ad high school so she was chuffed. (Oh, chuffed is my word, not hers). We got home and hubby looked very pleased to see me- he?d been cleaning the yard and hadn?t eaten much since I left. :-/ Ah, it?s good to be home.

Well, that’s the timeline of our weekend but it’s left out all the very important parts like what I learnt, what or how will our home and life be changed or impacted by this? Truth is, I can’t verbalise much yet. But that’s okay, partly to be expected really. I feel like a computer who has downloaded a huge program and now it needs to be formatted and processed, ready for application. My mind needs to be formatted so that the ideas can be verbalised, and I mainly do that processing via talking…poor hubby.

I’ve also decided to not make any decision about implementing ideas or changed yet. I’ve done that before… rushed into making all sorts of changes only to find out the long, hard way that those changes, whilst good, were not designed for my family. So now, I’ve decided to pray about it all and trust that God will reveal to me any changes that need to be made or direct me to any ideas that could be implemented?

Ideas from others are like that eh? They can be the greatest ideas but doesn’t mean that they’ll be the best fit for us, for our family.

Structure or Routine

And everything, whatever ye may do in word or in deed, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by him.
Col 3:17

There are scheduled times that I clean the house, mop and vacuum the floors and other jobs that need doing on a regular basis. However, if these were to be the only times that I cleaned or tidied, my house would be near uninhabitable! I’ve learned that while it is good and necessary to have these cleaning times, if I don’t tidy or pick things up at other times the scheduled cleaning time is staring at me like Mt. Kosciusko!

We’ve developed a motto from a book that I read, of which I cannot remember the title or author. This motto is something that I repeat several times a week, in a sweet voice and slowly, the children are beginning to get the idea.

“Always try to leave a room in a better way than you found it.”

It might be that I rearrange the pillows in the lounge-room or put the TV guide back where it belongs. It might be cleaning the kitchen cupboard door fronts while I have the sponge in my hand, rather than wait until Monday- my cleaning day. Whatever it is that I do, it all makes tackling Mt. Kosciusko on the cleaning days that little bit more achievable and less daunting.

My homeschooling efforts used to be a little the same: I felt like the task was of mammoth proportion! To only fit all of ones academia into certain hours is daunting! But since I’ve come to see that academics and education is much like my housecleaning routine it is so much more achievable. Here a little, there a little… Sure, we have set scheduled times where we focus on an area (like we do with housework) but it was when I saw that it is more about cultivating a lifestyle that more learning could actually take place! Here a little, there a little…

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all things to God’s glory.
1Cor 10:31

Motivation

The other thing I have noticed about myself is motivation. I enjoy having visitors as it requires me to do a certain amount of cleaning. Years ago, I used to use visitors as a motivation for cleaning the house! I don’t need that anymore, thankfully. It’s good to not be motivated by fear. However, I wondered about my motivation for my children’s education: why did I want them to read this book and that book? Why was it important to me that they have done this, that and the other? Was it again, similar to my housework in that a fear of some kind was my motivation? As I was able to release these concerns and fears to God, I started to live in freedom. Which I then took, as one often does when on a learning curve, to the extreme. Over time and circumstance, God brought me to a place of healing and restoration in the area of “education”, I can now set about my day and goal with a clearer motivation…one that is not based on fear.

~ What if my child doesn’t know everything he/she needs to?
~ What about the other children his/her age? They can all spell,write, do trigonometry, etc.
~ What will my neighbour/friend/Ed.Dept. think about my child not learning a foreign language?
~ Accck, do they need a foreign language?

Sure, all these things are concerns and ones that may need to be considered but the point isn’t the concerns themselves rather the motivation behind them.

Lord, help me to truly understand my imperfection and to know that I have not attained nor will not attain here on earth the state of perfection that I so often seem to desire. If the apostle Paul had not attained perfection on earth, then I know that I won’t either. Help me Lord to press on, toward the goal, to actively pursue your grace through Christ- not in and of myself – but knowing that Jesus has taken hold of me. Help me to keep my eyes upon heaven and your kingdom… that everything I do be for your glory.

but one thing–forgetting the things behind, and stretching out to the things before, I pursue, looking towards the goal, for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 3:13-14

A Verbal Skill Breakthrough…

We’re having a breakthrough! Yes!!!!!

Both my boys are fairly quietly spoken and humble. They’re quietly confident in themselves with many things but they’ve been slow to learn to read. Patience and gentleness have been lessons the Lord has wanted to teach me.

I’ve been working with ‘Master C’ all week, listening to him read aloud to me. We buddy-read and then he narrates section by section and it’s working well. His narrations are picking up. But one thing that has bothered me for awhile now is his vocabulary and oratory skills. Oh, I know he has a vocabulary because when he thinks I’m not listening (and when he’s alone with his brother) he talks loudly and a lot, but as soon as I come near he goes very quiet and barely mumbles a word, much to my sadness.

Well, I’ve asked him to talk- I ask him questions and do all that I can to encourage it but to no avail, sadly.

Early on this week, I was teaching the boys how to read aloud and project their voice; not to mumble or to read into the book. I put my hand up in front of their face and encouraged them to try and make their voice hit my hand. They thought this was a great joke.

But…it has worked! And not just with reading aloud- it’s worked at the tea-table and in general conversation. Wow! I’m pretty chuffed, I can now hear them. Today, John was reading aloud from his Bible and he started to mumble again and ‘Master C’ (younger brother) loudly told him to ‘hit Mum’s hand with your voice – c’mon, it works”. Off he started reading aloud- clearly and concisely!

Again I’ve learnt, just a little consistency and a dash of encouragement, a tad of laughter or silliness, and a measure of patience has paid off…. Now, to keep it going.

Narration ~ Discussion ~ Debate

Narration and discussion have been a cornerstone of our family’s learning style and I just wanted to share something that happened the other day.

A (14 yodd) came to me yesterday as she wanted to ‘discuss and debate’ some lyrics of an album that she wants to purchase. A has learned that lyrics and a performer’s lifestyle are very important to me- I look at more than the genre of music.

As we sat and discussed the lyrics of some songs I asked her if we could read some hymns out loud, to which she happily agreed. The difference that she could see is that the hymns are straight out- one doesn’t have to ‘read between the lines’ in order to grasp what is being sung whereas her songs had a special meaning that could be ambiguous UNLESS you knew the story behind the songs. She then went on to research articles, interviews and quotes from the band, which proved to be very beneficial to both of us. (I can see that some songs are performance based, while others are more directly for worship – participatory, not performance)

Not only could this be documented as an academic lesson (worldview, research, debate, reasoning, etc) it was more a life lesson as well as relational building. It drew us closer together so that she continues to feel free to bring anything to me (her words). Throughout this she is learning how to apply God’s Word to her daily life! I’m seeing that she is allowing God’s Word to shape her worldview. Wahoo! is anything more exciting than that?

I’m convinced that the early years of narration, leading on to discussion has helped keep our lines of communication open and in turn, allowed her to verbalise her thoughts as she goes through a thinking process.

Just wanted to share this little happening with you all and encourage you to keep focusing on narration and discussion with your children.

Composition, the HomeGrownKids Way

chbiblestoriesWriting Strands, Write with the Best, Institute of Excellence in Writing…do we need a text or curricula in order to instill a love of writing in our children? Do we need to use it every week, every year? Surely there’s an easier way?

These are my thoughts (to date) that I’ve formulated over the last few years.

A lot of homeschool curricula available turns writing into a totally separate, and sometimes scary, subject, where one is asked to write on topics such as, “My Summer Holiday” or “A Pencil”. (And I’m not kidding!) When I was in grade school, at the beginning of each new school year, I was supposed to turn in a paper titled, “My Summer Holidays”. Well, I couldn’t even remember or talk about something so broad and vast, let alone write about it. Consequently, I was often told that I ‘couldn’t’ write. Many years later, I have found that this simply isn’t true! I know that now, but it has taken me years to realise that I love to write, when I have a topic that I’m interested in. I certainly do not want to burden my children with similar experiences. I write because I want to – I feel I have something to say (whether or not you agree with me, the point still stands eh?) A child has to want to write! A child must have something to write about! Most children love to talk, yet dry up when we put a pencil in their hand. My goal is to try and capture some enthusiasm for a topic and help them so that they can taste success and feel a sense of achievement at seeing their own real words in print.

I haven’t taught any formal writing skills in the home yet. I have embraced Charlotte Mason’s philosophy when she says that teachers shouldn’t burden students by drilling or repetitive exercises in writing or composition. Just because a child is in a certain grade or is a particular age has very little to do with ‘readiness’ or development. I don’t expect my children to just ‘be’ great writers…I do want to provide an atmosphere that will nourish their minds with ideas and vocabulary, provide generous exposure to great books and to be a good writing’ model, while offering encouragement to my own children. My goal is to have children who love to write and who are able to communicate their thoughts, feelings, convictions and beliefs so that readers will understand what they are saying. I would like my children to be able to communicate descriptively, persuasively and informatively. Volume One- Home Education by Charlotte Mason has examples of how not to teach composition. (p. 244-247)

I believe that oral narration is the beginning of composition! I don’t require any [creative or individual] writing until a child is somewhere between the ages of 10 and 12, depending on each child’s individual development. Nevertheless, the child is learning the basics of composition through the art of narrating. When they are ‘ready’ I start the transition from oral to written narration. By this time, they’ve heard copious amounts of quality vocabulary, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure by listening to good books being read aloud- either by a family member or books on tape. They have practiced these skills via copywork and dictation.

Narration is more intellectually powerful than any curricula and it is never too late to start! You can see the narration prompts (now called my Activity Sheets) and use them orally to encourage thinking and verbal skills. Even though we ‘can’ use a book to learn and practice many things, (narration, copywork, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc) we can still have a holistic approach. I try not to compartmentalise English or Language Arts and composition is a part of this. It needn’t be broken down into indigestible pieces that the child isn’t able to use in his own real world. The effectiveness of this model follows in the literary steps of the great writers.

Language begins with imitation – from infancy onwards… imitating talk and then from good books written by great writers. There is nothing wrong or un-original in studying and copying the ‘greats’. This is the modeling process. It is this process that will give a child a wonderful, rich foundation in which he is free to develop his own literary style. (Karen Andreola talks of this in The Charlotte Mason Companion on p 144). As the budding writer continues this form of imitation, copying from many of the ‘greats’ then his own writing will be influenced and he will begin to develop his own original flair.

I’ve found that the early stage (aged approximately 6-10 years) is a time to focus on oral narration. In the later years is when I spend some time in the transition period from oral to written) and then later again I try to teach some further basic and helpful skills, such as note-taking, outlining, summarising, etc. In the last few years, we’ll be focusing more on essay and report writing. Marilyn Howshall has separated the development stages by calling them the following:

  • Collecting stage
  • Processing stage
  • Communicating stage

chbiblestoriesIn the Collecting Stage, we focus on copywork and oral narration. The children will copy and write thank you and birthday cards, letters to friends and relatives and do selections of copywork from our copywork binder. They start with a basic journal in which they record their chores and lessons completed, daily habits and the weather. They may progress to writings some of their thoughts. I’ve found that a scrapbook or notebook can be a wonderful way to simulate interest in recording and writing but I try to let the individual do this and not force it upon them. We try to do a little something each day that we do lessons. I will have the children give an oral narration from their lesson books which will be either the Bible, history, geography, nature study, science or literature (fables, poems, short stories, etc.) When I am scribing for them, I will have them narrate paragraph by paragraph. This collecting stage is where the child is collecting images, thoughts, ideas, vocabulary and knowledge. Miss Mason writes a section on composition and the younger child here in Volume 6, p.190

chbiblestoriesThe Processing Stage is often an area where some homeschoolers start to look for curricula as they feel a need for ‘structure’. But is it really necessary? I once thought so and went through a spending spree on writing curricula. Now though, I actually find it easier to transition from oral to written narration rather than scheduling in another workbook. I think this is the most exciting stage of all! Here’s how we’ve tried working within the transition stage. (transitioning from oral to written narration)

I explain to the child the what, how and why of what we’re trying to do- telling him that I’d like to see him try to put pen to paper. I might ask him to rewrite in his own words (narrate) a Bible passage, poem or fable. And of course, I try to offer lots of praise and encouragement!

On another day, we might try another way: I’ll have the child narrate to me as I scribe or type and then he will rewrite or copy it out from my copy. We may or may not edit this together. This is the child’s words- their own writing!

I’ll have the child narrate from such books as, Just So Stories, Parables of Jesus, or Aesop’s Fables as these are filled with metaphors (word pictures) which are wonderful for a child’s imagination and stimulating creativity, which in turn, is good for developing writing style.

Then, the child may try to put his thoughts or narration of the story on paper all by himself. It is during this, that I expect narrations to be short and disjointed but I try to be patient. This is comprehension and sequencing (processing, sorting) hard at work!

Also during the Processing Stage I’ve also found it very beneficial to have the children write as much as they can in a non-pressure, informal way – write down shopping lists, birthday cards, letters to friends and relatives. The reason that I have put the birthday cards and thank you’s here is that some of my children have put themselves under immense pressure with writing cards and such, thus ending in tears. In the earlier stage I have them write these things from copywork. I’ll write the appropriate greeting on paper and then copy it onto the card with my help. Also helpful has been a blog. Yes, each of my children have a blog. Receiving comments is a positive encouragement and the children just soak up that positive reinforcement. Again, this comes back to the principle of modeling. Our children will copy what they see as important to us. Do my children see me reading and writing?

After this is where I’ve had my child just write anything…just get the thoughts flowing onto the paper. I try to aim for writing like this three or four times a week. I’ve since learned that Julie from BraveWriter does this and has given it a name. She calls it Freewriting.

Also during this stage, I teach the child to use the various handbooks and guide that we have. This is part of handing their education over to them- it starts to become their education. Here, I also incorporate a few lessons from Write with the Best as well as I teach a basic unit on writing a project – (now called Observation Sheet) Often my children have enjoyed doing their project and having something nice to keep in their binder. I also start to teach basic outlining, project writing and mind-mapping which are a basis for good study skills.

It is also during this time, that I try to select a varied genre for copywork and books to read aloud. Who knows what may stimulate an interest? We may read a genre that we haven’t previously read yet but it will introduce the child to a different style and unusual vocabulary- all of which they can imitate and add to their writing foundation.

I will start dictation toward the latter part of this stage, as I sense the child is ready. We’ll try to do copywork twice a week and then I’ll dictate the same passage twice a week.

Written narration is a skill and it isn’t necessarily an easy one to master although it will come with practice. Sometimes this transition period can be hardest on the parent. Frustration could be an issue for both child and mother! I try to relax and remember that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. When we’re working through a transition period, I try to scale down requirements in some other areas, allowing them to focus and really apply themselves without getting overwhelmed. Often I’ll require less in a subject that they continually struggle with. This is also an important step for me. I don’t need to be stressing over everything but I do want to be patient and encouraging during this time. I try to remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step I don’t want to be overly involved and correct every little error as I feel that may have a negative effect on the student. Nevertheless, there are some basics that I ask the children to keep an eye on:

  • Use complete sentences (I also remind them of this before an oral narration)
  • Use of capitals, full-stops, comma’s, etc.
  • Use of descriptive words.

I write these points in the front of their writing book so they can refer to it often and they use this to edit their work before submitting it to me. I also ask the child to read aloud to themselves before submitting their work. Often one of my children will pick up many errors (punctuation, grammar, spelling, word usage, sentence structure) when reading it aloud. They can edit their work before handing it to me. I don’t use a red pen or completely edit their work…it wouldn’t be THEIRS then, it would be mine! (Besides that, it can be pretty scary to throw your heart into something to have someone critique it…that can be difficult for authors and writers and we’re still trying to encourage our young ones at this stage). Sometimes, I will use a pen and often I will go through the most obvious ones (and the ones that they haven’t picked up when proof-reading) orally – teaching and explaining as I go. I have taught the girls to use a handbook for easy reference. (Learning Grammar through Writing by Sandra Bell)

chbiblestoriesThe Communicating Stage is actually where my eldest daughter is at present. What an interesting stage this is! She is fairly comfortable with putting he thoughts on paper. It’s now time for her to learn a few various forms of writing – argument, persuasive and reasoning forms of writing. I believe this can all be done across the curricula (or Key Learning Areas), although history is the subject that she favours writing about. We’re also reading about the History of Literature in our Arthur Mee Children’s Encyclopedia.

By this time, my girls have read and heard a great deal of vocabulary and so they seem to be fairly comfortable with using the medium of writing to convey their thoughts. Hopefully through minimal correction and involvement combined with the exposure to fine literature, writing with good language is not so daunting for my boys also.

At this stage copywork is optional but my eldest daughter has decided to continue with it, although not daily. as she can see how beneficial it is. Dictation is a tool that starts to take the place of copywork to a large degree.

While composition has largely come from the child’s literary readings, the narration/writing prompts are also a way to introduce a type of creative writing.

While a good amount of grammar is learned through this holistic approach, I also use Winston Grammar with my children. This program appeals to a range of learning styles and the reason that I like it is that I don’t have to teach grammar every day, week, month or year! It also doesn’t take a lot of preparation time.

Next on the list to learn is writing a business letter, expository and persuasive essays, speeches, and book reviews. I used to think that book and movie reviews were not difficult thereby being unnecessary to teach but, after reading various reviews at Amazon.com, I’m now convinced that it is a necessary skill. The method that I’ll use is still one of imitation and living books. Presently I require a minimum of one written page per day and 2 pages if it is typed on the computer. I’m also keeping an eye on each child and if I sense a keen interest or ability in language skills, we will be looking for a public speaking or debate group.

I’ve found that journaling has been useful also. At times I’ve had a child journal their thoughts from their Bible reading. This is reflective and shows that the child is growing in many areas. This type of journaling (along with some narration prompts) require the child to think deeply in order to express their thoughts and beliefs, which are being internalised throughout this whole process.

If at any stage I sense my child is not ready in any way I simply back off. I believe that encouragement, time, and exposure to good literature will help them to develop so that we can, one day, move ahead again. If one of my children should display a dislike of writing, possibly because of previous experiences and/or lack of confidence, they may benefit from revising Stage One but with different (higher level) reading matter such as, Parables of Nature, Pilgrim’s Progress, Guerber’s Histories, etc. I would then keep a note in my diary or planner of when we started the revision so that I could see the progress in three month’s time.

This is how composition currently is and has been approached in our home. Some days it feels like we’re stuck in Suesville and other days I’m amazed at the quality of writing my children produce. Throughout it all I keep telling myself that this is a process…a little here, a little there… through copywork, dictation, literature and narration.

Hope you find this helpful.

Not excited About a New Year – Lacking Motivation

I’ll confess. I’m not jumping up and down with excitement over lessons (school) this year. Nope! There was a time when we would visit Officeworks and stock up on all manner of new stationary and papers and binders and filing systems…but (this is the beginning of our 9th year) I can’t even gather some motivation to do that at the moment. There was a time when I would devise some great plans but not this year- we’re just plodding on from where we left off. I love making plans though and if I must say so myself, I’m kinda good at it too. However, it gets really tiring seeing those plans NOT become reality due to one reason or another (usually called ‘real life’) so I decided not to make any fresh plans or schedules. Years ago, I decided not to make New Year’s Resolutions for pretty much the same reason yet it took me awhile to realise that the same thing happens with my lesson plans.

So, we’re easing back into lessons next week but we’ll start slowly. Bible, English and Reading Aloud and Individual Reading (Yes, I still have to inists upon individual reading for some of my children) will happen first and then once we are rolling with that, we’ll add Maths, Science and History…and just keep going from there.

I have tried all of my usual tricks in order to find some motivation or inspiration and it just isn’t happening! Yes, I know that God has called me to this job and that in Him I can do it, but I’m still weary. I want to keep pressing on toward the goal but I’m still tired. I’ve read articles on burnout and while I usually glean something from them, I’m not this time round.

Last year I thought about the possibility of a Sabbath Year- one year every seven years spent in just *rest* before God. No striving, planning, feeling driven, etc…but to simply REST in Him. Yes, I know that this can be a daily process and it should be, but I also think I need a Sabbath Year.

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart.” – Psalm 27:14

I thought about this last year and decided against it BECAUSE I was scared! Scared that my daughter is getting older and couldn’t find the time to have off but I realised that “be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9

So, with our Sabbath Year this year I’m committing to NOT striving or planning, but to just *live* and rest in the author and the finisher of my faith.

High School – Learner Permit

Inkster_Definition_Teach

We have one child entering the High School Years and so we have our “L” plates on. ‘A’ is, at present, 14years old; nearly 15. As we have moved from state to state in the last 4 years, we have come to see that she could be in either 9, 10 or 11 this year (2006). However, this doesn’t really apply to us as we don’t follow a school system and grades. With all of our children, there are some subjects that they would be ‘ahead’ of grade level and other subjects that they would be ‘behind’ in. Nevertheless, the children are progressing, and that is what is important to us. That and more importantly, relationships.

If you’re anything like me, you might feel a sense of fear at the mere thought of homeschooling through high school. We haven’t followed a ‘school system’ or guidelines for a few years now and I didn’t want to start now…so what to do? How to do it? Argh…I was starting to feel a little panicked about the upcoming High School years. I didn’t feel that I was at all qualified to teach some subjects, so how would I manage? What about the all important Higher School Certificate or HSC? What about exposure to all those ‘other’ subjects and experiences? Well, I did what I usually do when I need to learn something new- I read as much as I can…I talk to others who have been there…and I talk to those who are within the system.

 

 

What was I so panicked about high school? What is it that seems to suddenly change once a student hits Yr 9-10? I don’t think there is a sudden change at any particular age or grade. Rather, I think that there have been many changes taking place over the years as the child is going from absorbing information and processing it, to then learning how to effectively communicate their own thoughts, ideas and opinions. Actually, I’m learning that my children have a much better idea of what education is all about than what I do! I guess this is because I have been indoctrinated from my own experiences at school whereas my children are home-based-learners. They don’t have someone telling them that they MUST learn this right now…in this certain way. Actually, the more I read and learn about all this, the more I’m convinced that I’m now getting to the easier part. Well, maybe not easier but I don’t think it will be the fear factor that I first imagined.

In the earlier years we have tried to put a *feast* before our children, so that they could sample a variety of subjects. Even though, the children don’t hate a subject, we can soon see an area that they delight in learning more about. This is now the time that we encourage a slightly more formal study of that area while using that subject to teach more formal aspects of English. eg: essay writing, etc.

We believe that discipleship is still more important than academics during the high school years. Other aspects that I try to bear in mind is their character- without the habit of attention it can be difficult to apply oneself to any type of formal study. Can I use some lesson time to develop character trait and positive habits? Well, I do use copywork as handwriting practice but it is also an exercise in producing one’s best work. Dictation can be useful for developing the habit of attention, as can be narration. Maths lessons can be a way to reinforce diligence. As the higher school years approach I was able to look at my child and assess their weak areas. Yep, we all have them! I was able to research and discover the most efficient? resources that would enable my child to catch up to a level where we could easily then continue to plod along. Sometimes, we’ve put other studies on the back-burner while we focused our attention on building that particular skill or subject.

In our home so far, high school years are a time for us to really get close to the child – to encourage, guide and nurture and instruct…to disciple them…to encourage them to love God, develop good habits (self discipline) and to love to learn. We are still quite relaxed at home, even during these years. I still believe that children need lots of time- free, unstructured time for them to think- to think on ideas, to think upon things that interest them rather than fill their minds with too much knowledge. So far, this approach has led our 14year old daughter to be quite a deep thinker and she is quite self disciplined.

To me, it doesn’t matter how many books or courses the child/student has read, especially if their heart isn’t in it. It is less about curriculum or resources and more about relationships and the heart. My child has to come first, not what the world may or may not think of her. Sometimes, I’ve felt like I’ve pushed her a little or I plan a course of study that isn’t a good fit for her…and so, I’ve had to look at myself and truly examine my own motivation for this behaviour. Is it to impress the secular world? The homeschool community? Family? Friends? Me? But, is it for the child?

But what about the gaps?

What about ‘Gapitis‘? Surely I can’t teach my child everything he will need to know? That’s right, I can’t and I won’t. Gee, I’m still learning everyday, in different ways. I love learning and had to realise that not only that I won’t be able to teach and cover everything but that I don’t want to. I want my child to learn and experience things for themselves once they get older. I’ve done that too, and it’s exciting! I see myself less as a teacher and more as a facilitator of learning.
Well, these are my humble thoughts as we enter the Upper Years of homeschooling.

The 3 R's – Rest, Relationship and Refreshment

Usually I pray and ponder and peruse all the curriculum catalogues so that I can plan an approximate guide for each of my children. Late last year I roughly planned out the years for each of the children until they are 16years old. It was a very loose plan with lots of room for delights,? interests and purposes. I then broke that down into the various years. I had planned to break that down even further and map out what things we would do this coming year but I’ve decided not to! I’m going to try something different. Instead of the 4 P’s (pray, ponder, peruse and plan) I’m going to focus on the 3 R’s. No, not Readin’ ‘Riting and ‘Rithmetic but…

Rest, Relationship and Refreshment.

I want to rest in God more and lead my children to do the same. I want to focus more upon relationships than ever before and I want to make sure that we have quality times of refreshment amidst our life of work. I don’t want to always be striving toward the next academic goal nor feeling good about achieving my goals. I just want to rest in God. The practical implication of this is that I won’t be planning, rather I will record what we have done each day. Each of the children will have their own recording journal, which we have designed ourselves and had spiral bound, (Learning Lifestyle Journal) and it will cover the following areas:

SPIRITUAL LIFE ~Bible reading, study, worship, prayer, fellowship, devotional readings, journal writing…

LIFE SKILLS~ Chores, serving others, life skills…

RELATIONSHIP/CHARACTER~ Relationship to others, God and self. Exercise, sport, nutrition, hygiene, personal development, health…

ENGLISH~The art of communication – copywork/dictation, grammar, poetry, writing/composition, spelling/vocabulary, literature…

MATHEMATICS~ Problem solving, thinking skills, logic studies…

SCIENCE~Nature study, typing/technology, study…

HISTORY~Past people and events. History and biography…

GEOGRAPHY~ people and places of the world. Government, Economics, Foreign Language…

WORLD VIEWS, CURRENT EVENTS ~

CREATIVE ARTS ~ Music, art, crafts, drama, Shakespeare, instruments, and other creative activities…

AUDIO, VIDEO, TV & DISCUSSIONS~ Things I’ve discussed or learned by listening or watching…

There is also room at the bottom of the page for student notes or comments and parent notes or comment. Maybe I’m becoming more this way the longer that we do this [learn at home].

I’m tired of seeing myself as a homeschooler! We are a FAMILY! And that is how God designed us to be. Academics are one part of life and so much of it can be done within a different time frame to what we (as school-ised parents) know of.

I don’t want to ‘measure my success’ by the amount of Table-Time that we have or the amount of books that we read or how structured or unstructured we may be.

BRING ON THE NEW YEAR!!!!!

Your Measuring Stick

What do I use as a yardstick to measure my family’s growth by? I think a lot of us can fall into this trap of listening to others. Sometimes this ‘others’ can be friends or it can just as easily be the local support group, or email group/message board or curricula. I think the key is that peer pressure of the h-s variety can happen whenever we take our *seeking* eyes away from God and look to others. Ultimately, it isn’t about what everyone else is doing or using or how they home-school as that is all external- it should be about us and the work of God in our hearts.

I think that this homeschool peer pressure is real and it does exist. I think a lot of us have been taken in by peer pressure at some stage or another. Sometimes it takes us to hit the (home-school) pit or rock-bottom (burnout for some???) to realize that we are all individual and need to put our eyes back to God. In this home-school journey where a lot of our results are not directly seen, we look for reassurance as this provides a certain measure of comfort. We do this because we no longer have delegated the responsibility of teaching academics to a school or teacher and that responsibility is ours now and we don’t want to muck it up. However, using the person next to you, or another family is not THE measuring stick we should be using. We need to go to God and allow Him to direct our path.

Lord, draw us to you. Bring our hearts back to you and show us when we are using something else as a yardstick.

Good Books To Read Before They Leave Home

There are so many books, aren’t there? There are so many good, worthy books to choose from. I will never read them all and neither will my children. I’ve thought long and hard for some time about the books that I especially desire my children to read and have come up with a very small list. Of course, we read many more books (especially historical fiction) but if this ALL that we could read, I’d be content.

Books that I want my children to read…one day…

Biographies ? lots of them. We try to read biographies of people who lived in the time period or the country or the subject that we are studying. Biographies of musician?s artists, scientists, missionaries, etc.

Seven Men Who Ruled the World from the Grave

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell

More than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell

The Jesus I Never Knew and The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey

Mere Christianity/ Screwtape Letters/ by C.S. Lewis

What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? By Yancey

Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler

Understanding the Times by David Noebel

Short Stories by Geoffrey Bingham

Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis

Mr. Pipes and the Hymns of the Reformation and other titles by Douglas Bond

Know Why You Believe by Paul Little

The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith

How to be Your Own Selfish Pig by Susan Schaeffer

Fiction:

Mary Jones and her Bible

Christy?s Old Organ by Mrs. O.F. Walton

Pilgrim?s Progress (two or three times) by Paul Bunyan

A Basket of Flowers by C. von Schmid

How the Bible Came to Us by Meryl Doney

Older/Youth Fiction

Atonement Child, Mark of the Lion Trilogy, Selected books by Francine Rivers

Israel, My Beloved by Elizabeth George

Hadassah: One Night with the King by Tommy Tenney

Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Best of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton

BIBLE STUDY GUIDES

Either Heart of Wisdom schedule with Calvary Chapel curriculum or

The Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History

And for catechism study, Training Hearts Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism by Starr Meade

I’d be interested in hearing in others thoughts on this topic.

Should You Register To Homeschool?

Do I have to register or follow a particular curriculum?

If only I had a penny for every time I’ve been asked this question.

In Australia, each state has different laws and different policies. I would encourage everyone to become familiar with their state’s laws and policies, so that they can make an informed decision, rather than a decision based on misinformation and fear. Personally, God is my highest authority and it is to Him that I am accountable. My children are individuals and the Course of Study that we have mapped out for each child is based on prayer, being open to the Holy Spirit and observing their lives, interests and talents. I would be quite worried if I had to pass someone else’s standard. I don’t think the issue is about whether or not my children would pass…it is that I don’t believe they should have to. Although I am probably a fairly free spirit and I often feel that as natural learners/Spirit-led learners we are relaxed in our home-based-learning, I am concerned about the educational standard of my children but not because I have to satisfy some external force… but because these children are my responsibility and I am accountable to God and to them! Deciding not to delegate the teaching of academics, rather to take on full responsibility for it was a HUGE decision… one that was not taken lightly. I am often on my knees before God… with respect to these young persons in my care… The last thing I need to do is to add to that by caring what someone outside of my family (who only has limited interest in my child) thinks or cares. My responsibility is to God, and not man.

Once I have delegated authority and responsibility to this other force/ system I am at their whim and mercy. This year it may be that they require me to tap dance… next year it may be jumping through hoops and the year after that it may be jump through hoops of fire! Who knows? The question is, in the long run who is responsible for the education of my children? The educational authorities or my husband and I? Why do I need to ask them for an opinion/permission?

What would I decide to do if the system was not happy with my endeavors at educating my children and ordered us to return them to a school where they must attend? What would our bottom line be? For us, it would go against our convictions to obey… so why would I ask them for permission in the first place if I don’t intend to respect and obey their decision?

If one decided NOT to abide by their decision and ended up in a court of law it could be argued that one delegated authority to the educational authorities by applying in the first place? one would be bound to obey. Unfortunately, the law doesn’t always suit each one’s thoughts or ideals, and just as ignorance is no excuse, neither is changing one?s mind when one decides that, (when it comes to interference in one’s chosen educational methods) enough is enough!

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After obtaining legal advice, which if in doubt everyone should do, we wrote a letter to the SA Ed. Dept. years ago stating that we would never again ask for exemption of attendance from school or register because ‘they’ were not responsible for the education of our children and that we are. Of all our States & territories, only Victoria recognises that parents are fully responsible for the education of their children. All other states assume that the Minister for Education is responsible for the education of children. So, by applying for permission or registration we felt that we were actually agreeing with this situation!

We want the freedom to be able to raise our children, to educate them and care for them in every way (discipline, health, moral, emotional, etc). I think that parents should have the right to be able to home educate in whichever way they feel is best: Traditional, Classical, Unit studies, Unschooling / Child-directed / Delight-directed, Eclectic… whatever.

Some questions that I have asked myself are:

* Do I know what the law says with respect to home educating?
* Do I understand that there is a difference between Law and ‘policy’?
* Do I understand what my obligations are to the Ed. Dept and to my children?

Most importantly I’ve found it helpful to know the education laws for the State we live in, and what they mean for me. I’ve only been homeschooling for eight years (at time of writing this) across Australia and in that time I don’t believe that things have been made better for home educators by changes in legislation or regulations, nor do I believe that the situations will improve. It may appear to become more ‘homeschool friendly’ but in the long run I believe that the rights and responsibilities of parents will be tied to financial assistance, which will slowly cause to make more parents put themselves under the authority of government bodies. . Decide who to be answerable to…who to give account to…I believe that each family needs to do what is right for them, before God.

Seek Him!

We Actually Completed A Resource

As a home-school family, we have actually finished a curriculum resource! We actually used it from beginning to end- I am so surprised yet happy as I have that rare feeling of seeing something through to completion.

We have finished our Heart of Wisdom unit~ Adam to Abraham. We all enjoyed it and all of the children learned a lot. We also finished ?Adam and His Kin? and the children enjoyed it a lot more than the last time I tried to read it aloud. I started it a few years ago but I think that the girls might have been a bit too young and not have had as many *mental hooks* in place. This time round, it tied in beautifully with the HOW unit and was thoroughly enjoyed by all- even the boys. We also finished ?Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? and thought it was a hoot!

So, what next? I am putting the children back on to a more individual schedule as there are some things around the home that I need to focus on.

As a family, we will follow the ?Greenleaf Guide to the Old Testament? and I?m about to start ?Farmer Boy? as the read aloud. We?ll also continue ?The Fallacy Detective? as a family.

The children?s schedules are as follows:

A – dd

Heart of Wisdom unit on? Mesopotamia? along with the historical fiction,? ?God King?.
Finish reading ?Pride and Prejudice?.
English ? Writing for History/Bible, etc along with Wordly Wise.
Maths ? continue with Saxon Maths
Finish Life/Energy unit in Apologia Science
Finish reading ?As You Like It? and then watch a movie version.

R – dd

To read through the youth version of ?Evidence that demands a verdict? by Josh McDowell.
Maths ? continue with Saxon Maths
English ? Wordly Wise, Copywork and Dictation, write a book synopsis on a literature selection.
Read a Shakespeare play thoroughly and then watch a movie version.
Continue on with ?Basic Science Mysteries?.

J – ds

Read from ?Day by Day Bible’? and then narrate to me.
Maths ? Continue with Singapore Maths
English ? Continue with LLATL, Copywork and Dictation, Wordly Wise.
Continue reading ?The Mexican Twins? by Lucy Fitch Perkins and ?The House of Pooh? by A.A. Milne.
Read another Leslie Rees book for Nature Study.
Continue to slowly read through Arthur Mee?s, ?Talks to Boys?.
Read a ?Horrible Science? book and narrate.

C – ds
I haven’t figured this far yet ~ hope to do it tomorrow.

Constant Chatter

Our home is noisy! Our home is loud! And is filled with constant talk! But, this is a good thing- discussion is a cord that helps to bind the family together. Nevertheless, constant talk can be a drain upon others and it isn’t necessarily beneficial for the talker either. We have discussed a few slogans that have been able to help us to control our tongue- I’ll share them here.

THINK

T – It is True?
H – Is it Helpful?
I – Is it Inspiring?
N – Is it Necessary?
K – Is it Kind?

“The good person brings forth good things from his store of good, and the evil person brings forth evil things from his store of evil. Moreover, I tell you this: on the Day of Judgment people will have to give account for every careless word they have spoken; for by your own words you will be acquitted, and by your own words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12: 35-37

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“If you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.”
~Acts 13:15

Speak when the words build up.

Speak if the words bring a smile.

Speak where reassurance is needed.

Speak what gives hearts courage.

Speak how He would.

Words that encourage. Words that give life. Words that bless. If you have those kinds of words on the tip of your tongue, then please speak.

Otherwise, maybe it is best not to.

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Delight-Directed Education- Resources For Each Child

Classical? CM? Unit Studies? Workbooks? Natural Learning?
Acckkk! What’s a person to think of all these labels? They are labels that help us to define *how* we learn at home. Hopefully though, no-one feels the need to conform to these methods rather feel free to what from them what they need.

Here are a few resources that we are currently using in our home-based studies.

BIBLE ‘Miss A’ is reading through a chronological Bible plus various other books like, ‘Case for Easter’, ‘Case for Christ‘ by Lee Strobel. ‘Miss R’ is going through ‘Genesis, Finding Our Roots‘ by Ruth Beechick plus various other books like, ‘Prayer is an Adventure‘ and ‘Young Person?s Guide to Knowing God‘ by Patricia St. John. John is just starting to learn to read his Bible for himself. Our devotions are not daily- we do not have rigid or regular devotion times.

MATHS ‘Miss A’ and ‘Miss R’ use Saxon and John and ‘Master C’ are using Singapore Maths.

ENGLISH ‘Miss A’ uses LLATL, and some units from ‘Write With the Best‘ along with Copywork, and Wordly Wise. ‘Miss R’ does a unit from WWtB here and there and Copywork and WW. John & ‘Master C’ are using Rod & Staff and John is doing Wordly Wise plus Copywork.

SCIENCE ‘Miss A’ is going through all of the John Tiner books and is currently working through ‘Exploring the World of Chemistry‘ along with the ‘Mystery of the Periodic Table‘. When she finishes this, she will go back to Apologia General. ‘Miss R’ does various living books and will soon be starting the ‘High School Science Mysteries‘ by John Tiner. John and ‘Master C’ read (or are read to) various books from *living* to a little twaddly but they love them. Some in the Horrible Science series and John Tiner’s biography books. Plus, ‘Wonderland of Nature‘ by Nuri Mass.

GEOGRAPHY John & ‘Master C’ are being helped by ‘Miss R’ using Leagues & Legends and the accompanying workbook. And I read ‘Exploring Planet Earth‘ (Tiner) to the three of them. ‘Miss A’ is nearly finished EPE so she does that by herself. After that, we will go on to ‘Exploring the World Around Us‘, yep, also by Tiner.

CHURCH HISTORY ‘Mr. Pipes & the Hymns of the Reformation‘. Selected chapters from ?Trial & Triumph? and the ?One Year Book of Christian History? and ?100 Most Important Events in Christian History?.

POETRY Each child reads poetry about twice a week from their poetry book that I made from from suggestions from AmblesideOnline. ‘Miss A’ & ‘Miss R’ do a poet or poem synopsis occasionally, just so I know how they’re going.

AUSTRALIAN STUDIES Each child has been working through an Australian Society and Environment workbook and doing assignments using this book as a spine.

SHAKESPEARE Both girls choose 2 plays per year and explore them- starting with easy stories such as Lamb, Nesbit or Mee, then the unabridged play (or even excerpts are fine with me) and then a movie.

LITERATURE ‘Miss A’ is reading through Arthur Mee’s writings to gain an overview of English Literature. Other than that I don’t have much of a formal list anymore as the girls are so very good at choosing their own good literature. Plus, they read a lot for their history studies as well.

HISTORY We are taking a break from history at the moment while we finish some Aust studies and then we will finish a *modified* version of SL 5- Eastern Hemisphere Studies.

ART Just hasn’t happened this year so far.

MUSIC Formally? Hasn’t happened yet. Informally? All the time!

We use movies, TV, the newspaper and discussion * a lot* in our home too. As to a schedule- argh, one isn’t happening here at the moment! We try to get up, have brekky, do chores and all head into the book room but even that simple routine has been all over the place this year. I have a ‘Course of Study’ that I have mapped out for each child but it doesn’t need to be done in one year, rather over the 4 – 10 years.While it isn’t happening for us at the moment as I’d like it to, we just keep plodding along knowing that life has its different seasons and that one day, we will bog in and hit the books again. I don’t worry or stress (Well, sometimes I do) but just keep plodding along when I can.

Make The Most Of A Book Fair

Book Fairs? Curriculum Fairs? Don’t you love them? I do!
But, I had to devise a strategy so that I could get the most from them. Here are the things that I try to do in order to survive a book fair.
Check with friends as to their *must-have* books. Devise plan of action so that we do not fight 😉

Have a pre-arranged amount of spending money and know that I will stick to it.

Take esky and/or thermos for drinks and sandwiches and also doubles as a stool.

Backpack containing : Sandwiches. Water bottles. Snacks for kids.Thermos of tea. Lego or other toys for kids.

Large bags for books. (Red & White stripey bags) Or bag on wheels. (Gee, a shopping trolley would be ideal eh?)

Wear layers of clothing- t-shirt, jumper, etc. I have to be comfortable. Wear comfy shoes.

Take my glasses!

Assign ‘Miss R’ and ‘Miss A’ to areas. Devise their booklists. (‘Miss A’ takes cooking and literature while Becky takes Rare, Children’s and Nature)

Find suitable area for younger kids to settle.

Go up and down the aisles so that I can read the spines of books.

After collecting and gathering, sit down with a cuppa and go through
them all. Weed them out and see if other homeschoolers want to go through
discard pile. Ask other homeschoolers if I can peruse their discard pile 🙂

Sort books by category- HB, PB, etc

Queue lines and pay. Accepts credit and eftpos but take cash!

Have pizza delivery slips on table for easy access or we starve that
night because Mum won’t be cooking!

Have table cleaned down to peruse my new books with a fresh cuppa.
😎