Our Busy Little World

Apr. 30, 2008 - Fresh New Reader

 

We officially have two little readers in our home! I have been teaching Hannah letter sounds, but didn’t really try to have her decode any words, as I didn’t figure she was quite ready to do it. Well, she sure proved me wrong! Today I told her to try just the first sound of the letter and see if she could figure out the word. She read all of these: sat, at, in, is, man, and a few other similar words. I guess I’ll get out the Bob books – such fun!

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Apr. 29, 2008 - Speech Therapy

Here's another of our "homeschool electives": we took Naomi in for an evaluation and discovered she has a moderate to severe speech delay, which was more than we had expected. We're still trying to figure out things that may be causing or contributing to it, like food intolerances, but for now she's started a little speech therapy class with a couple of other three year old girls.  She's so thrilled with it! It's funny how basic it is, and one of the big reasons we have her in it is simply to guide us in what we can practice with her at home. But it seems to be good in all sorts of ways other than just speech improvement. Naomi is so thrilled to have a little class that only she goes to. She proudly hops back in the car afterward, holding her prized paper projects. The older girls beg to be the first to see what she made! In fact we still have the first little booklet she made there, and when she "reads" it to us now, she actually uses an ending sound for each word - a big deal for her!

When we have schooltime in the morning, we all start out at the dining room table. The girls each get to pick a "school game" (anything from teeny plastic horses and riders, to special blocks, stacking pegs and memory games) to use when it's not their "letter lesson" turn. I practice Isabelle's TATRAS phonics and read alouds with her, Hannah's Penny Primer and letters, and Naomi's speech sounds with her. Of course, Juliette has a turn, too, and we work on speech sounds as well, since she's not an early talker by any stretch. It really works quite well, despite the necessary reminders to play quietly so sister can think! I do hope it is helping Naomi to speak more clearly, but at least I'm pretty sure it is helping her feel special and be excited to learn!

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Sep. 25, 2007 - First Week Of School

Well, we've had two weeks of school thus far, and we're all really enjoying it. It's fun - I feel more like a *real* homeschool mom now, and I'm very pleased with how our little schedule is working out.  I totally changed what I was doing when I realized I was dealing more and more with fidgeting girls the way I was doing it before.  So I have taken the advice I gave someone else, and broken up our mornings in 30 minute increments with lots of physical play to get the wiggles out.  I feel a bit like I run a preschool - well, actually I suppose I do! Here's our school time:

930- I sit down to nurse Alyssa (with my much needed cup of chocolate/coffee). Isabelle sits with me and we do her phonics with TATRAS, while the little girls play semi-quietly in the living room. I'm very happy with TATRAS, and Isabelle is just soaking it up SO quickly. She's grown a ton in her reading already. 

10- we sit down for circle time, which is when we do our Bible stuff.  The girls practice their memory verses (a new one each week), and we say the "kindergarten rules" mommy made up. They all hold up three fingers and recite together: 1. Be happy 2. Be kind 3. Obey mommy - then the two big girls recite it with a bit more detail: 1. Honor and obey mommy 2. Be kind to my sisters 3. Rejoice in all things.  I created these rules after realizing the need for them the first day! We pray together - I pray first, then each girl has a turn to pray for two things of her choosing (I help the littler two girls).  Juliette repeats this prayer I made up for her each day: "Dear God, thank you for this day. Help me to be happy. Help me to obey. Amen". We read our Bible passage for the day (we're going through one "piece" of Psalm 119 each week) and talk about it, then read our Bible story. If we have any extra minutes, the kids can pick a Bible story to read, or a part of one of the doorposts charts to read and talk about.

1030 - Game time!  We either play together with some of our school-ish games/toys/puzzles (we're loving Cariboo, HiHo Cherry-O, and a few others) or we get some energy out with games like Red Light, Green Light (we call it "Stop, Go"), "Duck, Duck, Goose", "Mommy Says", races, etc.  The girls, of course, LOVE this time and it makes sure I really play with them, since that doesn't come as naturally to me as reading to them.

1100- reading time - we sit together on the couch and read our books for the day - those on our Winter Promise schedule as well as chosen storybooks. Alyssa's usually back to bed by now.

1130 - Craft Time - Most days we have a little craft on the Winter Promise schedule - otherwise I get out some paper and scissors, coloring pages, or playdoh.  I do these together with the girls which, again, keeps me accountable to doing something which I don't necessarily love, but they do. During this time, little Juliette rests on the couch and Alyssa's back to bed, so it's just the bigger three girls and me.

We try to read more stories as we have time after lunch. And at naptime, Isabelle and I have one half-hour of "Big Girl" school time. We rotate between one day each for: drawing, little K French Primer, Math Games (from RightStart) and Milly-Molly-Mandy stories for her to narrate back.  And of course in the evening we have more Bible stories during family worship with daddy.

This schedule has lots of movement and it's working very well right now for us. Each time I remind the girls of the "Three School Rules" I also remind them that if we have to use up lots of time for corrections, we won't have so much time for crafts and games (I always keep the Bible and reading times), so they're working very hard not to fuss with eachother. All in all, we're having lots of fun together! Here are some pictures (I couldn't really take pictures of myself reading to them, but these I could do).

Circle/Bible Time 

Nao playing chess (well, playing with the pieces, anyway)

Isabelle was SO excited and proud the first time she was able to copy the whole pattern to build this elephant tower!

Hannah making lacing bead necklaces

Pretending to "sew"

Juliette just loves any game from the school games cupboard!

This watch and my little school notebook keep my brain working!

 

Well, not so much school, but I couldn't help showing off Alyssa in her cute new outfit from a friend - thanks Susan - it's cozy and adorable!

My two littles ones

Craft time would probably never have happened had it not been on our Winter Promise schedule - I'm naturally NOT crafty. But the girls, as you can see, are loving it!  These are hippos made by using a potato as a paint stamp.

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Aug. 4, 2007 - Homeschool Open House 2007

 

Tiany  is  hosting a homeschool open house for all of us to get to know one another better in the schooling realm. I thought it was such a great idea that I wanted to join in.  Here's my contribution:

  A short intro about you, how many blessings? How long have you been Homeschooling etc.. Just incase this is someone’s first visit to your blog.

In a few days (or possibly weeks, depending on the little bun in the oven) we will have five little girls under the age of five (4, 3, 2, 1 &  coming soon).  We love having all these little ladies about, busy though it certainly makes us! Since all of life is full of learning, I suppose we've been homeschooling since Isabelle was born, almost five years ago.  But this past year was the first in which I found us doing more "schoolish" things, such as phonics, learning to write, etc.  This fall will be Isabelle's "kindergarten" year, with her little sisters joining in for fun during a good portion of our school time.

 

  Your Homeschool Day, what does it look like? Well, the "schooling" portion of our day usually looks somewhat like this:   It consists of LOTS of reading and little more at this point. I lay out the two school blankets.  I choose two preschool games (like Melissa & Doug toys, Laurie puzzles, dominoes, little counting bears, etc) from the credenza for each blanket, and one for the child with me on the couch.  The girls may put one book and doll on each blanket if they'd like.  I choose our books– Bible, children’s bible story book, and the read aloud books for the day.  I start with Juliette (baby) on the couch on one side of me, and an older girl on the other side of me to snuggle and read.  The other two girls are each on a blanket and must play quietly, raising their hand for any questions. I pray, read the Bible and talk about the passage, read the Bible story for the day (here I usually let the girls all come look at the pix if they want to and they ask nicely), and read one school story.  Then we switch and the girl on the couch goes to a blanket; that blanket girl goes to the next blanket; and the third girl comes to the couch.  I read two more of the school stories or so (depending on their length), the particular favorites of the girl I'm snuggling - ie. Hannah always loves the "bad wolf" story or a Milly-Molly-Mandy story which involves cookies!  When it’s Isabelle’s (my oldest's) turn, I do have her practice letter sounds and read some words from a Bob Book or penny primer in addition to her stories.  We take a little break to tuck baby in when she's ready for nap, then we finish up our reading.  We tidy up the blankets and toys, then all snuggle together for some extra "fun" books if we have time.  Later, while I make lunch the girls get to choose a color page (Isabelle's has tracing letters on it, too) and practice drawing and/or writing.  When all the younger girls are asleep, Isabelle and I may have more school time, or if I need to rest, she picks some stationary, a Draw Write Now page, and a color page with copywork.  I never tell her she has to do these, but the girl loves to draw and write and they're almost always done beautifully when I wake up! That was a long answer, but really the rest of the day is still "school" for the girls, as they're always learning - playing with dolls, taking walks, doing ballet together, stacking blocks, tidying up and doing their chores, making tea parties, helping mommy, learning from discipline, etc, etc, etc.

 

 What curriculum will you be using? Do you not use a curriculum? Do you homeschool for FREE? Tell us about it! We have lots of favorite guide books and catalogs, like Teaching The Trivium by the Bluedorns and Veritas Press  , but for at least the next few years we'll be sticking with a package of some sort (like Sonlight) to help me get into a schooling rhythm.  For this year we have Winter Promise's Animals And Their Worlds, which we're excited to start next month.  Plus we have TATRAS for phonics, and a few other odds and ends for "if we have time and would like to".  While I'm very interested in both Sonlight and Veritas, I think for next year I'd really like to look into Winter Promise's new program Children Around The World (if we end up loving their format this year).

 

  Do you schedule your day to the minute or go with the flow with no real structure? Both and neither, I suppose.  I do have a schedule (this is just a sample of what it used to look like when Matt was on swing shift; it's a bit different and simpler at the moment as I'm very pregnant and the girls are getting older).  However, we use it more as a guide to think of how our day flows.  I'd say we end up in the middle - following the same routine each day, but allowing for differences as God brings situations up. I am a very routine oriented person, though, and I think little ones thrive on routine!

 

  Do you homeschool in a homeschool room, at the kitchen table, at a desk, in the park on the grass?  Most of our school time is done in the living room on the couch and blankets on the floor for little ones. We do have a "school room", but we rarely school in there . 

 

   Do you have any “must share” tips? Always remember and rejoice in the fact that your family culture is unique, and be happy to trust your husband's guidance!  I used to struggle when our family's decisions (in schooling and other areas) looked different than other families I admire.  Now I realize we are all seeking to train up our children as God would have us to, but the methods look different in different families. 

 

  Do you have a question or concern? Throw that in there too!  I suppose concerns would just be my own sinful nature: seeking not to be easily irritated and to follow through with things.  And there are PLENTY of things I just don't know and won't until I deal with them. I suppose I will just be learning as I go ... by God's grace of course! 

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Jul. 30, 2007 - Heart Of Wisdom Book Review

A few months ago I promised a review of The Heart Of Wisdom Teaching Approach by Robin Sampson, and I am finally keeping that promise - better late than never, I suppose!  As I said before, this book is packed with information and resources, being over 500 pages in length.  I was very interested in reading it to learn how she suggests going about an in-depth study of the Bible with our little ones (or bigger ones).  This method is a combination of Charlotte Mason's teachings, unit studies,  Delight Directed Learning, what she calls the Hebraic Model of education (though I do have some differences of opinion here) and the four step process of learning. If you love Charlotte Mason's methods and want to study the Bible more but desire direction in how to integrate these, you would probably love this book! In fact, Robin offers a free 70 page excerpt from the book to help you determine if it is what you're looking for.  She's set the book up like a cookbook, to allow each family to choose the recipes and ingredients that best suit their needs and desires in education.

The book is divided up into five sections: 1. Lessons From Exodus (in which the author compares her journey into homeschooling to that of Israel leaving Egypt); 2. Rethinking Christian Education (which includes the author's conclusions regarding Hebraic, Greek and Christian education); 3. Heart of Wisdom Methods; 4. Heart of Wisdom Directions; 5. Resources.

Although our "journey" towards homeschooling was very different from the author's, I was very encouraged as I read through the first section of this book, and appreciated her open heart to share their struggles and story. I found this section to be an excellent reminder that we must seek to "number our days aright that we might gain a heart of wisdom" which is the best foundation for any educational method we choose to employ in our families.

Matt and I have come to some very different conclusions than the author regarding the information in the second section of the book and I will admit I found myself struggling through these chapters.  There are a couple of other resources we found on the subject which we felt handled it more accurately. However there was still quite a bit of interesting and helpful information contained within this section, and certainly even without it the book contains so much great content that I still think it would be a worthy purchase for any who seek to educate their children in these methods.

The third section in the book, regarding the methods used by Heart of Wisdom is full of information! Here we read about the four styles of learners to help us understand our individual childrens' needs better. These styles are Innovative, Analytical, Common Sense and Dynamic. She has included many descriptions and examples to help figure out where your children fall. Robin also shares what she has termed the four steps of learning: Excite, Examine, Expand and Excel with much emphasis on NOT skipping the first step of exciting in our children a true interest in what we want to teach before we dive in. She takes us through (by explanation and example) each of the four steps and what they look like in a homeschool setting, with the ultimate goal of the student being able to teach/share what they have learned.  In this section, we also receive a good overview of Delight-Directed Studies, Unit Studies, Charlotte Mason's Educational Philosophies, Writing To Learn, and Critical Thinking and Logic making it somewhat like several homeschool method books rolled into one.

The fourth section is the nitty-gritty of actually putting her plan into action, which starts with an overview of what it will look like. She basically divides the school time into two parts: studying God's Word and studying God's world. What I do love about her method is the total worldview focus upon God. I fully agree that everything we study, learn, do or seek to do should be done in the understanding of how it is part of God's kingdom, and I so appreciate that focus throughout her planning. I also was very impressed with her description of how to spend literally half of our schooling studying God's Word.  Honestly, this was probably the biggest thing I was looking for information on when I decided to look into this book, and she certainly provides many details and resources for how to study the Bible in-depth together with our children.  I found that as my children are much younger, it is more in the  "future planning" category for me, but I have especially enjoyed reading *how she does it* (Bible study) with her kids.  One other thing I appreciate about how she's set up the instructions here is that it's fairly easy to tailor to your needs - for example, she refers to studying through the entire Bible each year, while I think it would be fairly easy to use her methods and ideas while studying through the Bible every three years, which would probably be more realistic for me at this point (or the point at which I actually have time for in-depth study of anything again!).  There is also a lot of instruction in how to create your own unit studies (here and in the last section) around any theme, how to create Notebooks for learning, and much encouragement and help in scheduling by faith.

The last section is probably the one that I would find myself coming back to the most, and that is because it is a huge collection of books and resources. Robin goes through her own Heart of Wisdom Unit Studies as well as her recommended resources on the subjects of Bible, History, Science, Life Skills, Biographies and Classics (and many sub-categories) for all the grade levels and it is a long list to peruse!  While I wouldn't call it comprehensive, especially because as individual families we will have individual needs and desires for what we study with our children, I think it would be a very helpful list even for those who don't necessarily plan to use Robin's methods in their school. It's a great place to start if you're thinking: "Hmm, I wonder what books on botany would be good for my nine year old. . . ." or something of the sort.

All in all, while I'm sure our educational journey will still be somewhat eclectic and probably more classical and trivium-based as our children get older, I was very thankful to Robin for sending me her book to review and I hope I was able to do so in a way that might be helpful to some of you. The thing that stands out to me the most about her book is her heart to seek God in and through every aspect of their schooling, to know His Word and to love it above all other learning - these, I think, are some of the best and highest goals to which we could attain (regardless of the exact "methods" we use to work toward them) and I appreciate Robin sharing her years of experience to help others in seeking to implement these goals in home education.

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Jun. 20, 2007 - Our Summer School

It's so nice getting back into old routines again, and creating some new ones as well.  I finally started making bread again (and cinnamon bread, which of course brought excited squeals from a bunch of little girls). Isabelle's enjoying having copywork again - actually we've gone back to tracing fonts for awhile, as I've noticed writing gets a bit sloppier when one doesn't practice for a time.  She loves it! We're also getting into good habits with new chores to go along with a  new house, and it's just a relief not to have a bunch of unpacking looming over my head.  We've also started doing a bit more school, which we all love.  I have no desire to stop school for the summer at these ages, since a primary purpose of our little school times is to provide my little ones with routine, and regular snuggle/reading times.  But we are doing something different which we're all loving.  I was inspired in part by coming home from church Sunday pondering how I could help the girls learn our liturgy so they could participate more in service.  The other part was inspired by Kendra's great post last week.  We've started beginning our school time with circle time.  We're using the circle time to work on habits which need improvement, and for the most important things: Bible, prayer, etc. Here's what we do: The habit we're working on is not interrupting others (everyone seems to talk at once around here!) So I hold a little ball in circle time, and no one but mommy may speak unless the ball is passed to them.  The girls love this little game, and it's great because they have started to be the ones to pass the ball to their sisters when they want to talk.  So we sit together in a litte circle, and the first thing we do is pray - I've been starting by reading a prayer from Valley Of Vision, then praying myself.  Then I pass the ball in turn to the girls, who like to pray for "whatever's in their heart" (for Hannah, it's usually praying for someone's birthday cake to come soon!) Then I read the Bible - until I come up with a more organized plan we're reading a section of Psalm 119 each day. Then we read our day's Bible Story in the big DK story bible, which we are loving thus far.  Next we practice our children's catechism, again by rolling the little ball to the girl who gets to answer the current question. After this, we pray together one of the prayers from our church's liturgy, then finish up by singing one of our weekly church songs.  We're currently in the church season of Trinity, which lasts until advent, so it's the perfect time to practice this liturgy, as they'll be learning it for awhile at church too.  When we're done, I still get out the preschool toys, other books, etc, and have our normal little school time. But circle time has been such a hit that the girls always beg to have even more circle time when we're finished!

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Apr. 12, 2007 - Heartschool Part 1

We've really been enjoying our school times lately.  I've enjoyed the chance to sit and read favorite books to my favorite girls.  I love watching Isabelle blossom and learn so much more each day.  I love that we're actually doing (in a little way, of course, since she's four) copywork, oral narration, phonics, and dictation now, and having so much fun with it!  But today I found another reason to love our school times. They are a perfect opportunity to work on a specific matter of the heart in my girls' lives: cheerful contentment under authority.  Today God helped me to see the heart issue underneath what could have just been a petty irritation, and I am so thankful for how He lets us school not just our childrens' minds, but their hearts as well.  I have my daughters switch between "stations" during our reading - a blanket with favorite preschool toys, a little table at which to draw, the dollhouse and my lap being four common ones.  What's funny is that often I'll pick toys that the girls have been dying to play with (today I let them use this really cool animal chess set I own - they've wanted to play with it for so long, and I figured it wouldn't break on carpet), yet they can seem bored and listless during school times.  For awhile I wondered if I wasn't giving them something stimulating enough to work on.  I wondered if they were lonesome not sitting in my lap the whole time (though if I tried to have one or two of them do that, they'd desire to get down).  I'd see a less than happy look on someone's face and wonder if I was asking too much of toddlers.  Then I'd remember that I truly believe it is more than worthwhile to teach self-control to my little ones at this young age, that they have plenty of "free" play time, and that this was truly for their benefit. Today was the epiphany, and it came through God's grace and those silly little chess animals.  I asked one daughter to play with the animal chess (the daughter who had particularly coveted these chess animals for the longest time) while it was her sister's "special time" to snuggle and read with me.  I noticed that I had to repeatedly rebuke her for either trying to get up without actually doing so, looking mournfully at the couch and asking to sit with me (after she'd already had her turn, and had asked to get down), using her feet to kick at any other toys within reach, and pretty much doing all she could to not play with the toys I'd given her.  She was quiet, and didn't do anything (technically) that I told her not to, but she was obviously not content.  Then we all switched and this daughter asked to go to the blanket which had a bunch of little dollhouse people and furniture.  I said sure, and she plopped down.  A minute into reading I noticed the same things.  She was barely staying at the edge of her blanket, mischiviously trying to reach anything but the toys she had been given, looking sad, etc, etc, etc.  I pondered this, as I knew that when I was holding her she had wanted down, and that any other time of the day she genuinely would have loved to play with these toys.  And I realized that even though it wasn't particularly disruptive (like I said, she was staying quietly on her blanket), I had seen these little symptoms in all my girls in varying amounts and at different times over the past few weeks.  And I realized that the only reason she wasn't happily playing with those toys was because I had told her it was time to do so.  If she had had totally free reign, chances are she would have chosen to do one of the very activities I'd set out for her.  But because I had now told her to do that, and not something else, her little spirit just didn't want to.  And I realized my little spirit had not been faithfully correcting these small manifestations of discontent I'd been noticing recently.  So after feeling a bit discouraged at first, I did begin to correct them with kind but firm discipline.   It took about three times of needing to rebuke/discipline, and a heartfelt explanation to her of what the problem seemed to be.  I explained that she needed to learn to be happy with what she was told to do by those in authority over her.  God doesn't want us to fuss about doing something simply because we have been told to do it (I think I was preaching to myself, too!) He wants us to do all things with joy for Him, and to be content and happy with what He's given us to do at certain times.  I suggested a few different ways she could play with the things on her blanket and said she needed to do so with a happy heart, not just "barely" obey with a grouchy one.  And in God's grace He changed her heart.  She began to play so happily with the toys she'd been given.  It was amazing to see the change, and to realize how much these little ones truly do understand!  I just pray God will open my eyes each day to the things I need to be correcting, not ignoring.  I was glad He taught us both in school today, and very blessed to see the sweet fruit that came out of it.

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Mar. 9, 2007 - Day Two

After the whole dog/monster episode, I was very happy for a day at home!  I was also happy that I didn't have to call any realtors, or home inspectors. I didn't have to paint a door, or find a carpet installer.  This would be our day to read, and attempt to catch up on the lack of order in our home as of late. It was SO nice.  After breakfast, chores and laundry were taken care of we all settled in the living room.  We put duplos and a toy tool set on the floor for Naomi or the other girls to play with if they became weary of sitting together on the couch to read.  The girls each got to pick out three favorite books (which somehow became far more), and I made a nice cup of coffee/cocoa.  We read, and read, and read (and practiced letter sounds)!  I think I read aloud for an hour and a half straight!  Then I just played on the floor with the girls for another half hour.  It's amazing how well my little ones play together when mommy is playing in their midst.  Yet I rarely seem to *have time* for those floor play times.  Oh, it was so wonderful to just enjoy being together, sharing favorite stories, building towers, etc.  Even Juliette totally impressed me by figuring out how to use some of the "preschool" age toys!  But there was yet another highlight.  After cleaning up all of the books and blocks and such, I put Naomi in for playpen time,  Isabelle and Hannah at the table for table time and Juliette in her high chair with a cracker.  Hannah usually has a very short attention span for this tabletime, so I'm usually constantly reminding her that I would like her to do her project/toy at the table (for the whopping 15 minutes of table time before lunch).  I had made an off-handed suggestion to Isabelle about trying to write the words from her Bob books, so someone else could read them (she usually writes a million unrelated letters).  I didn't really think she could do this without some help, and I didn't want to mandate copywork to my four year old, but I gave her the idea to chew on.  Wow, did my two oldest girls surprise me today!  Hannah (who had picked dominoes to play with) was engrossed for the entire table time in building a wall of dominoes.  This is a HUGE feat for her - just to focus on something for that length of time, and to play contentedly at the table with no reminders.  And Isabelle, well she just amazed me!  She took her little Bob book, all by herself, and by the time I realized what she was doing she had copied half the story onto her paper!  I was so excited - we were all high-fiving her and she was, of course, glowing from all the praise!  It's so fun when my girls do something so well that I didn't even realize they could do!  I had to a take some pictures of course:

Happy playpen time for Naomi

Hannah's wall of dominoes

The first part of Isabelle's copied story

The proud little copy-worker

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Jan. 27, 2007 - Tracing Letters

Here's the link to the tracing font I mentioned in my last post:  http://www.billybear4kids.com/fonts/fonts.htm . The one we use is "Zyia Learns Letters".There are others available - a few more free ones if you do a google search (actually I found all sorts of free pre-k and k stuff online with just changing the search terms), and then of course plenty you can buy.  But this one suits our needs perfectly.  After you download it (which was very tricky for me to figure out - thankfully my mom knew how to get a file unzipper online for free also, so you might need that like I did), you have to add it into your fonts in the control panel (the Help menu should tell you how).  Then you can just use it like any other font in Word or your writing program. I always use it in a pretty large size since Isabelle's just learning.  But of course it's really nice to be able to make it smaller as her writing improves. One thing I realized after I started using this is that I could have accomplished basically the same thing by using any normal font, but making it light grey instead of black (kind of like the light crayon strokes to trace in the early Handwriting Without Tears books).  But in any case, Isabelle loves it, and she particularly likes "dots" as I made them for her by hand for awhile.  The font saves me a lot of time! Some things we use it for are:

I print out a "letter practice" page for whatever letter(s) we're working on, or for any she needs particular practice on. It's amazing - she could not seem to make an "s" before tracing, now she's a pro at them even without the tracing letters.

Isabelle likes to write letters to her grandmas, aunties, etc.  She dictates  to me what she'd like to say to them, I type it for her and then she actually gets to write the whole letter herself (this works great for her, as she doesn't tire of writing things, so she'll write decently lengthy ones)

Thank you letters - this worked great for these letters after Christmas; once she finished writing all the letters, she got to decorate them how she pleased with stickers, "art" markers, etc.

Helping her learn her name and her sisters' names, or recognize simple phrases like "I love you"

I make up little stories (very simple, like the first BOB books set, but shorter) that I know Isabelle can read the words in.  Then she can write them and read them.  I started this when I realized Isabelle could read the words in a sentence, but didn't realize they went together to form a (miniature) story.  The first one I did was: Cat and dog ran fast.  She wrote it, then read it, then I asked her all these questions to help her see that it was a story: what did cat and dog do?  who ran fast? how did they run?  The light bulb went on for her after that, which was very fun to see! Of course she didn't have to write on tracing letters to figure out the concept of reading a story, but it worked!

You can make any kind of worksheet you'd like with these letters.  Maybe paste on pictures (or have the little ones draw the pictures, if they're the artistic sort), then print the letters for the word.  Or print a big "A" and a bunch of words which start with "a". Capitals and lowercase, numbers, etc. I don't really have any pre-k worksheets that fit what Isabelle's doing letter-wise (they're either too easy, or not quite what we're working on, etc) and I didn't worry about it as I had no plans to use worksheets in pre-k.  But as I have a daughter who LOVES to write and would practically do it all day if I let her, this font is great fun for us!

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Dec. 8, 2006 - Left-Handed Troubles - Advice Anyone?

*Update: well, this afternoon's try was much better. I just treated it as our "special time", sat her on my lap and encouraged the heck out of her each time I saw her working to hold it correctly.  It was much more pleasant - she remembered to hold it right about half of the time, so I'm hoping this whole thing won't take too long.  In any case, it was good snuggly drawing time, and forced me to make sure I took the time out of my day to help her.

 

HELP!

Isabelle's just fallen in love with writing and drawing lately.  She does it all the time, so I am not usually able to sit down and do it with her, except for a couple of times a day.  The problem is I recently read the left handed info at the Handedness Institute (she's a little lefty), and have discovered she's apparently holding the pencil all wrong. They recommend retraining in how to hold it, which they say takes about six weeks or so.  In order to do this, she can only draw/write when I'm with her, or she'll just default to how she's accustomed to holding the pencil.  We tried starting today, but she seemed so sad - she could no longer form the letters nearly as well as she's been doing, and it was, of course, awkward and difficult.  She won't get to write/draw nearly as much as she loves to for awhile, and I so hate to discourage her in this.  Here's the info from their site (below).  I'd just love advice from anyone with left-handed children. Have you found this position to truly be the best one?  In your opinion, is it best if we allow her to continue writing as she has been (holding the pencil right at the edge the way I do, smearing all of her letters as her hand is right by them, etc) for the sake of enjoying writing, or is it best to just get through the next few weeks/months to retrain her hand?  Like I said, I wanted to start retraining her grip today, but I hated seeing her so discouraged about drawing/writing, as it's usually her favorite thing to do! Thanks for any advice.

 

For a left-handed child, the paper should be positioned left of the child's midline, and tilted so that the top right corner of the paper is closer to the child than the top left corner (see Figure 2). The paper is placed so that the child's hand is to the left of, and away from, the body at the start of the writing line, and ends the line with the hand closer and in front of the body or slightly to the left of midline. The angle that the paper is tilted will vary according to individual children -- the important thing for the child to remember is to keep the arm perpendicular to the bottom of the page or slate writing tablet (see Figure 2). The wrist should be straight (not bent). And the writing hand should be below the writing line.

Teach left-handed children to remember three things as they learn to write :

Grip the pencil ~ 2.5 cm (1 inch) to 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) from the point,

Tilt paper so that arm is at right-angle to bottom edge of paper / slate
      (and the top right corner of page is toward writer),

Write with the hand below the writing line and the wrist straight.

Figure 2.  Proper posture, paper position, and grip for left-handed writing

 How to Correct Bad Writing Habits

If a child has already started writing the wrong way, a parent or teacher may wish to re-educate the beginning writer. Cole (1955) reported good results re-training young children after a period of six weeks. To be successful, parents and teachers must agree on the process and work closely with the child. During the re-training period, the child should be excused from all regular classroom written work -- otherwise, s/he will revert back to the old style because, for the moment, it is faster than writing the right way. Explain to the child that you're going to show him or her how to write easier, and that it will take a few weeks to master. Demonstrate the proper grip, paper position, arm and wrist position, etc. Work closely with the child for short (10 minutes to start) but frequent (at least once a day) practice sessions. Remember that it is hard to break old habits and replace them with new ones, and that this will be a temporary strain for the child. Therefore, the child should do no writing other than the practice sessions for two or three weeks, or until s/he has become so comfortable with the new writing style that s/he uses this spontaneously. Be sure to give the child lots of encouragment and support during this difficult period.

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Oct. 13, 2006 - Homeschool Advice Anyone?

I was talking to my husband this past week, and found out something I didn't realize.  He really likes Teaching the Trivium as much as I do, and wants a classical education for our children, but he told me he wants me to use a more or less complete package my first couple years of homeschool (like Sonlight or something of the sort).  My question is, does anyone know of a fairly complete "package" (one that has a daily guide and pretty much maps out each day for you) that flows well with the principles in TTT, or classical education in general?  I've been planning to use TTT as our framework, but didn't realize Matt wanted me to have a "checklist" for awhile so I won't get overwhelmed.  Anyway, I'd love any leads on truly classical "packages" (I don't mind having a bit of Charlotte Mason thrown in too or maybe Principal - I'd have to look at it), if there are any. Also, I'd love anyone's thoughts on how the complete curriculum sets which they use fit within the trivium framework. Please feel free to comment or email me!

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Sep. 14, 2006 - Really Quick

It's been a looooong day, and I've just gotten home and put all the munchkins (one of whom has a rather mysterious fever) into bed quite late.  I have to wait a few minutes for some ice cream to finish mixing, but then I'll need to get to sleep, so I only have two things to say tonight:

 

1.  I LOVE Johannah Bluedorn's picture books!  I thought I'd like them (hence why we got them this year), but I didn't realize how much I'd love them!  Such sweet illustrations, you could just fall into the little world of each story (I will admit some of the illustrations make me want to wear lovely flowy dresses every day).  The illustrated Psalms are wonderful with beautiful pictures to accompany them (which also helped Isabelle understand the concept of a watch tower), and of course you can't beat reading Scripture. And the "My Mommy: My Teacher" book was not only great fun to read with the girls, but it was also quite helpful to me to see what a day in the life of their homeschool family might have looked like.  Love these books . . . highly recommend them! See 'em here if you like: https://www.triviumpursuit.com/xcart/home.php?cat=263

 

2.  I LOVE the "Marriage As Manifest Glory" audio sermon series by Doug Wilson. We downloaded them one at a time online when they were available, so we have all of them to listen to at our leisure.  Matt's had far more opportunity to listen to them at work while he drives, so I've only listened to a few when he and I have time together.  But as we were in the car for over three hours today, I had a chance to listen to a few more.  Each of them (and there are many - I think it's his longest series!) is so Biblical, convicting, encouraging, practical, understandable, insightful, etc.  He studies everything from eating to discontentment, to family planning, to the Trinity, to the letter and spirit of the law, to a ton of other topics and how they relate to our marriages.  Anyway, that's my plug for them - my favorite audio marriage sermon thus far.  If you'd like, see it here: http://www.canonpress.org/shop/item.asp?itemid=1014

 

Now I've got to get to bed!  And tomorrow whilst the girls nap, our Credenda/Agenda magazine came today - ooh, what fun for me - it shall be added to my ever-growing reading pile!

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Aug. 26, 2006 - Seven Habits Of Highly Effective New School Years

Thanks so much for all the happy birthday wishes, everyone.  I had a lovely day of rest and celebration with my family!  Matt let me sleep in as long as I wanted (I think that was the biggest highlight in some ways!), then pampered me with flowers, made me breakfast, and did all the dishes.  We took a little jaunt around town to my favorite antique store (where I found two lovely, well-priced antique books - I'm such a sucker for pretty old books!), the ice-cream parlor, a car show (it happened to fall on the same day), then grabbed some Chinese food for a relaxing dinner.  After all of this, Matt brought me a glass of wine to enjoy with him.  This was a perfect ending to the day, and I must tell you why:  I've been trying to acquire a taste for wine, so I can enjoy a glass with Matt on our fifth anniversary in a few weeks.  Let's just say this is a sloooooow process for me, being totally unaccostomed to the taste until fairly recently.  I've worked up to being able to *enjoy* about a half glass at the most.  So when he brought me a full glass, I had to smile of course, but I just didn't think I could do it.  He said just to trust him.  So we sat down to read (simple, I know, but I've just been wanting to have a relaxing evening of reading and haven't had the time recently) and I took a sip - Oh, it was so yummy!  Matt sneakily went and got some Martinelli's Apple-Grape sparkling cider to make sure I actually enjoyed every minute of my birthday - ain't he a sweetie?

 

Although I'm a bit late, I thought I'd join in Maureen's Seven Habits Of Highly Effective New School Years.  I'm still pretty new at all this, but I thought I'd take a stab at it, just for fun.

 

1.  I'm sure this is a common one amongst the other lists, but I think it's so important to have a plan. Choose whatever type works best for you: a specific schedule with all the gaps filled in, page numbers written down, etc; a basic flowchart of the week; or something in between.  I like to have a basic schedule/routine for my whole day (based off of the Managers Of Their Homes ideas), and then I tailor it each day to suit the uniqueness thereof.  For my school plans, I have each book written down that I want to read from, but not page numbers, as our weeks are always changing a bit.  I just keep a little list of "approximately" how many pages we try to read through from each book (unless it's just a little storybook - then we read it all).  As a caviat to this, though, remember it's just as important to know when to (and be content to) skip the plan for the day!

 

2.  Enjoy your unique family culture.  Being the impressionable person I am, I've struggled plenty of times over the years with trying to do things just like someone else I admire.  This has often caused frustration and discouragement, and I'm glad God has been showing us how beautiful diversity amongst families really is (as long as the principles each family is following are firmly established in God's Word, of course).  We are blessed to live in a community of many, many like-minded people - many of whom are fellow homeschoolers.  I think when we moved here, I subconsciously assumed everyone kind of did things the same, but I was amazed to realize it just isn't true!  I've become so thankful for the way our family is, while being able to appreciate all the more how other families run.  Realize that what works best for one family's schooling (schooling styles, curriculum, schedules, which books they choose, etc) may be totally different than what is best for yours, and enjoy that!

 

3.  Seek and appreciate the advice of your husband (in addition to other wise people.)  I love to ask people questions!  I love to glean from the wisdom others have accumulated, and sometimes I wonder where I would be without the wise counsel of faithful followers of Christ.  But I try to remember that in all of these things, I need to seek my husband's counsel first (as well as seeking the Word, of course).  Sometimes I forget to just ask him what he thinks I ought to do.  I know he is the head of our home, but since much of our daily schooling falls into my role as part of helping him, I sometimes just try to figure it all out on my own.  Even in simple things, I love to go over all of it together with Matt (and I do mean *all* of it, being the overcommunicative sort!).  Sometimes his fresh eyes will provide just the perfect answer.  Here's a little example:  I told him I was feeling flustered in the mornings while I got Naomi and Hannah dressed, because since Isabelle dresses and finishes her beds so quickly she has a bunch of time to get a bit goofy.  He just suggested I have her start filling up water sippy cups for everyone and get all of the bibs snapped and ready.  It solved it perfectly - she's kept happily busy and the morning runs so much more smoothly! Even when he's not sure what's best to do, the responsibilty for making a diffulty decision is taken off of my shoulders and I can rest in his leadership.

 

4.  Remember what is most important in schooling our children.  I know we all have different reasons for homeschooling, but for many of us a very important reason is that we are best able to bring them up teaching them of our Lord through all we do(Deut. 6 & Eph. 6:4).  For years I've looked into curriculums, choosing things I did and didn't like, but last year I read the book "When You Rise Up" by RC Sproul Jr. and was SO blessed and encouraged.  It was a wonderful reminder of what is truly important as we seek to teach our kids.  I especially liked it because I know RC Sproul Jr is anything but light on the academics, yet he was reminding us of the most important part.  I have to remind myself about what Christ said "But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary." Luke 10:41-42.

 

5.  If Nothing Else, Read Aloud - As I said, I'm still new at this, but I've already become so convinced of the great benefits of reading aloud.  My girls are still so little, but they have excellent vocabularies, and they tend to use words pretty well.  I can't take credit for this, as I'm still learning to use words well myself, but I know they must pick much up from the myriad of books we've read to them.  What a fun way it is to teach so many sorts of things: grammar, vocabulary, morals, etc, etc, etc.  Even if I was still unsure of what I wanted to do for school times, I know I could start just by choosing some wonderful books and beginning to read through them aloud with my girls.

 

6.  Try to finish up random projects before you start - I am the sort of person who gets very distracted by unfinished projects.  I think I'd rather start my school year a week or two later, if it meant I could start it having finished any projects that would weigh on my mind.  For examply, I've FINALLY finished sorting out every piece of little girls' clothing in this house.  That project was almost overwhelming, and it's such a relief to have it done.  I know I could not have started any schooling if I had something like that hanging over my head.

 

7.  Trust Christ to be your sufficiency - It can be so easy to feel overwhelmed in my tasks, and all the more so if/when I forget the many promises throughout God's word. His Word says "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. . .I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Phil. 4);  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Prov. 3:5-6); "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

 

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Aug. 10, 2006 - Autumn School Plans

Wow, I've tried to post this entry three times and it keeps freezing up on me, and erasing! So if my thoughts seem scattered, it must be that my brain is weary of typing the same thing! Let's see if this works . . .

 

I've just finished making plans for our first semi-official year of homeschooling.  I do say semi-official because Isabelle will just be four this year, and as such I don't need to worry about any huge academic expectations.  I'm also relaxing more as I learn how much little ones pick up on their own or almost on their own at these ages - Isabelle can read three letter words (with short vowel sounds) pretty consistently, knows lots of "math" from discussing daily life, and has just taught herself to draw all kinds of letters and pictures! This year is kind of a trial run to get used to having more school times throughout our days.  Anyway, back to my plans.  I'm hoping to use eight months out of the year, four days a week for the majority of our schooling, to go along with Matt's schedule rotations and work weeks.  This will leave us the last month of Spring and all of summer to relax, read of course, and work on other projects.  I think this will work great for our family! I don't have much actual "curriculum" this year, as I don't think I need too much yet, but we do have lots of wonderful books to explore!  We use repitition a lot - reading the same books many times - the girls come to love them and learn their content well. On the four days Matt's working, we'll have school in the times listed below.  On his days off, we'll use those same times for our housecleaning, and playing outside as the weather permits.  Here's what my plan is looking like so far (and of course I'll just tweak it if needed, as we go along):

 

 

0630-0800 - my time to wake, dress, nurse and feed Juliette, read and pray, eat breakfast (I'd get too dizzy if I waited for the girls), and get the girls' vitamins and breakfasts ready.

0800 - munchkins up and dressed, teeth and hair brushed, etc.  Morning chores: BELLE: fold pjs and make beds HANNAH: put laundry from hampers down the chute.  Belle can serve herself and her sisters some cheerios if they finish early.

0830 - Girls eat while I read the story from Veritas Press Old Testament Bible/History cards.  I'll read the same story each day for a week, so they remember it.  We'll also talk about the habit we're practicing that week (ie: looking people in the eyes when you're conversing, responding politely to questions, chewing like a lady, etc).

0900 - ME: tidy up kitchen and start laundry BELLE: tidy up under table with broom or vaccuum HANNAH AND NAOMI: play with dollies and strollers JULIETTE: down for morning nap.

0930 - play together with all the girls; practice playing kindly

1000-1100 - School time in the living room.  The girls will rotate between snuggling on my lap and playing on one of the two carpets with preschool toys on them (puzzles, counting bears, cutting food set, etc).  I will read:

*A few pages of our little history books (The Beautiful Girlhood library from vision forum), while the girls also can dress their dollies in the matching "historical" outfit.

*whichever special book we're looking at that particular day of the week (rotating between Johannah Bluedorn's "The Story of Mr. Pippin", "My Mommy, My Teacher", "Little Bitty Baby Learns Hebrew" and our little science books together: "Animal Babies In Ponds And Rivers" and "Are You A Ladybug?")

*Some books of the girls' choice from the bookshelf: story books, baby books for the little ones, old favorites like "Little Bear", etc.

1100 - ME: nurse Juliette and make lunch BELLE AND HANNAH: tidy up preschool toys, then alternate playing with blocks and lincoln logs, and playing with the dollhouse NAOMI: play in playpen.

1130 - eat lunch with all the girls, then read our memorizing passage till they know it (we did the ten commandments and Deut. 6 for awhile, so this fall we'll work on shorter NT passages that help with what they're working on character-wise; ie: I Corinthians 13 passage on love).  Also talk about whatever "healthy and safe" habit we're practicing (like washing hands, etc).

1200 - ME: tidy up from lunch BELLE: tidy under table HANNAH AND NAOMI: alternate playing with blocks or dollhouse, Hannah can hang out on counter if she'd like.  JULIETTE can hang out in her chair or the playpen.

1230 - play time all together!

100- Naomi to bed (or can join us if she's not seeming tired yet) then school in the school room. Girls rotate between the magna-doodle and it's accessories and an art project (stickers, scissors, crayons, paper, etc) or my lap whilst I read:

*One portion of Psalm 119 or one of our Johannah Bluedorn illustrated Psalm books (I have it planned out so we'll read through the entirety of Ps. 119 through the year - each portion for a week, and have the illustrated books in between)

*A chapter or so of our longer books (Mario, A Belizean Boy, Rosa Of Linden Castle, and Teddy's Button)

*A couple little books of the girls' choice, if we have time

*Practice letter sounds with Belle (aka phonograms), and "play" practicing letter sounds with Hannah, as she likes to do what her big sister does!

200- Hannah and Juliette to bed.  Isabelle and I fold laundry together then do the Penny Primer (the first little reading lesson in the TATRAS set) and perhaps try to "read" a little book together (I have the Veritas Press reading primers, the McGuffey's and the Rod & Staff ones - Isabelle has lots of special books!)

230- "Drawing With Children" for me and Isabelle to learn to draw together!

300 - Isabelle goes to bed. I can read my Bible if I didn't in the morning.  Thursdays this is my "phone date" time with one of my best home-teaching friends, Christine, in California.

330-430- my free or project time: can research, work on projects, read, bake bread if needed, blog of course, rest, etc . . .  Nurse Juliette when she wakes up.

430ish - get the girls up, snuggle in Belle's bed and read a bit of "Little Pilgrim's Progress", then defrost meat, play outside if time.

5ish - I start dinner, making phone calls as needed.  Girls all have chair time in the kitchen.

530ish - Finish dinner and set table.  Girls practice standing time.  Sing songs, and Isabelle can help with setting the table and getting bibs snapped on.

6ish - eat dinner with all

645ish- I tidy up dishes BELLE: pjs on then play with daddy HANNAH: garbage can job then play with daddy NAOMI AND JULIETTE: with daddy, he get's pjs on (isn't he great?).

715ish - Family Worship

8ish - Naomi and Juliette to bed.  One chapter of "Little Pilgrim's Progress" with the older girls if we didn't get to it before.  Bless and tuck girls.

830-1030 (at which point I will hopefully get to bed on time!) - free time with Matt, since he'll be on day shift  - we can read, blog, listen to sermons, watch a movie, snuggle, etc, etc, etc . . .

 

"School plans" for me include re-reading through Teaching The Trivium with the Basically Bluedorn discussion group :-)

School plans for Matt are that he has officially applied to Whitefield College - a reformed Christian school where he can use distance learning to work toward his goal of a bachelor's in education, then his goal of entering Greyfriar's Hall!

 

 

Well, I think that's it for now-  it feels so nice to have a plan.  We're all so excited for autumn to come, for many, many reasons! In case you didn't know, it's my FAVORITE season, hence why it is Isabelle's middle name!

 

 

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Jul. 13, 2006 - On Socialization

I don't have much opportunity to read other blogs, having quite limited time.  But when I do have a few minutes, I'm always blessed by something I read.  This is an article that Corin posted on her blog http://homeschoolblogger.com/corin . It's a long read (so it fits in great on this blog!), but I just thought it was a wonderful answer to the common question of "what about socialization" which is posed so often to homeschoolers.  I emailed Corin and she graciously agreed to let me post it here as well.  Hope you enjoy! 

  

From a secular viewpoint, as long as parents can rely on daycare workers, babysitters, nannies, schools and the government to raise their children for them, they will, and by doing so become lazier in doing it themselves.  Take a look at how society and especially youth have changed in the past 100 years (or even further back, 100 years is just a start) and you can easily see that.

 

Take a look the next time you’re out and about and you can see just how well kids are learning social skills.  Teenagers that are self absorbed.  People of all ages that only seem to be able to associate with people in their own age group.  Every day we are surrounded by people of all ages, yet few can manage to maintain a conversation for more than a few minutes with an elderly person or a young child.

 

Ever notice how uncommon it is to hear a sincere apology anymore?  If someone crashed into you in the store, you’re lucky to get a quick “sorry” as they rush away.  Please and thank you?  Not too common.  Being asked “Would you hand that to me?” instead of the more demanding “give me that” is almost unheard of anymore! 

 

Look at how entertainment oriented adults are now as opposed to the generations of the past.  Are you getting the picture?

 

Seems to me that the “professionals” are failing in their duties of training in the social graces and teaching them to become responsible adults.

 

 

As one thing went from being considered abnormal to considered normal (as far as professionals taking over for parents), another was introduced.  We’ve gone from parents training their own children to be just fine socially; to a society that now overlooks temper tantrums, over aggressiveness, laziness, selfishness, sexual immorality and all manner of bad behavior.  Instead of wondering what the parents have done wrong, more and more people are asking what society and the school systems can do to change the situation.  Or worse, what drugs than can put children on to help us restrain them.

 

Most recently we have programs like First 5 (which by the way scares the living daylights out of me!  Have you heard or read Rob Reiner’s publicly stated goals for the program?!?!?) Which state that sending your children off to preschool at the age of 3 will keep them out of prison.

 

Ummm…. No.  Parents taking responsibility for their children, raising them to be productive individuals, capable of knowing right from wrong and acting accordingly, putting self aside and thinking of others, will keep them out of prison! 

 

Instead we blame the school, blame the “village” that it’s supposed to take to raise a child (just gag me now!), blame the television, the video games, the music (as if there is no “off” button), blame the neighborhood, blame socio/economic status, blame their friends (yes you can control who your children are friends with).  Blame anyone but the parents who were given this child and the responsibility to raise him/her

 

Hmmmmmm… This may go longer than I thought, you might want to grab something to eat

 

I don’t want to look at this from a secular standpoint though.  Quite honestly I’m surprised that secular society has done as well as it has, for so long, with no biblical standard for right and wrong.  So far the children just take their parents word for “this is right” and “this is wrong” but heaven help us as the days go on and they begin to ask “why?” because, without the word of God as their foundation, the parents will have nothing to stand on except “because I said so”

 

We are Christians and are held to a higher standard than the world.  God has a lot to say about children.  I would really encourage you to look into what scripture has to say on this subject, as well as anything that you have to make a decision on.  Many times you’ll find that by following His instructions, the world will think that you are a complete lunatic.  Yet the fruit that is produced in your life is unmistakable and highly coveted even by the most worldly of people.

 

So off we go to look at what He has to say...  You know what?  You may want to just print this up and sit somewhere more comfortable   I’m using the New King James version throughout (copied and pasted to save time and avoid typos).

 

First we’ll look at what has happened since society has turned from God.  I found several verses that are just as true today as they were then. 

 

Romans 1:20-32

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

 

 

 

2 Timothy 3:1-4

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

 

 

Sure sounds like our society today doesn’t it?  I love the reason that was given in Romans1:21 and 22.  They became wise in their own eyes.  People began ignoring what God had to say about issues and instead decided that maybe God was being a bit harsh, or maybe they knew better. 

 

Just look what happened when they decided that they were right and put worldly wisdom above Godly wisdom!  Things fell apart around them, and God gave them exactly what they wanted.  They wanted to prove that they were right instead of God?  That somehow what they have learned supersedes Gods infinite knowledge?  How stupid we can be at times huh?

 

Okay, moving on…  Now knowing that we are to look to the Supreme Source of Wisdom in order for our lives to glorify Him instead of being conformed to the world…  Just how seriously does He take the training up of our children?

 

Mark 9:42

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.

 

 

Deuteronomy 21:18-21

18 "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. 20 And they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' 21 Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.

 

Yikes!  I’m seeing death in both cases!  One is for adults who cause a child to sin.  One is for a child who is stubborn and rebellious towards his parents.  Yet notice, than in Deuteronomy 21:18 it states that the parents have chastened him, but he did not heed them.  It doesn’t say that society has chastened him.  God didn’t give that responsibility to them, he gave it to the parents.

 

Let’s look at some more…

 

Proverbs 3:11-12

11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; 12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

 

 

Once again we see a father correcting a son in whom he delights (God making a comparison that our feeble minds can see and understand). 

 

 

Proverbs 13:24

24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.

 

 

Same scenario all over again.  A father corrects and disciplines a child that he loves and he does so promptly.  He does not do that for one he hates.

 

Now to children…

 

Ephesians 6:1-4

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

 

 

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

 

Proverbs 1:7-9

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; 9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck.

 

 

 

Proverbs 6:20-23

20 My son, keep your father's command, And do not forsake the law of your mother. 21 Bind them continually upon your heart; Tie them around your neck. 22 When you roam, they will lead you; When you sleep, they will keep you; And when you awake, they will speak with you. 23 For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

 

Proverbs 13:1

1 A wise son heeds his father's instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

 

Proverbs 15:5

5 A fool despises his father's instruction, But he who receives correction is prudent.

 

Children are to obey their parents.  While I do agree that they need to learn to obey others in authority as well, they cannot properly do this without first learning to obey the authority that God has placed over them from birth.  Do we teach them to partially (but not completely) do anything, then deem them ready to go out into the world?  Of course not!  This takes several years to accomplish; preschool aged children are the perfect age to learn respect for their parents, but until that is accomplished they will not know how to properly respect other adults (or who must first be obeyed, the parent or the teacher).  While they may be obedient, respect and boundaries must also be established.

 

 

And (a bit of a rabbit trail here) a verse for the children of widows

 

1 Timothy 5:4

But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God.

 

 

 

Do we see this happening much anymore?  Are widows or the elderly being taken care of by their children?  Yes in a few instances, but more and more frequently they are put into care homes because their children don’t want to bear the responsibility.  They were not trained in caring for others.  They think of themselves first. 

 

Now I’m not talking about elderly people who need 24 hour medical care (although this can still be accomplished from home it is much more difficult and costly).  I’m talking about the senior communities and care homes.  So they sit alone, hoping relatives will stop by fo