Mar. 13, 2009
Captain George Vancouver ~ A Voyage of Discovery
Mar. 13, 2009
TONIGHT ~ Universal Pre-K on 20/20 with John Stossel
Posted in Homeschooling
Just in case you are interested, the 20/20 news program on ABC is airing a show tonight discussing universal Pre-K with John Stossel.
Dianne Flynn Keith of the really great Carschooling website & book helped put together the panel of moms that John Stossel interviews. Looks interesting and you can watch a mini trailer for it also that aired earlier this morning on Good Morning America :)
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=7070646&page=1
Below are some of the points that Dianne has made as to why Universal Pre-K would be harmful to your children. Now while this is an American program there has also been recent talk of the same sort of Universal Pre-K type program being started right here in Canada and there were even articles in some of our local papers supporting it!!
She is asking that if you have time to please leave a comment after you view the trailer voicing your opposition to this plan and I don't think it would matter if you are an American or a Canadian, we should voice a strong opposition to this!
Universal Preschool will:
*Increase government debt
*Extend the already failing public school system
*Threaten the existence of private preschool programs (many of
which are owned and operated by women and minorities)
*Harm the intellectual, physical, psychological, and social
development of young children through forced academics that
includes standardized curriculum and testing of 4-year-olds!
(See http://www.allianceforchildhood.org)
Nevertheless teacher's unions and corporate interests are
teaming up with government to institutionalize young children
in this mega feat of social engineering that will grease their
pockets with tax-payer dollars.
UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL IS BIG BUSINESS. It is NOT about quality
early education and it is NOT in the best interests of MOST
little kids.
We have a rare opportunity for opponents of universal
preschool to be heard. Please, TAKE ACTION NOW! Watch the
program and post your comments TODAY.
Blessings,
Mar. 12, 2009
NO MORE Free Shipping to Canada From Sonlight
Posted in Homeschooling
That's right. I am very sad to say that Sonlight will no longer be offering Canadians the free shipping option that we have all appreciated so much in the past. 
You have until March 31st, 2009 to order all of your new books and materials from them and any order over $100 will be shipped free. So don't delay!!! Large orders for complete cores of $700 or more will cost you more than $100 dollars come April and I know that I for one can't afford that so I'm going to be digging out my catalogue and shopping up now.
I'm not sure what this will do to the future of my orders to them or for many other Canadians for that matter, but I'm not sure that I will be able to continue buying all of my books with the already high exchange rate on our dollar and now the astronomical shipping costs :( I love their books and IG's but I think I will have to try and find most of it used from now on and buy local to get more for my dollar.
Below you can find the info on the new shipping changes, how to calculate what they will be and contact info if you need anymore help figuring out what to do next.
Blessings,
Shipping fees for 2009 and following will be calculated at the time you place your order--in order to properly reflect current costs.
Considering how wildly energy prices fluctuated this past year (the fuel surcharge at this moment is down to only about 2.5% of an order's value!), John and Sarita said they would like us to take the reduced-cost base fees we have been able to negotiate with our shippers, subtract a subsidy equivalent to what we pay to cover domestic shipping in the lower 48 United States, and then add whatever the actual fuel surcharge is at the time the order is placed.
You can find the base fee (minus subsidy) in the chart below. Beginning April 1st and throughout the coming year, you will be able to find the then-current fuel surcharge online at http://www.sonlight.com/shippingcalc.
In case you didn't know: We have diligently negotiated extremely favorable shipping rates with FedEx to offer you quick, insured, and trackable shipping at a significantly discounted rate.
To repeat: beginning April 1st, as we enter the 2009 sales season, when you place a new order, Sonlight Curriculum will charge you a shipping fee based on the chart below plus the current fuel surcharge.
2009 Sonlight Subsidized Base Shipping Rates (SSBSR) to Canada
(to calculate final cost, add Fuel Surcharge to SSBSR) |
| Order Total ($) |
Subsidized Base Shipping Rate |
| 0-50.00 |
$13.00 |
| 50.01-60.00 |
25% of Order Total |
| 60.01-70.00 |
23% of Order Total |
| 70.01-80.00 |
22% of Order Total |
| 80.01-90.00 |
21% of Order Total |
| 90.01-99.99 |
20% of Order Total |
| 100.00-149.99 |
18% of Order Total |
| 150.00-199.99 |
17% of Order Total |
| 200.00-299.99 |
16% of Order Total |
| 300.00-699.99 |
15% of Order Total |
| 700.00 + |
14% of Order Total |
And why am I telling you about this?
If you place your order before April 1st, you can still enjoy last year's shipping fee structure.
Heirloom or Core Club Member from this past year or before? Your free shipping benefits are being grandfathered in. They will last until your Club Membership expires--i.e., for Core Club Members, until one year from the time you place(d) your order this past year.
If you place an order by Midnight (Mountain Daylight Time) March 31, 2009, we will honor our 2008 shipping rates and provide free shipping to you for any order you place over $100.
If you have any questions regarding our shipping rates and policies, feel free to contact my Customer Relations team at 1.303.730.6292 or at main@sonlight.com. We will do our very best to answer any questions you may have.
Mar. 7, 2009
The Science of Light & Color
Mar. 3, 2009
I'm Still Here!
Posted in Family
Life seems to have run away with my days! LOL.
I actually didn't mean to have that long of a bloggy break *grin*. Dh came home from work just after Baby M's birthday and has been here ever since and that usually means that my computer time is limited at best, but I'm back!
Things have been busy around home. Dh loves to woodwork so we have made a couple of trips into town for lumber and right now he is building M's first 'big boy' bed since he has mastered the art of escaping from his crib and it doesn't seem to matter anymore if he has side rails or not :) Dh is getting really creative with it as well and has monogrammed the headboard with M's initial. It is sooo cute and he is beyond excitement waiting for it. Every time daddy comes into the house he asks if his bed is ready.
I've been tackling some of the sping cleaning issues that need to be taken care of. Yesterday I braved L's room and spent nearly 3 hours going through every nook and cranny, collecting old toys, illfitting clothing, trash and laundry that seemed to have found some very interesting hiding places *grin*. It is so nice to see the floor again! We've put in an order for gyprock as well and hopefully in the next couple of months will have her room all drywalled. The poor girl still has faux bricks on one wall and wallboard that has been covered with wallpaper and is now peeling on the others, so she is definitely due for a room makeover!
Blessings,
Feb. 22, 2009
M's 3rd Birthday Party
Feb. 19, 2009
Canadian Bloggers ~ We Need You!!!
Posted in Homeschooling
Calling all Canadian homeschoolers.... I know you're out there! *grin*
The next edition of the Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival is due to be published Monday Feb. 23rd and it needs you. We would love to meet more fellow Canadian homeschoolers and see what has been happening in your school room :) Feel free to share anything, there are no weekly topics and it doesn't even have to be something that you just wrote. Dig out an oldy but a goody from your archives if you like but get it in by tomorrow night if you want to make the Monday list of links. To much pressure, no problem submit something next week and we'll catch up with you next time :)
Hope to see you there!
Feb. 15, 2009
Our Valentine's Day Party
Posted in Fun Stuff
Yesterday we had a fun little Valentine's Day party at my moms house trading our handmade valentines with each other and enjoying a super yummy dessert that I had brought along to share :)
Mmmm, good to the last bite *grin*.
Blessings,
Feb. 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day
Posted in Fun Stuff
Wishing you all a very special Valentine's Day!
Blessings,
Feb. 13, 2009
FSA Testing ~ To Test or Not To Test... That is the question
Posted in Homeschooling
There has been a lot of publicity lately regarding the annual Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) test that is administered to grade 4 and grade 7 students this month between February 2nd through February 27th. The BC Teachers Federation strongly opposes the testing because they feel it can be harmful to children, they threatened to not test, and even went as far as to offer a letter for parents to use to excuse their children from writing the test. Unfortunately they were ordered to comply, under protest, by the BC Labour Relations Board to continue to administer the FSA test for this year.
So what does this mean to us homeschoolers? Well a lot actually. Not only are all public and independent school students expected to write the tests, but all enrolled homeschoolers in a Distributed Learning (DL) program such as Ebus, SelfDesign or any of the others offered in our province are expected to do it to. All DL school boards sign an agreement with the BC government each year that requires them to try and get all of their students to write the test and since they are getting funding from the government for their enrolled homeschool students there is a lot of pressure to show that they are doing this and doing it very successfully or at least trying very hard to do it.
But... yes there's a but *grin*, DL students actually do not have to write the test if they choose not to. We are enrolled in a DL program which somehow I got roped into (silly, silly me) and last week I received a package with a test booklet and online sign in information for my oldest for this years FSA test. I was always under the impression that no matter if you were registered or enrolled you had the choice to be able to refuse participating, but when I posed the question to a Canadian homeschool list I belong to everyone told me I had to do it. So I contacted our DL contact teacher who informed me that I had no legal responsibility to participate. While they are obligated to push for it because the government wants that 100% compliance rate I can in fact refuse it if I want to. I just need to mail back the empty booklets that were mailed to me and let them know that we won't be participating and I am happy about that.
Now you may be thinking, what's the big deal with a little test?! It just measures how your child is doing in reading, writing and mathematics and doesn't hurt a fly! True enough and I'm not saying that it is damaging in any way. The problem that I have with it is that I put together my own curriculum, and a christian one at that which the BC Ministry of Education does not condone at all. I teach my children my own way on my own, and even though I am enrolled with a DL program and technically have a teacher supervisor that I only see when it's time to make sure we've had some form of productive learning happening and in no way 'teaches' my children in any form or shape.... I am expected to count towards their teaching statistics. I'm sorry that just doesn't sit well with me, but that's just my opinion.
I know that there are going to be some of you that read this and be completely against what I feel and that since we are enrolled in a DL program I should just suck it up and do it because as part of a government program we should have known we would be expected to do it, and you're right, I should have known but I guess I was naive. But naive I am no more *grin* and I wanted to share with other homeschoolers that may be in the same situation of being not sure of whether or not they actually have to participate in the FSA testing that they don't. As for us, we will be ending our relationship with DL programs so that there won't be anymore confusion as to what I can and can't do. I want to be free to test what and when I want without feeling pressured to do it :)
Blessings,
Feb. 12, 2009
Our Valentines Have Arrived!
Feb. 8, 2009
Raising Small Souls ~ Inspirational Short Video
Posted in Homeschooling
I want to share with you a link to a beautiful short video that illustrates the unfair way that children are sometimes categorized. While this video was actually created (I believe) in hopes that it would be used in public schools to bring awareness to the fact that not all children fit the 'cookie cutter' mold that they want them to follow, I thought that it was a very inspiring visual as to one of the many reasons I chose to homeschool my children. Take a moment to watch it. It's about 5 minutes long and well worth the message with beautiful wildlife imagery.... it really pulls on my heartstrings.
Follow this link and then click on the image that says 'Raising Small Souls' presents 'Animal School'. If you have trouble you can also go directly to the video by clicking HERE.
Blessings,
Feb. 7, 2009
A Very Special Bakery Tour
Feb. 3, 2009
Blog Carnivals & The Disappearance of Nature From Our Dictionaries
Posted in Homeschooling
Just wanted to let you know of a couple great blog carnivals that are new this week :)
First is the Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival , a tour across our nation visiting homeschooling families letting you have a peak inside their homes to see just what sort of fun things they've been up to *grin*. New participants are always welcome and feel free to share anything that you want. There is no weekly topic and if you don't have anything from this week to share, how about last week? We would love to come and visit you :)
The next carnival I want to share with you is the 162nd Carnival of Homeschooling that is over at Dewey's Treehouse. There are loads of fantastic articles to read and this week's theme centers around 'Homeschool Identity Crisis'. Gee... now that's a familiar topic *grin*.
And last but definitely not least is the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival which is being hosted by 'A Peaceful Day'. This is one of my favorite carnivals and I can't wait to spend a little time there later on tonight after everyone has gone to bed :)
Now for some 'food for thought'. Earlier this morning I ran across an entry at Eco Child's Play that really struck a nerve with me. She writes...
"To make way for modern tech terms such as BlackBerry, blog, voicemail and broadband, the latest edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary has opted to drop terms pertaining to nature. No longer can a child check this dictionary and learn more about the blackberry, dandelion, acorn, heron, otter, magpie, sycamore, or willow."......
What is wrong with this picture?! I can see adding in more technological words into the dictionary because we are surrounded by mass amounts of technology these days, but to do it at the expense of nature is completely NOT acceptable in my books! With the current push by the government to get our children outdoors and more active because of the growing amount of inactive children, plus the new requirements for DL homeschoolers to log 30 minutes of physical activity each day, 5 days a week in addition to regular PE requirements you'd think that we would be trying to bring more nature into our lives and the lives of our children to get them 'plugged into' the outdoors.... not erasing it from their memories. What do you think??
Make sure you head over to Eco Child's Play to read her entire article, Nature Words Dopped From Children's Dictionary! It's definitely something that we should take an interest in since we may be the only ones left to teach our children about the outdoors soon :(
Blessings,
Feb. 2, 2009
Valentine Packages Are In The Mail
Posted in Fun Stuff
Well we made it on time! LOL. I wasn't so sure this morning that our Valentine cards were going to make it to the post office on time. The glitter glue was so thick in some spots that it took a little longer than normal for it to dry and I thought that I was going to have to take the heat gun to it to speed it up *grin*.
Now that our Valentine project is completed it's time to jump right into birthday mode! K's birthday is this Friday and I'm still not quite sure what we are doing for his party :) Our homeschool group is meeting at a local bakery in town for a field trip that day and the kids are going to decorate a cake together... a birthday cake for K :) He has no idea that we are doing it and when it is all finished we are going to sing happy birthday to him and have him blow out the candles. He is going to be so surprised!
He also wants to have some of his friends come to the house though as well so I'm thinking that probably the day after will be a good time for a little party since we will be to busy on the actual day and will end up just having a small family party with cake and presents. Then instead of buying another cake I think I'll make some cupcakes and let all of the kids decorate them themselves and K can blow out a couple of candles on his *grin*, that's probably more fun than just getting cake anyways. Nothing like mucking around with icing and sprinkles, right?!
Blessings,
Feb. 1, 2009
Making Valentines
Posted in Fun Stuff
We're having an afternoon of glitter fest *grin*. We have a lovely stack of Valentine cards just getting their final dusting of glitter and then they are going to be packaged up and shipped off into the mail to a couple of very wonderful bloggy friends for a Valentine card swap that we are doing :)
It has quickly spiraled into a huge project though now that they kids are in the thick of making them. They want to make them for every single person that we've ever met.... I'm not kidding! LOL. I never imagined that we would actually run out of supplies :)
How about you? Any special Valentine projects in the makings?
Blessings,
Jan. 30, 2009
Above Rubies Email Devotional ~ What Kind Of Children?
Posted in Devotionals
WHAT KIND OF CHILDREN?
Malachi 2:15 RSV, "Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. So take heed to yourselves and let none be faithless to the wife of his youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord the God of Israel."
God reveals His heart about marriage in the above Scripture. He wants the wife and husband to be one. He wants them to be faithful to one another. He does not want them to be divorced. And He makes His reason for saying this very clear. The disruption of marriage tampers with the godly offspring. The thing that God looks for in marriage more than anything else is godly children. This is His heart's desire. He looks eagerly for the coming children. This is His plan for marriage.
It is the nature of God to want children in His image. And because we were made in the likeness and image of God, it is inherent in mankind to want to have children in our image. We long to see who they will be like. And yet we now live in a distorted age. Couples have been so brainwashed by humanist deception that they often refuse to have children, or at least limit how many they have. They live counter-culture to God's kingdom and to their own instinctive design. While they live to their own desires, God waits with patience to see children born in His image. Grandparents wait to continue the godly dynasty.
Each new precious baby is created in the image of God and He wants His image multiplied in the earth.
But even more challenging is that it is not just offspring that God looks for. No, it is godly offspring. The margin in my Bible says, "the seed of God." What kind of children are the seed of God? It is even more challenging again when we find that the Hebrew word is elohim. As you know, the name Elohim is one of the names of God, the first name that God introduces himself to us in Genesis 1:1. This is only one name of God and it occurs 2,570 times in the Bible.
Elohim is used 35 times in Genesis 1:1 to 2:4 revealing God's creative and governing power. He created this vast universe by His spoken word. Elohim is the one who brought "cosmos out of chaos, light out of darkness, habitation out of desolation, and life in His image." (Nathan Stone) Because we are created in His image, we also have the ability to create. God has put into our mouths the power of the spoken word. We can minister life or death by our tongue. (Proverbs 18:21) God wants us (and each new babe that is born) to create and speak for His kingdom and His glory. He wants the godly offspring to fill the earth with His words, His truth and His character.
Elohim also reveals God as a covenant keeping God. There are many Scriptures revealing this but here are a few.
Genesis 17:7, "I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God (Elohim) unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."
Genesis 9:15-17, "And I will remember my covenant... And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature..."
On Joseph's death bed he said, "God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (Genesis 50:24)
When Solomon dedicated the temple he prayed, "There is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart." (1 Kings 8:23)
Elohim is a covenant-keeping God. He wants us to also manifest covenant keeping. This is how we reveal the image of Elohim. He wants each godly offspring to be a covenant-keeper. It is interesting that God talks about the godly seed coming forth in the context of a covenant keeping marriage. Malachi 2:14 RSV says, "The Lord was witness to the covenant between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant."
It is not having lots of children that will solve the world's problems. It is having godly children who will impact the nations for God. May God enable us to welcome the godly seed and train them to truly reveal the character of Elohim. There is no career that can come anywhere the enormity and power of this vision.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
"Oh God, please help me to be a faithful covenant-keeper and to train my children to be the same."
AFFIRMATION:
I have the awesome privilege to raise the "seed of God."
Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.
If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to subscribers-on@aboverubies.org
Jan. 27, 2009
Our Valentine Tree
Posted in Science and other Hands On activities
I just had to share with you this fun little Valentine Tree that the kids and I created a couple of days ago :) We had previously been making handmade felt hearts that I had hinted to you about here on my blog a while back... well here is how they turned out :)
I picked a branch off of our snowball tree outside the back door and spray painted it with a semi-gloss white paint to coat it and then hung it to dry by the wood fire. After it had dried we planted it in an aluminum pail of rocks and decorated it with our felt hearts.
I had just found a great pack of super sweet vintage reproduction valentines with flocked velvet on them so we added to our tree along with some tin birds that I had stashed away in my craft supplies :)
I am very happy with how it turned out and I don't know why we didn't do this years ago! We always decorate an Easter tree very similar to this with eggs and bunnies but never give much thought to Valentine's Day besides trading cute little cards with each other :) So this was a fun project to do together and one I plan to do every year.
For more photos of our tree check out my craft blog HERE.
Blessings,
Jan. 26, 2009
In Loving Memory of Tom (2004 - 2009)
Posted in Life on the farm
You were a faithful friend and protector of our home. Your honking hellos will sadly be missed.
Tom ~ Our Beloved Goose
Unfortunate victim of a bald eagle attack
2004 - 2009
Blessings,
Jan. 21, 2009
Identity Crisis ~ Whose Homeschool Life Are You Leading?
Posted in Homeschooling
Homeschool support groups for moms are supposed to make you feel good.... right? Well what happens if yours doesn't and you feel inadequate after you leave or find yourself second guessing your choices on your drive home? DON'T!
Do not feel that you are not teaching your child the right things or that you aren't using the right curriculum or that your child isn't at the same developmental age as the child of the mom sitting to your left. Every family is different as is every child's needs. This is a very easy trap to fall into when you are first starting your homeschool journey and I'll admit that even I got caught up in it when I first started. I had carefully chosen to use Sonlight materials because I was very happy with their classical approach to education, christian content and the daily schedules that I can't tell you how much I appreciated in those early days :) We were happily learning at home, things were going wonderfully and I had absolutely no doubt that we were doing just what we were meant to be doing.
Then like many other moms, I joined a local support group so that I could meet up with other like minded moms and learn from their experiences. Learn I did! There were so many great ideas and books that I had never heard of, different learning philosophies and schedules and children that were way ahead of mine. I wanted to suck up all of their knowledge and I wanted to know how I could be just like all of them. That's right... it was like having an identity crisis.
All of a sudden I wasn't so sure that what we were doing was the right thing. Maybe if we switched our language arts program I could expedite K's reading comprehension, or if we tried miquon math we'd get to use those cuisenaire rods and math would magically be easier. I bought more books, manipulatives, read everything I could get my hands on about different teaching philosophies and pushed K harder to be smarter. All of a sudden somehow I had jumped from my own ship and was swimming frantically after someone else's.... someone who wasn't me.... and someone else's schedule that didn't meet what K or I needed. I needed a life preserver and I needed it fast!
Thankfully I realized that I needed to do what was right for us and that it was okay to be different from everyone else. That's the beauty of homeschooling, we are free to be different, free to follow our child's lead, and free to work at a slower pace if our child isn't quite ready for what the education system says we are 'supposed' to be learning.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking support groups! I belong to the same one that I started with and I treasure our monthly get together where we can chat over tea and share with each other. It is a wonderful feeling that you can go and share openly with each other using one another as sounding boards for the most glorious to the most disastrous moments of our days at home and be received by smiling faces that are ready give you a hug if you need it. But what I found was I needed to find my own identity and only I could figure that out for myself. Living in someone else's shoes was not going to magically make homeschooling perfect or easier (not that it's super hard *grin*).
This year we have been joined by many new faces, many unsure and worried faces at times as they start their homeschooling journey. They're facing the same feelings of inadequacy and insecurity that I felt when I started and it feels good to be able to share that with them that they can't go wrong if they follow their hearts. They are the best judge of what their children need and there is nothing wrong with going as fast or slow as they need to or switching curriculum if something they chose isn't working just because someone else said it was the best.
I encourage you to seek out one of those new moms at your next homeschool support group meeting and reassure her that she is doing great. And don't forget the veteran moms, we have our moments of doubt to but we have each other for support so just ask and there will always be someone there to lean on :)
Blessings,
Jan. 20, 2009
Above Rubies Email Devotional ~ The Secret is to Begin
Posted in Devotionals
THE SECRET IS TO BEGIN
Deuteronomy 2:24, "Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle."
Begin! What an important word.
Are you dreaming about doing something? Perhaps getting that bedroom cleaned up. Or catching up with the laundry so that your laundry room looks spic and span. Maybe you have some great ideas about homeschooling you are planning to put into operation. Then there's that habit you want to break.
It's easy to dream about it, isn't it? It's a lot harder to do something. But there is a secret to accomplish the thing you dream about doing. It's simple too. All you have to do is begin. That's right. Start. Don't look at the whole job. It will put you off. Just start. It is amazing what happens when you begin. You'll be amazed how that room will soon be cleaned. You will be amazed at what you accomplish.
What about that habit you want to get rid of in your life? Begin tackling it. They say it takes three weeks to establish a new habit. Start today with a positive response to your bad habit. Keep it up for three weeks and you will win the victory.
What about that mountain that looms before you? That problem you feel you cannot face. Take a step to go after it. Everything happens with that first step! In fact, nothing will happen without the first step! God told the children of Israel to begin to possess the land. They faced giants, fenced cities, high walls and gates and bars, but they began... and they possessed. They didn't possess the land all at once. But they began. They took a step of faith. You will have to too. You have to go beyond your normal routine. You have to get out of your comfort zone.
In Exodus 23:29-30 God told His people, "I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased and inherit the land."
The big thing is to begin, then tackle the job, the vision or the problem little by little. Little by little you will finish the task. Little by little you will overcome!
I love the poem, It Can be Done by Edgar Guest. This poem was required learning for our children. Some of the lines say...
Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it!"
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
Once you begin, don't stop until you conquer and win the victory. Oh yes, it may be hard work. You will face battles. God said, "Begin to possess it, and contend in battle." The children of Israel did not win any victories without first having to fight a battle. It's part of possessing and overcoming.
The secret? The final victory starts with the verb begin!
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
"Lord, please save me from procrastinating. Give me courage to take the first step to obey and do what you want me to do. Thank you, Lord. Amen."
AFFIRMATION:
No more dreaming, I'm doing it today!
Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.
If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to subscribers-on@aboverubies.org
Jan. 17, 2009
A Homeschool Co-op ~ How To Start One
Posted in Homeschooling
As homeschooling parents we are the primary educators of our children and with this comes the responsibility and challenge of making learning fun while covering all academic subjects. It can be overwhelming at times to say the least! That’s where co-ops come in. They are groups of like minded moms coming together with one common goal of creating great learning opportunities for their children while sharing the teaching role amongst each other.
There are many benefits to belonging to a co-op. It is a great place to connect with other homeschooling families in your area and an opportunity to involve your child in activities that you may not be able to provide at home. It is also an amazing support group for moms where you can find encouragement and advice from other moms just like you.
Co-ops come in many different shapes and sizes. From the large group that meets at the community hall to the ultra small with two best friends that share their kitchen table together. They are not a ‘one size fits all’ situation either since they may range in teaching philosophy to age groups to how many classes they offer, and they are definitely not just for homeschoolers!
Mothers of toddlers and pre-schoolers may want to join forces and create art classes, a music and movement group, or a tumble/gymnastic class. If you are looking for a more educational spin you may want to have story time using a great unit studies like Before Five In A Row which is perfect for 2-4 year olds using picture books to teach readiness skills like brushing your teeth, things to do in the kitchen and more, or Come Sit By Me for 4-7 year olds which uses Canadian picture books and activities to cover art, language arts, science and so on. Older children may be interested in after school co-ops involving book clubs, language or music lessons, sewing, woodworking, drama, photography, entrepreneurial skills and the list goes on.
Generally when you think of a co-op you think big and lots of kids, but it can actually be baking with Grandma or woodworking with an Uncle. You may be really lousy at art and a whiz with mathematics while your best friend is super crafty but couldn’t crunch a number if her life depended on it. Choose one day a week where you both get together and teach the subject that you are good at to all of the children and you have just created a small co-op. It’s that easy.
So you want to start a co-op, but where do you begin? First, find a friend to start it with. Don’t do it all alone! Share the workload with each other so that you never feel like you’ve taken on to big a task.
Start by doing a little bit of homework. Figure out what the main focus of your co-op is going to be. What does your family need or expect to get from a co-op and what are you willing and not willing to do or offer? Do you have a certain teaching philosophy such as Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, or Montessori that your family follows, and will it be limited to a certain age group only or will you offer a combination involving multiple ages? These are some of the big questions that will shape your vision of how you see your co-op.
Next, what sort of size do you envision it being? Just your family and a few good friends or do you want to open it up to the community? There are a couple of really good pros and cons to having large and small co-ops. Small co-ops are easy to run involving a handful of families, can be operated right out of your home, don’t require a lot of book keeping to keep your funds organized and can be highly focused on a certain teaching philosophy or academic subject. Cons to a small co-op are that you may be limited as to how many learning options you can offer due to limited funding and it will include a lot of parent involvement.
Large co-ops will create more funds available to offer a broader range of activities and academics, you may be able to hire outside teachers to come in and lead some of the classes if you wish, and with more parents the shared teaching responsibilities can be spread out with less parent involvement. Cons to a large co-op are that you will need to open a separate checking account and have a treasurer to keep track of your budget and enrolment fees, find a suitable space to meet at such as a church or community hall that will be large enough and offer the facilities you wish to use such as a kitchen, playground etc. and you may need to provide your own liability insurance in case of an accident. If you are planning to run a larger co-op, figuring out your rent and liability insurance costs will help you to determine the minimum amount that you will need to charge per child.
With all of that answered you are ready to move on to the next step of sending out an invitation to other members of the community or your group of friends, working out which programs you will be offering, deciding which day and time is most suitable, and then watching your co-op flourish. Remember though, don’t do it all alone. The more the merrier!
Some of you may be interested in joining a co-op with your children but not interested in helping out with the managerial aspect of it and that’s great to but keep in mind that it is still a big commitment if you do decide to sign up. As the name co-op implies it is a co-operative program between all parents and will include some degree of participation from you. This varies from group to group. Like I had previously mentioned, small co-ops are usually very parent intensive and most likely you will be expected to take on a portion of the teaching in a subject that you enjoy and feel comfortable doing. While with a larger co-op you may only have to help out once or twice a month with craft preparation, monitoring outside playtime or perhaps making the snack at break time.
Don’t be shy though if asked to help out with some of the teaching responsibilities. It is a fantastic way to share some of your knowledge and talents with the children and be a positive role model at the same time. No matter what role you play as a member of a co-op both you and your children will come out enriched in many ways.
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Need a step by step guide on how to start a co-op? Carol Topp’s new book, Homeschool Co-ops: How to Start Them, Run Them and Not Burn Out is a must read. She covers every aspect.
Pros and Cons of being in a homeschool co-op
Checklists and worksheets to get you started with your own co-op
Different types of co-ops
How to run a planning meeting
Defining your purpose and mission
Writing co-op policies
How to pick your board members
Money management
Legalities and more!
Carol’s book can be found online at www.homeschoolco-ops.com . You can also find it online at places like Chapters or Amazon, and some homeschool supply websites also carry it such as CHER. It is a print on demand book so delivery times can vary depending on which company you purchase through.
I originally published this article on the Comox Valley's Our Big Earth website and I would encourage you to take a minute and check their site out. It is full of top notch articles on topics like family, food, crafts, education, pregnancy & children, plus so much more!! And it is written by moms for
moms :)
Blessings,
Jan. 14, 2009
A Great Day
Posted in Homeschooling
We had a fantastic day today :) K has been diligently working on his schoolwork and with minimal whining which is such a welcome change! He's been learning to multiply using double digits and he totally blew me away today and whizzed right through it. A couple of weeks ago I thought that we would never learn the times table and today it's like a light bulb just turned on. Boy do I love it when the lights come on. LOL
I actually find that quite often if K is having a lot of trouble grasping a certain concept and we seem to be beating our heads against the wall trying to learn it.... we drop it. I totally just leave it in the dust for a couple of weeks maybe even months sometimes and pretty much every time we come back to the subject it is magically easier than it was the first time :) I'm not sure why it works. Maybe his brain continues to process the concept while we vacation from it? Or, maybe he just wasn't ready for it to begin with and needed that little bit of extra time. Anyone else find that this works for them?
Blessings,
Jan. 13, 2009
Earth ~ Chia Style
Jan. 13, 2009
Ch..Ch..Ch..Chia
Posted in Family
Yesterday the kids got belated Christmas presents from some of their cousins and L got a Chia Planet Earth globe. So cool!! I remember as a kid those great commercials of the Chia's growing their grassy hair on super speed *grin* and I always wanted one. Never got one then, but now I have a second chance! Er.... I mean L has a chance, yes L has a Chia, not me. LOL.
We thought that we were going to get it all started but the only step we could do was soak the seeds. So L poured in the water and stirred it up until it formed a thick jelly. Now we wait until tomorrow morning. It says you have to wait 24 hours and then you can spread them on the globe, so I'll share more pics tomorrow :)
Ch..Ch..Ch..Chia *grin*
Jan. 11, 2009
A B See Meme ~ 'C' is for....
Posted in Fun Stuff
'C' is for Cards
Here is our completed handmade paper that the kids and I made a couple of days ago. The kids were amazed with the results and I must admit that even I was surprised at how well it turned out :) Our screen was 8 x 10 inches so we were able to cut the finished paper in half and make two small note cards out of it and the inside is nice and smooth for writing. Must have been from all of the sponging we did to it to get the excess moisture out of it before hanging it to dry :) I can't wait to try it again and the kids are already collecting scrap papers into a pile for next time *grin*.
Check out more ABSee meme pics here.
Blessings,
Jan. 9, 2009
Experimenting with Handmade Paper
Posted in Homeschooling
We're still slowly getting back into the normal routine of school and it hasn't helped that K has come down with an awful cold. Yesterday he was so wiped out that we had to cancel any lessons that I had planned so that I could make him endless cups of lemon & honey tea :) Today though he seemed to be a little bit perkier so we decided to try our hand at making some handmade paper! Talk about fun :) We rounded up scrap computer paper that was in the recycle pile, leftover chunks of construction paper from art projects, newspapers and then started to cut them into small pieces for blending. Our instructions said that we needed a screen, which I didn't have, so I fashioned one out of a cookie rack and cheesecloth *grin*. It worked out really great. We whizzed up our paper pulp, caught it on our screen and our pieces of paper are now drying by the fire :)
We did learn something about pulping up newspaper.... it isn't a very nice color. It turns a dark shade of gray and we actually didn't use it since it would have made our paper an unattractive color. The computer paper and construction paper blended into a nice light brown, and I guess in order to have a cream colored paper like I see quite often for handmade papers, you would have to use mainly white colored paper only. Oh well, trial and error :) Can't wait to see how it looks tomorrow and if it will come off of the tea towel it is temporarily stuck to *grin*.
Blessings,
Jan. 6, 2009
L's Christmas Book Swap Package
Posted in Fun Stuff
L has been waiting for her Christmas book swap package and I think that she was just about to have a fit if it didn't show up... like now *grin*. Well the wait is over! A big box arrived in the mail for her today and boy was she excited :) Inside she found hot chocolate, pencils, jewelry, a princess coloring and activity book, a fabulous Curious George story and her all time favorite toy, a my little pony. Our swap family, Under the Big Blue Sky made her day. Thanks so much you guys!!! It was a pleasure swapping with you and your little girl :)
Blessings,
Jan. 5, 2009
A B See Meme ~ 'B' is for ....
Jan. 5, 2009
Anti-Social ~ A Comedy of Homeschoolers
Posted in Fun Stuff
Oh my goodness this is hilarious!! Three homeschooled boys that are pretending to be socially inept. The funny thing is though that people may think this is what homeschooled kids turn out like, but the truth is there were a lot of boys just like this in public school to! LOL. Their short video is below and good for a giggle *grin*.
Blessings,
Jan. 4, 2009
'A' 'B' See Meme ~ 'A' is for .....
Posted in Photo of the Day
'A' is for AIRTIME!!!
And big airtime at that *grin*. At the bottom of our sledding hill is a huge snowbank and the kids made their sled path head straight for it so that they would hit the bank shooting themselves straight up into the air and over!
Super fun. LOL.
Find more ABSee meme participants here.
Jan. 3, 2009
'A' 'B' See Photo Meme
Posted in Photo of the Day
Since I'm a complete photo junky, I just had to join in on this photo meme *grin*. Over at the Homeschool Post aka HSB Awards blog they are starting a weekly/daily/hourly photo meme using the letters of the alphabet. All you need to do is snap a pic that matches up with an alphabet letter, post it on your blog with a little comment as many times a week as you like, and then on Fridays go over and sign mr. linky letting everyone know where to visit you :) Super easy and fun for the whole family! Below are the official rules & meme button you need to display on your blog. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone picks to represent the alphabet *grin*.
Blessings,
Here are the rules… be sure to post them when you join!
1. Post a photo for each letter of the alphabet of anything that starts with that letter.
2. Write a few short explanatory, quirky, or witty sentences about each photo you post.
3. Only post one photo at a time (the meme can take as long as you want - a month, three months, whatever… you aren’t being graded). You can link them later in a blog post so they are listed in order if you are the list-making type.
4. If you want to join the meme, sign the Mr. Linky and use the “A B See Photo-Meme” graphic in your sidebar. Link your graphic to this post and announce that you will be joining us.
5. When you post a photo, come by and add it to the weekly A B See linky that we’ll be posting on Foto Fridays for those who have some alphabetical photo to share. You can sign it each week as many times as you have posted photos - one time for each photo linked post. Make sure you link back to the HSBA on your posts, too - so others can come and join the linky.
Jan. 3, 2009
Canadian Home Educators Carnival Needs You!
Posted in Homeschooling
The Canadian Home Educators Blog Carnival is back with a whole new year of great Canadian homeschooling families!!! Make sure you stop by this coming week and check out what your fellow homeschoolers are up to across the country and say hello to everyone on your way across the country, we all love to hear from our visitors from time to time *grin*
Maybe you even have a blog entry that you would like to submit?? It doesn't have to be something you just wrote, it could be something from a couple of weeks ago even! Feel free to share anything. We would love to hear from you :)
See you there next week!
Jan. 3, 2009
Trip to Gold River
Jan. 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
May God fill your life with Love, Joy & Peace in the new year!!
Many Blessings for 2008
BChsMamaof3
Dec. 31, 2008
Above Rubies Email Devotional ~ Home Destroyers Pt.5
Posted in Devotionals
HOME DESTROYERS
Part 5
Proverbs 14:17 "He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly." Read also Ecclesiastes 7.9.
Today is our last devotion in this series of things that have the power to destroy our home.
5. CONTENTION
Proverbs 19:13, "The contentions of a wife are a continual dropping." This is repeated again in Proverbs 27:15. In fact Proverbs 27:16 continues, "He who would restrain her restrains the wind, and grasps oil with his right hand."
Proverbs 21:19, "It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman." This is also repeated again in Proverbs 19:9 and 25:24.
Other versions of the Bible translate this contentious woman as 'crabby, complaining, nagging, quarrelsome, ill-tempered, cross and petulant, scolding and irritable.' The actual Hebrew word is madown which means 'to quarrel, to cause discord or strife.' Not a very nice description, is it?
It's easy to nag. It's easy to pick a quarrel. But it is destructive, so why do we do it?
Does this mean that we cannot tell our husband something that we are concerned about? No. We are workers together in building our family. Share your concern with your husband-- in a spirit of meekness. Ask him how he thinks the situation could be remedied. Men love to give answers.
Once you have shared your concerns, keep quiet. But here's the secret. You don't keep quiet on your knees. Cry out to God and ask Him to deal with your husband. Don't give up praying until you see the answers.
The opposite of contention is harmony and unity. May God help us to work on another habit in our lives. What can you do next time you feel contentious? Say No to your fleshly feelings and by faith speaks harmonious words. You won't feel like it. You'd much rather nag or start a quarrel. But that is your old nature which you are so used to. Instead, remember that the Holy Spirit indwells you. Turn to Him and ask Him to reveal His Spirit of harmony and peace-making through you.
6. ADULTERY
Proverbs 2:18, "To deliver you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words, who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God. For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead." Read also Proverbs 7:27.
Adultery not only destroys a marriage and the home but hurts the children. When God talks about the breaking up of the covenant of marriage in Malachi 2:13-16 he uses the words "violence" and "treacherously". In fact, in this short passage he repeats the word "treacherously" three times! God sees the breaking up of the marriage through adultery as treacherous! The Hebrew word is bagad and means 'traitorous, unfaithful, deceitful and also implies pillage.' Read Jeremiah 3:20.
How can it be that adultery is prevalent in the church today? I remember growing up in a little town in New Zealand. If a husband or wife went off with someone else it was the disgust of the town. And that was the attitude of non-Christians! And yet now it is prevalent for Christians to show tolerance for something God calls treacherous!
7. RENDERING EVIL FOR GOOD
Proverbs 17:13, "Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house."
How important it is to show a grateful heart to those who have blessed us in our lives. We can take things for granted so easily, can't we? It is easy to carry on with life and forget the goodness of others. There are times when people will speak evil about those who have blessed them. We have experienced this many times in our lives. But we dare not get bitter. We must keep on blessing them and trust God to work in their lives. And God does not forget. God does His own avenging in His own time and in His own way. We can leave it totally with God.
Romans 12:19-21 says, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves... for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." (Proverbs 25:21-22; Romans 10:30)
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
"Oh God, please save me from being cranky and contentious. Please convict me when I become irritable or quarrelsome. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me establish unity in the home. Amen."
AFFIRMATION:
I'm changing from crabby to happy!
P.S. The following are two books you can read about the Karen people of Burma.
"A Land without Evil" by Benedict Rogers
"Displaced Reflections" by Oddny Gumaer
There are many more, but these happen to be two I have read. Check the Internet.
Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.
If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to subscribers-on@aboverubies.org
Dec. 30, 2008
The Year In Review ~ Sentence Meme
Dec. 30, 2008
Christmas Book Swap
Dec. 30, 2008
Christmas Celebrations
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