Oct. 12, 2006 - My Favorite Things....
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Sep. 21, 2006 - Home
Three miles beyond the last street light, on the far side of Megunticook lake, set back from the aging Hope road, my parent's house hides in the forest. The gravel driveway winds its way amongst pine trees which tower over the modest house with blue board-and-strapping siding. The pines drip their sticky sap on my parents' cars to avenge their fellow trees who we had burned for heat the previous winter.
As I walk in the door I am greeted by hugs from two happy children (The others have outgrown hugs). Smells of ambrosia waft from the kitchen. My mother is cooking dinner, probably shepherds' pie or chicken, and I force myself to remain calm as I realize that there will probably be brownies for dessert. She hasn't heard me come in. I will go in to see her but first I pause for an exhilarating glance through the picture window to my left.
Outside, a weeping birch tree spreads it canopy over a stone bird bath. Beyond that my father's flower gardens bridge the gap from upper lawn to lower. Daisies, tulips, hostas, flocks and many other brilliant plants have been skillfully arranged in a complementary way. To the left is the driveway. To the right a grove of unaware candidates for this year's Christmas tree strut their stuff. Climbing house plants frame the scene and a few of my brother's action figures hang from their branches. Behind the house, out of sight, two brooks flow side by side through the wood. In the early years of my life that was my playground. I had explored under every leaf and twig and climbed every boulder. The window is open and the crickets, bees, birds, and wind sound almost like music. I listen for a minute but they don't offer me any message.
By now my Brothers and sister have surrounded me and are all talking at once. They tell stories and ask questions. They look up to me but I always feel as though I learn a lot from them: Sheldon with his wit, devotion and sensitivity and Nathan with his unreserved curiosity; Shaina wants me to play with her and Jordan tells me his latest dinosaur fact.
Now Mom has come out of the kitchen. She quickly informs me that dinner will be ready shortly, then updates me on the latest family news and makes sure I am coming to grandma's birthday party on Saturday. She asks me everything about how I've been, knowing too well that she has a mother's right to be inquisitive. She listens carefully to my answers then asks if there is anything I need. Sometimes she tells me what I need before I even know myself.
I go in to the bedroom where Dad is watching the evening news and pulling on his beard. He tells me the weather forecast and asks if I've caught any big fish lately. I tell him "Of course I have" and we laugh. My father taught me to fish when I was very young and our shared love of it has been a bond between us ever since. We make small talk for a while until my mother calls us to the table.
Dinner is on the table and we all sit down to eat. We hold hands and bow our heads in prayer. All is well; I am surrounded by the people I love. I feel content and peaceful. I feel balanced. That is home.
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Aug. 29, 2006 - 31 Ways to Pray for your Child
1 salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).
2 growth in grace "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'" (2 Peter 3:18).
3 love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).
4 honesty and integrity " May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21, NLT).
5 self-control " Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6)
6 a love for God's Word " May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10).
7 justice " God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).
8 mercy " May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'" (Luke 6:36).
9 respect (for self, others, authority) " Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a).
10 strong, Biblical self-esteem " Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10).
11 faithfulness "' Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3).
12 courage "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
13 purity "'Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10).
14 kindness "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).
15 generosity "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).
16 peace, peaceability "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19).
17 joy " May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).
18 perseverance " Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1).
19 humility " God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2).
20 compassion " Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).
21 responsibility " Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5).
22 contentment " Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13).
23 faith " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).
24 a servant heart " God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).
25 hope " May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
26 the willingness and ability to work hard " Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23).
27 a passion for God " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).
28 self-discipline " Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3).
29 prayerfulness " Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).
30 gratitude " Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).
31 a heart for missions " Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3).
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Aug. 24, 2006 - Seven "P's" of Highly Effective New School Years
I originally posted this on my personal blog 4EvrHischild and decided to post it here as well. Trinity Prep School came up with the idea and asked several people to create their own lists. Check her blog for other great lists.
1. Pray ~ Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
First and foremost we must pray. Unless we put God first and seek his counsel, even the greatest plans or ideas will fail because they didn't come from Him.
2. Ponder ~ We have different gifts, according to the grace given us if a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:6-8
Consider the interests and special abilities that God has given to each one of your children and develop your curriulum around that. If they like what they are doing they are more apt to become independent learners and persue their interests during off school time as well.
3. Peruse ~ Look over the materials you already have and see if any of them fit the interests of your child. This will help you to avoid overbuying. Look through catalogs to find what might best meet the needs of your family and children. Don't forget to skim over those favorite books that help to motivate you and remind you why you homeschool in the first place. One of my favorites is "When you Rise Up" By R.C. Sproul Jr.
4. Prepare ~ You don't have to plan the whole year or even sememster at one time. You don't even have to have a definite plan for the first week. But you do need to have a few goals in place for each child and some idea of how you are going to meet those goals. Plan activities that fit with the goals you have. If your child needs to work on writing, have them start journaling, writing letters to grandparents, creating a family newsletter. If your child needs work in math, play store, count money, play games such as monopoly, cook and measure ingredients.
5. Purge ~ get rid of any and all outside activities that are not in keeping with your goals for your children and your family. Don't feel your child has to play a sport and take piano lessons just to get credit in physical education or fine arts. However, if your child is gifted or has special interest in an area, it may be worth the sacrifice.
6. Play ~ Don't forget to schedule time to play together as a family. It could be an educational outing, or just a movie or game night. No amount of education can make up for decline in family relationships. Make sure you are building strong family relationships, by spending fun time together. Take off your teacher hat and just be a mom sometimes.
7. Picture it ~ Believe that you will have a successful beginning to your year. If you believe in yourself and your children, they will know it and they will want to work harder. No one wants to fail at something. Usually failure comes from expectations that are too high, goals that are to lofty, or schedules that are to structured. Make sure you aren't expecting more of yourself or your children than any of you can live up to.
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Aug. 24, 2006 - Gearing Up for a New School Year...
We're getting ready to start a new year. Not that we haven't done anything educational this summer. Au Contraire! Our summer was filled with lots of learning opportunities. DS15 chose to spend his summer serving at a christian camp as a CST. This is a program that trains teenagers to be junior counselors, and then senior counselors. He will be a sophomore this year and is interested in cooking so he will be enrolled in the hospitality program at Vo-tech. This will be a huge change for us. This program will award him four highschool credits, so beyond this he will be using Beautiful Feet U.S. and World History to receive credit in English and History.
DS10 came to me the other day and said he wanted to study the Roman Byzantine Empire for history this year. This sent me scrambling to find what materials were available and what time period this actually covered. Diana Waring has what looks like a great program for studying this time period. So for him it will be Romans, Reformers and Revolutionaries as well as What in the World's Going on Here. This is great for him because he is an auditory learner and loves listening to the stories on CD's that tell about this period. This is also a unit study and covers pretty much everything he needs except for math. I will have him continue in the Learning Language Arts series as much as is reasonable, because I just really love the integrated approach and won't have to worry about gaps in his learning. He will go into the Math-U-See Delta book this year, and if time allows continue Prima Latina which he started last year. It would greatly complement the study of Roman history.
DD7 and DS4 will be doing FIAR together. I'm not sure how much DS4 will actually do with us, but I know he'll love listening to the stories and participating in some of the projects. This will (hopefully) keep him from getting into trouble while the others are studying. I'm hoping to start DD7 in the Learning Language Arts Through Literature Red book this year and she will soon move into the Math-U-See Alpha book. The first part of our year however will concentrate on getting her reading. I have Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and Hooked on Phonics as well as Bob books, Pathway Readers and some other easy readers that I'm hoping will catch her attention and get her excited about reading.
That about sums it up for us. What will you be teaching this year? How do you handle teaching several children at different levels? What works for you in your homeschool?