For 27 Years The Teaching Home Has Been Providing Families
Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement from a Distinctively Christian Perspective. Cindy Short and Sue Welch, Co-Editors
_________________________________________________________________________________
Sidebar Contents
• The Role of Spies
in Early U.S. History
• TTH Back Issues
• Sunnyside Up
• Free Reprints
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The course of history was changed on September 17, 1787——the day the U.S. Constitution was signed by 39 men. Fifty-five delegates attended the Constitutional Convention, but only 39 dared to sign. They risked a great deal, their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, for our freedoms.
"We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." – Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
Spies
There are so many fascinating stories that led to this fateful date. Yet there is also the unknown, secret history of the history for the War of Independence——intelligence, counterintelligence, and espionage. In a word: spies.
A great deal of risk was incurred by Patriot spies. Twenty-one-year-old Nathaniel Hale’s famous statement before his execution for his patriotic spying was, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country!
Thomas Jefferson had successful privateering enterprises. Spies learned the semaphore code which helped them to falsely identify themselves as British ships and smuggle in weapons, munitions, and other important goods—frequently from the Dutch Republic. They listened to secret Tory war plans.
Spies risked all.
The Commission for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies was a counterintelligence organization and the forerunner of the secret service. Their mission was to uncover enemy spies and discover traitors to the Patriot cause. The 1776 Articles of War gave them their rules of operation.
Covert operations like blockade running were imperative to the struggling government waiting to operate freely. Spy saboteurs targeted munitions factories, shipyards, and weapons storage facilities. Some were caught and executed; others continued this dangerous work.
Goods contaminated with small pox and other dangerous diseases were traded back and forth between Tories and Patriots with the goal of infecting the other side.
Complex codes, ciphers, secret writing, invisible inks, and cryptology were used. Tory and Patriot spies worked hard to capture the code books of their opponents, so many committed these codes to memory.
Lydia Darragh
In British-occupied Philadelphia, Lydia Darragh, like Betsy Ross, supported the American war effort.
General Howe was quartered in the home of her neighbor, John Cadwalader, and sent a soldier to tell Quaker Lydia Darragh she had to move out of her home so British officers could use it. She informed him that she had two children to care for and had no place to go. Her two youngest children were already living with relatives.
Captain Barrington, her cousin from Ireland, intervened with Lord Howe on her behalf. Lydia would be allowed to stay in her home if she kept a room available for British officers to hold meetings.
Darragh risked everything to overhear the ultra-secret plans of Lord Howe to attack and, hopefully, capture Washington at Whitemarsh by hiding in a linen closet in another room. If all went well, the British held, the war would soon be over.
Through extraordinary courage, Lydia Darragh warned Washington of his impending danger.
Secret List of Spies
Many today do not realize that a secret list of spies, Patriot and Tory, existed in the city of divided loyalties, Philadelphia. Both sides wanted this list destroyed. We know it exists, but we do not know what happened to it.
British General Sir William Howe astonished all when he occupied the city. Washington was baffled at Howe'’s move and relocated to Valley Forge. Seemingly, confusion reigned on the Patriot side. Intrigue was everywhere——I spy, you spy, he spies, she spies, they spy, we all spy.
Learn about this mysterious time in C.D. Baker'’s The List, a riveting, meticulously researched story that integrates historical facts in an interesting and easy-to-follow plot.
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This Free Newsletter
Offer Great Resources!
These free newsletters are made possible by the fine suppliers who advertise in them and the accompanying e-mails.
Please visit their websites and consider if their products and services can benefit your family.
Newsletter Archives
Visit our newsletter archives and read more than 180 previous issues filled with:
• In-depth information on all aspects of home education.
• Practical ideas to use with your children.
• Dozens of Internet links for more information!
Some of our subscribers have printed out past issues and filed them in a notebook for future reference!
The Teaching Home
Back Issues
"I cannot tell you how far I have come as a result of the encouragement I have received from The Teaching Home.
"I have gone from surviving to thriving; from enduring to enjoying." – Karen, Missouri
Always-Relevant Teaching Home Back Issues
Many home schoolers have found information, inspiration, and support from the writers who have contributed to The Teaching Home magazine over the last 23 years.
Fifty-one back issues are offered online or by mail order.
After our 5-year-old son had learned about money, we began giving him an allowance.
We carefully explained our guidelines: give at least the first nickel to God, save some for a rainy day, and then the rest you may spend wisely.
We stressed the importance of being faithful to God as we use the money He gives us. To make sure he understood, we asked, "What are you supposed to do with your allowance?"
William said with enthusiasm, "Spend it faithfully!"
Because we have been separated from God by sin, Jesus Christ died in our place, then rose to life again. If we trust Him as our Savior and Lord, He will forgive our sin and give us eternal life.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
FREE Reprints
We want to help as many families as possible to teach and train their children for the Lord's glory.
Please help us to help other families by sharing this entire newsletter, or individual articles.
• Forward to your friends and support group.
• Reprint in an e-mail or print publication.
• Post online.
Please observe our copyright:
1. Do not change the wording.
2. Include "by Cindy Short and Sue Welch" (or other author).
3. Add: "Copyright 2007 by www.TeachingHome.com. Reprinted by permission."
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Please help us make this a great newsletter; we want it to be interactive.
Constitution Week, September 17- 23 1. President's Comments on the Constitution
2. Studying Our Constitution
3. Studying Our Government
4. Biblical Principles: Basis for America's Laws
5. Resources
Recommended Resources
• Doorposts: Applying Scripture in Your Home
• How Great Thou Art (Christian Art Programs)
• AVKO Multi-Sensory Language Arts
Greetings,
1. President's Comments on the Constitution
by George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The following are excepts from a former Citizenship Day and Constitution Week Proclamation.
Today, we marvel at the wisdom of the Framers who toiled through a long summer of learned and contentious debates.
Their work produced a document that upholds high ideals, while answering the most practical questions of governance. The charter they crafted — with its separate branches of Government, enumerated powers, checks and balances, and later the specific protections provided by our Bill of Rights — guides our Nation and inspires others around the world.
Twin Foundations
As the delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia began working on what would become the United States Constitution, they grasped that a great democracy must be built on the twin foundations of:
• National consent to a Federal Government
• Respect for individual rights.
Balance of Powers
In creating our Nation's Constitutional framework, the Convention's delegates recognized the dangers inherent in concentrating too much power in one person, branch, or institution.
They wisely crafted a Government that balanced the functions and authority of a Federal system among three separate but equal branches:
• The Executive
• The Legislative
• The Judicial.
As a further check on central power, the Framers granted citizens the right to vote, giving them the power to express their political preferences peacefully and thereby to effect change in the Government.
The Convention delegates ratified the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and submitted it to the States for approval.
Bill of Rights
After much deliberation and discussion at the State level, the following two concerns emerged from among those who feared the Constitution's proposed centralization of Federal power:
• The threat of tyranny
• The loss of local control.
To address these fears, our Founders amended the Constitution by adding a Bill of Rights.
These ten amendments provided a series of clear limits on Federal power and a litany of protective rights to citizens.
Today, our Nation celebrates the longest-lived written Constitution in world history.
End of Summer Sale at Doorposts.
Use discount code 070910 for 10% off all orders.
Doorposts: Bible-Based, Parent-Designed, Family-Tested
Products To Help You Apply Scripture in Your Home
Find practical resources that will help you train your children to love and obey God and His Word, as well as prepare them for life as responsible adults.
Books, charts, and other resources include biblical discipline, character training, Scripture memorizing, and more.
Toll Free: (888) 433-4749 www.Doorposts.net.
The Constitution of the United States is the foundation of our American Government. As the supreme law of the land, no law may be passed that contradicts its principles, and no person or government in the nation is exempt from following it.
The First Amendment to the Constitution does not include the phrase "separation of church and state." Nowhere does it suggest that Christianity cannot be heard in the public square.
In fact, the first act of the United States Congress was to authorize the printing of 20,000 Bibles for the Indians. Read more.
Judicial Interpretation of the Constitution
The subject of constitutional interpretation is a valid and practical concern today that will reach into many areas of our lives for years to come.
Two competing viewpoints have emerged:
1. To follow the original intent of the Constitution.
2. To allow judges to interpret the Constitution as they will.
• Read "A Tale of Two Constitutions" by David Barton as well as a variety of articles from Wall Builders on the moral, religious, and constitutional foundation on which America was built.
The Center for Civic Education offers free lessons for Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
These are beautifully produced pdf files with illustrated stories, questions, worksheets, activities, and teacher's guides. You may download and print them. Audio guides are also available.
• Kindergarten - study of authority. (30 pages)
• Level 1-2 - study of authority. (34 pages)
• Level 3-4 - Preamble to the Constitution. (10 pages)
• Level 5-6 - Preamble to the Constitution. (12 pages)
• Level 7-8 - the federal system of government. (12 pages)
• Level 9-10 - the Constitution as a framework for the government. (14 pages)
• Level 11-12 - involves students in critical thinking exercises involving fundamental principles of the Constitution. (17 pages)
Give Your Children
an Excellent Art Education
with How Great Thou Art
Choose from 14 curriculums that teach students of all ages the fundamentals of drawing, painting, color theory, and art appreciation. Written by Christian artist and art instructor Barry Stebbing.
See quality supplies, art gallery, sample lessons, and class schedules at www.HowGreatThouArt.com.
3. Studying Our Government
The Teaching Home Newsletters #66-68 (which you can read online or print for personal use) addressed the topic of teaching your children about governments in general and the United States government in particular.
This series offers much practical information, Internet links for further study, and application for Christians. It would make an excellent study for Constitution Week.
Following is an outline of what each issue contains.
AVKO (Audio, Visual, Kinesthetic, and Oral) Offers a Multi-Sensory Approach
to Language Arts through Phonics
and Word Families.
• Individualized Keyboarding teaches reading and spelling skills as your child masters the keyboard.
• Let's Write Right teaches reading/spelling as the alphabet is learned.
• Sequential Spelling builds self-esteem.
• To Teach a Dyslexic is the readable and enjoyable autobiography of Don McCabe, a dyslexic who has become a widely recognized expert on dyslexia and head of AVKO.
To try it before you buy it, or for information on dyslexia, visit our website. Complimentary samples and downloads. www.spelling.org / 1-866-285-612
4. Biblical Principles: Basis for America's Laws
Excerpted and reprinted by permission from an article by Charles and Cindy Meek, Faith Facts.
Christians believe that the Bible offers ultimate, objective, and absolute truth. There was a general consensus on this point in America from the earliest settlers until only very recently.
Thus it was natural for the early Americans to turn to the Bible for guidance as to how to make civil law. This was the standard for law beginning with the Mayflower Compact all the way through the constitutions of all 50 states.
State Constitutions
For example, the first state constitution was the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639). Read this document.
The framers of this document desired that every aspect of it be based on the Bible. This document was a model for other constitutions including the U.S. Constitution which followed it. (See other Preambles to State Constitutions.)
Rule of Law
Another aspect of our system of government is that it is based on the Rule of Law. This concept is a direct descendant of Hebrew law and the Ten Commandments.
Together with the concept of inalienable rights from God, these concepts helped ensure a way of life that respected the dignity of every individual.
The True Nature of Man
Another important aspect of America's constitution is that it has as its basis the distinctly Christian idea that man is basically sinful. Every one of our founding fathers understood this truth. The result was that the founders built into the Constitution an elaborate system of checks and balances.
This is evident in the horizontal plane of executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. It is also evident in the vertical plane of federalism - states' powers versus federal powers.
See a chart of the influence of Biblical thought on America's legal system with Bible references.
5. Resources
Constitution Day Package
• "A More Perfect Union," DVD, depicting the Federal Convention of 1787 ( See a preview online).
• Beautiful reproductions of the U.S. Constitution and the painting depicting the Convention
• 30 student booklets including the founding documents plus quotes;
• A miniature version of the 24-image Freedom Gallery.
From Home School Legal Defense Association. Includes: Founding Fathers, Introduction to Constitutional Law, The Federalist Papers, Declaration of Independence, and more.
The Federalist Papers Online
One of the most important works on political theory ever written.
America's Godly Heritage
Video clearly sets forth the beliefs of many of the famous Founding Fathers concerning the proper role of Christian principles in education, in government, and in the public affairs of the nation.
A Nation Adrift
"A Chronicle of America's Providential Heritage" DVD is the true story of how God's sovereign hand guided the founders of America.
Enlightened Democracy
by Tara Ross. Understand the Constitution and the basic tenets that undergird America's republican democracy. Free Study Guide. Colonial Press
Naturalization Self Test
Could your children (or you) pass the test to become a citizen? Test your knowledge of United States History and the structure of our government on this easy-to-use online question and answer interactive site.
: Our Responsibilities in Government: United States Government: Introduction to Government
Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.
It is important to teach your children about our nation's Constitution and how it affects our lives. Constitution Week, September 17-23, is also a great time to study our government and our Christian heritage with your family!
May the Lord bless you and your family for His glory.
Cordially,
The Pat Welch Family, Publishers
Pat, Sue, Heather, Holly, and Brian
The Teaching Home is a home-school, family-run business operated in our home since 1980.
Check out this online resource for high schoolers and even college students; the site recommends this resource for ages 16 thru college and you can even personalize the site for your needs:
This is a rare find, even in homeschool circles - someone who believes that the urgency expressed for all the socialization needs are hype. What a blessing to read this - thank you HSLDA!
Program Offer
In Dr. Robert Epstein’s book, he raises some profoundly important problems with America’s view of young people today. His research is a valuable starting point for better understanding the years we call adolescence.
The Home School Foundation supports homeschool families in need. Whether it's a widow or a family suffering after a natural disaster, HSF is there to help. You can give directly to HSF, or through our Clicks For Homeschooling program, online merchants contribute to HSF when you shop!
Start your shopping at Click4HS to contribute to HSF at no cost to you!
What role does socialization play in shaping the behavior of your teen? Would it surprise you to hear that research suggests the peer dependent culture fostered by the media and the public school system, does not contribute to a healthy social life? On today’s Home School Heartbeat, join HSLDA president Mike Smith, as he talks about this important issue with Dr. Robert Epstein, former Editor-in-Chief of Psychology Today magazine and author of the book The Case against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen.
Mike Smith:
Dr. Epstein, homeschoolers are always asked, what about socialization? And implied in that is that homeschoolers are not getting good socialization. What would your response be to that?
Dr. Robert Epstein:
Mike, I hear this all the time; it is so frustrating to me. I don’t know where this crazy idea came from that teenagers have to be socialized with each other. That makes no sense whatsoever. Teens in our country spend about seventy hours a week with each other. Teens in other countries, where there’s a strong connection between young people and adults, spend five hours a week with their peers. This system we have is crazy. The fact is, when you’re a teen you need to be learning to become an adult and you need to spend quality time with adults. The last people on earth that you should be hanging out with, and learning from, is peers. So positively, homeschooling in that respect is a very positive thing for young people because it creates a meaningful connection between young people and adults.
Mike:
Well amen, and I couldn’t agree with you more and thank you for being with us this week. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.
"Home School Heartbeat" is a production of the Home School Legal Defense Association. All rights reserved. For more information on Home School Heartbeat or the Home School Legal Defense Association please contact us at:
Home School Heartbeat • P.O. Box 3000 • Purcellville, Virginia 20134-9000
Phone: (866) 338-8614 • Fax: (540) 338-8609 • Email: heartbeat@hslda.org
Web: http://www.homeschoolheartbeat.org
To ensure our e-mails are delivered to your inbox, please add
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For the teaching week of August 27
Welcome to Evan-Moor's NEW Education Newsletter, where you’ll get all the FREE resources you need to help children learn. We’ve changed more than just our look...exciting new features include:
Downloadable lesson plan activities and ideas. We've pulled some of your favorite activities straight from our books. Now, there’s no need to print the entire newsletter. Just click and print the activity. You save time and paper!
An easier-to-use format. Links at the beginning of the newsletter take you right where you want to go—we've customized your experience.
Grades PreK-K lesson plans
Visual Discriminatin and Math Activities
Visual Discrimination
Caterpillars
Students practice readiness skills as they put together a colorful caterpillar puzzle and find caterpillars hiding among leaves.
Math Counts!
Fishing for Numbers
These colorful fish-themed math activities make students feel like they are completing an art project and singing a funny chant rather than practicing their math skills!
Grades 1-3 lesson plans
Phonics and Word Family Activities
Word Families
-ig, -og, -ug
-ig, -og, -ug. Sound like a friendly giant? It's not! It two pages of word family practice! Activities with illustrations are a giant hit in every primary classroom!
Little Phonics Reader
The Big Dig
The -ig family is a BIG hit in a Little Phonics Reader mini-book!
U.S. Facts and Fun
Yosemite National Park
Didn't make it to Yosemite National Park this summer? Don't worry, we'll take you there! This informational article presents many facts about one of America's most well-known national parks.
Social Studies
Moving West
This engaging history lesson with activities for every type of learner teaches your students the history of America's first pioneers!
I have made every effort to try and convert the text color in the e-newsletter below. But regardless of my efforts, the text in many of the block remains "white" because of my default text color normally on "chalkboard" style background.
So.......if you capture the text in areas that you are unable to read by left clicking and holding while swiping over an area - you should be able to read the blocks of info ~
The Teaching Home is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it to anyone homeschooling; you can subscribe online and receive your own copy each month.
For 26 Years The Teaching Home Has Been Providing Families
Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement from a Distinctively Christian Perspective. Cindy Short and Sue Welch, Co-Editors
_________________________________________________________________________________
Sidebar Contents
• Your Summer Photos
• TTH Back Issues
• Sunnyside Up
• Free Reprints
Save and Share
Your Summer Photos
1. Take Family Photos
Create family memories by taking lots of photos to preserve and display! You can take:
• Regular photos to show your family's growth.
• Photos of ordinary, everyday settings and activities you will appreciate seeing in the future.
• Photos of special occasions and friends.
Improve your photos by studying about the technical aspects and composition of photography.
Gather, sort, and display your new and old print photos so that you can preserve them and share them with others.
• Gather old photos from your relatives and select a few of each family or era; restore any important photos that are badly damaged.
• Compile an album of family photos. Ask your older relatives to identify people and tell you stories about them that you can tape record or write down.
3. Use Free Online Programs
for Your Digital Photos
• Microsoft Photo Story 3 for Windows XP. Create slideshows using your digital photos. You can touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures. Add special effects, soundtracks, and your own voice narration to your photo stories. Then, personalize them with titles and captions. Small file sizes make it easy to send your photo stories in an e-mail. Watch them on your TV, a computer, or a Windows Mobile-based portable device.
• Picasa 2 is a free software download from Google that helps you locate and organize all the photos on your computer. You can edit and add effects to your photos and share them with others through e-mail, prints, and the web.
• Smilebox. Put your electronic photos or videos into postcards, slideshows, or scrapbooks, add words and music, and then share them with others.
• GIMP: High-Tech Photo Editing. This free image and photo editing program works like Adobe Photoshop. It takes some study to learn how to use it.
Tell a Friend!
• If you find this free newsletter to be helpful, please recommend it to a friend - or your entire support group!
• Use the link at the end of this e-mail to forward this issue to a friend.
• If this issue has been forwarded to you, you can sign up here to receive your own free newsletter subscription.
Thank you!
Newsletter Archives
Visit our newsletter archives and read more than 180 previous issues filled with:
• In-depth information on all aspects of home education.
• Practical ideas to use with your children.
• Dozens of Internet links for more information!
Some of our subscribers have printed out past issues and filed them in a notebook for future reference!
The Teaching Home
Back Issues
"I cannot tell you how far I have come as a result of the encouragement I have received from The Teaching Home.
"I have gone from surviving to thriving; from enduring to enjoying." – Karen, Missouri
Always-Relevant Teaching Home Back Issues
Many home schoolers have found information, inspiration, and support from the writers who have contributed to The Teaching Home magazine over the last 23 years.
Fifty-one back issues are offered online or by mail order.
Advertisers Who Sponsor
This Free Newsletter
Offer Great Resources!
These free newsletters are made possible by the fine suppliers who advertise in them and the accompanying e-mails.
Please visit their websites and consider if their products and services can benefit your family.
Sunnyside Up
The Bible on Line
As our 6-year-old son and I sat by the pool one hot summer day, I decided to spark some "critical thinking" in him by asking, "Did Adam and Eve have a bellybutton?"
Our son looked at me as if he were amazed that I would be so naive and said, "Of course not!"
Surprised by his quick response, I asked, "Why not?" and as serious as can be he responded, "Because they didn't have a biblical cord!"
Because we have been separated from God by sin, Jesus Christ died in our place, then rose to life again. If we trust Him as our Savior and Lord, He will forgive our sin and give us eternal life.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
FREE Reprints
We want to help as many families as possible to teach and train their children for the Lord's glory.
Please help us to help other families by sharing this entire newsletter, or individual articles.
• Forward to your friends and support group.
• Reprint in an e-mail or print publication.
• Post online.
Please observe our copyright:
1. Do not change the wording.
2. Include "by Cindy Short and Sue Welch" (or other author).
3. Add: "Copyright 2007 by www.TeachingHome.com. Reprinted by permission."
Back to Home School, Part 1 1. Set Specific Objectives for Each Child 2. Plan Multilevel Classes for Fall 3. Gather Your Curriculum 4. Help Someone Start Homeschooling
Recommended Resources
• Oxford Tutorial Service
• AVKO Multi-Sensory Language Arts
• Birch Court Books
• NorthStar Academy and NorthStar HomeSchool
Greetings,
It's time to get ready to go back to home school. We hope that you will look forward to this opportunity of teaching and training your children with anticipation — and that the suggestions and reminders in this and the next three issues will help and encourage you!
May the Lord bless you and your family for His glory.
Cordially,
The Pat Welch Family, Publishers
Pat, Sue, Heather, Holly, and Brian
The Teaching Home is a home-school, family-run business operated in our home since 1980.
Study the Classics Online!
Weekly Tutorials with a Ph.D.
Classic Christian Worldview
College Prep for High School
Oxford Tutorials offers college preparation classes over the Internet in Latin, Great Books, Shakespeare, Classic Literature, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Logic, and Rhetoric.
• Follows a classical, Christian worldview and approach.
• Teaches the history of ideas which shaped our culture.
425-402-9624 www.oxfordtutorials.com
1. Set Specific Objectives for Each Child
After you have set and reviewed your long-range goals for your children's education and training in all areas of their lives (see last issue), you are ready to determine specific goals and objectives for each of your children for the coming school year.
For goals to be useful, they need to be:
• Specific - what exactly are you aiming for?
• Measurable - how much and when.
• Obtainable - realistic, not overwhelming, yet challenging.
• Reviewed and revised frequently.
Examples:
• Daniel/Language arts - Learn to read this year.
• Jane/Life skills - Learn to make a main dish each month.
• Ryan/Math - Learn times tables.
• Kayla/Character - Be loving and helpful to little brother.
These specific goals will take your children towards the long-range life goals you have set for them (see last issue). See more complete information in newsletter #81.
AVKO (Audio, Visual, Kinesthetic, and Oral) Offers a Multi-Sensory Approach
to Language Arts through Phonics
and Word Families.
• Individualized Keyboarding teaches reading and spelling skills as your child masters the keyboard.
• Let's Write Right teaches reading/spelling as the alphabet is learned.
• Sequential Spelling builds self-esteem.
• To Teach a Dyslexic is the readable and enjoyable autobiography of Don McCabe, a dyslexic who has become a widely recognized expert on dyslexia and head of AVKO.
To try it before you buy it, or for information on dyslexia, visit our website. Complimentary samples and downloads. www.spelling.org / 1-866-285-612
2. Plan Multilevel Classes for Fall
Teaching several of your children together with the same material at the same time can be the most efficient use of your time and effort. Consider the following:
Separate Classes
• For basic skills such as reading, handwriting, and math during the early grades.
• For a student who needs individual attention.
• For an older student who can work independently.
Combined Classes
• For history, science, literature, and Bible.
Present lessons in an amplified manner with explanations and extra resources that enable all children to understand.
Combined Classes and Subjects
• For most of your subjects, using unit studies that integrate literature, history, science, Bible, and other subjects around a theme.
Create a Curriculum or Enhance
Your Own Packaged Curriculum.
Complete lines of Common Sense Press, Beautiful Feet Books, Draw-Write-Now, Key to... Workbooks, CalcuLadder, Learning Magnets, and much more!
Free Media Mail shipping with online order of $20. www.BirchCourtBooks.com
It's time to gather your resources for the coming school year - right around the calendar corner!
• Consider which classes will be taught to more than one of your children (see above), so you know what materials you need.
• Consider using elements from a variety of approaches including traditional textbooks, worktexts, the classical approach, the principle approach, unit studies, books, and life experiences. See information in Newsletter #82.
• Consider using a variety of media to add interest and motivation for all your children and at the same time enhance each child's learning according to his preferred learning style.
• Include books, printed materials, videos and DVDs, supervised Internet studies, computer software, educational games, tools, and manipulatives.
• Order, borrow, or buy any materials needed in addition to what you already have.
• Collect supplemental materials for your family's library such as reference books, time lines, maps, globes, math manipulatives, educational games, and software.
NorthStar Academy
and NorthStar HomeSchool
Two options enable homeschool students to study at their own pace.
• NorthStar Academy is a teacher-led, nationally accredited, online school.
• NorthStar HomeSchool is a parent-led, homeschool and independent study program.
See NorthStar's website or the accompanying e-mail to learn more about these two programs!
4. Help Someone Start Homeschooling —
Maybe Even Yourself!
Look around you at your church, support group, relatives, or neighbors. Is there anyone who would appreciate a little help in considering or starting to homeschool? Here are ways you can help.
Tell Your Story
Realistically give your convictions and reasons to homeschool and your experience - both challenges and successes.
Provide Information
Point your friend to information. The Teaching Home website offers the most frequently asked Questions & Answers, a series of articles on starting to homeschool, and a Checklist for starting a school year.
Give a Sample
Schedule a day or a week of homeschooling together (call it a Day Camp or something fun!). You could do a simple unit study, work on basic skills, and/or explore just one subject area of interest.
A field trip on the last day would round out a good sampling of homeschool opportunities.
Of course the best way to help someone is to pray for them and be there to answer questions and give encouragement!
I want to plan an Arts Festival for our area homeschoolers in May 2008. So far, the feedback and interest has been great and very encouraging.
I am polling here at HSB to see who has both coordinated this type event as well as participated in a homeschool Arts Festival: what did you like/dislike about the experience and what would you do differently or add to such an event.
For an extremely S-T-U-P-I-D reason (is there any other kind?), me being me, always on hyper drive, stuck my car key in my eye! And, gee, I've been dealing with a hole in my cornea all last week.
As if I had nothing else better to do.
Just say, "Yeow!" already. The guys and I had been into Augusta at the first of the week; after stop number one, we were out the door and ready to roll onto stop number two........but not before I had a completely detached "stupid moment" while trying to put on my sunglasses.
Talk about your klutz moment and then some.
I was holding my car keys in the same right hand that I picked up my sunglasses with and shoved them onto my face...........except the car key hit first.
After numerous times of thinking I was okay and had it together - not to mention the session of being led around Sam's Club by the guys as if their mother was Helen Keller - I finally decided that maybe an eye doctor would be in order. Sure enough - I had jabbed a hole in my right eye's cornea.
Many drops of numbing fluid, anti-biotic drops and a clear contact lense for a bandaid later, I was good to go....
....until the next morning when I awoke with an eye that looked like it should belong to Rocky Balboa and a rash all over......
The eye doc took out the contact lense last Friday and I have more liquids to drop in my eye - but the hole is about 98% healed.
But the "flash of the future" came when I had poked my eye. I was sitting in the driver's seat of the truck, whimpering, when our 13 yrear old son, Alex, who was the sitting co-pilot and being all "Alan-like" saying in his all manly changing voice, "Okay, okay, just open your eye and let me look..........."
Time stood still and In the blink of an eye (or rather a jab....) he was turning into a full blown "Y" chromosome man............it was an Allie McBeal moment and I could somehow imagine the scene when I'm 90 and my sons are fussing at me for doing something stupid (again).
Y'all have a great week ~ and keep your car keys "waist level" at all times!
For 26 Years The Teaching Home Has Been Providing Families
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Cindy Short and Sue Welch, Co-Editors
Sidebar Contents • Patriotic Evangelism
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Patriotic Evangelism
With the 4th of July coming up soon, it's time to start thinking about how you can reach out to the unsaved in your community.
Festivals are great locations for passing out tracts, witnessing one-on-one, and setting up booths.
People at festivals are enjoying themselves and planning to stay a while. For this reason they will usually take time to talk to you.
Most small towns have at least one fireworks show and a parade; in some larger cities you may be able to attend three or four fireworks shows.
It's easy to pass out patriotic tracts — you simply start walking through the crowd saying, "Happy Independence Day," "God bless America," or even "Help save America," as you give them out.
If anyone seems particularly friendly, stop and chat with him a little bit, and then take him through the Gospel.
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Learn To Play
Outdoor Games
Teach your children some of these games that you might have played when you were young!
• See five pages of outdoor games such as Capture the Flag, Red Light Green Light, Simon Says, Doors and Windows, Hen and Chicks, Camping Trip, Duck Duck Grey Duck, Freeze Tag, and the most popular outdoor game — Hide and Seek!
These games can provide hours of outdoor fun and exercise — the old fashioned way!
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Because we have been separated from God by sin, Jesus Christ died in our place, then rose to life again. If we trust Him as our Savior and Lord, He will forgive our sin and give us eternal life.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
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Many home schoolers have found information, inspiration, and support from the writers who have contributed to The Teaching Home magazine over the last 23 years.
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In This Issue: Get a Great Start to Summer 1. Show Dad Your Love and Appreciation 2. Keep Learning a Little Each Day 3. Be a Good Neighbor 4. Read Aloud Together
Recommended Resources
• Birch Court Books
• NorthStar Academy and NorthStar HomeSchool
• Reading Made Easy by Valerie Bendt
• Oxford Tutorials: Classic Christian College Prep Online
Greetings,
In this issue we offer you four ways to get a good start
to a summer that you will look back on with fondness and satisfactions!
May the Lord bless you and your family for His glory.
Cordially,
The Pat Welch Family, Publishers
Pat, Sue, Heather, Holly, and Brian
The Teaching Home is a home-school, family-run business operated in our home since 1980.
For good summer reading with character-building stories,
check out the Miller series! Create a Curriculum or Enhance
Your Own Packaged Curriculum.
Complete lines of Common Sense Press, Beautiful Feet Books, Draw-Write- Now, Key to... Workbooks, CalcuLadder, Learning Magnets, and much more!
Free Media Mail shipping with online order of $20. www.BirchCourtBooks.com
Free catalog: 800-655-1811 / BirchCourtBooks@aol.com.
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Show Dad Your Love and Appreciation
Often the deepest feelings of our hearts are not expressed in words. This applies to spouses, parents, and children as well as others.
Help your family learn to communicate their love and appreciation to each other by writing frequent letters or notes to each other. Father's Day is a good time to start!
Whether you buy a ready-made Father's Day card or make your own, add a personal note or enclose a letter that tells Dad exactly how you appreciate and love him.
Be specific in telling Dad what you admire about his character and actions, with examples such as:
"I like the way you show interest in me and what I do. When you ask me what I did today, I feel that you care for me."
"It was great that you helped our neighbors when their car wouldn't start! You are a good example of loving others."
We are all apt to take Dad for granted. The list below may help you realize how much you have to say to him (even if every item does not apply).
Things You Can Thank Dad for:
• Supporting your family's home education efforts.
• Being a good leader.
• Seeking wisdom from the Lord.
• Listening to the children and to Mom's concerns.
• Praying with and for the family.
• Spending one-on-one time with each one in the family.
• Letting children help him work around the house.
• Taking children with him on errands.
• His smile, good humor, and encouragement.
Things a Wife Can Say to Her Husband:
1. Express your purpose to follow the Lord and to be a good wife to him.
2. Tell him of your love, gratitude, and admiration (be specific).
3. Tell him that you want to help your children love and honor him.
4. Tell him that you are praying for him and all the issues that you know he faces.
5. Thank him for his faithfulness to your family.
6. Tell him that you want to keep your home in order and thank him for his patience when other priorities (like your children) prevent that from happening.
You may have heard stories of people whose dearest possession is a letter from a departed parent or a note of too-often-neglected thanks. You can be sure that Dad will treasure your words of love and appreciation!
Read practical suggestions on "How To Make Every Day Father's Day" in Newsletter #8.
Keep Learning a Little Each Day
These regularly repeated activities can help your child review or retain the skills learned during the past school year and even gain some new ones, giving him a big boost for the coming year. Each of the following academic habits can be done in a few minutes per day.
The secret is to use the power of habit and tie short learning activities to other regularly scheduled events. Small amounts done regularly add up to quite a bonus.
You can do each activity each day or alternate and do just one or two each day.
These are just a few examples. The goal is to make it simple, fast, and fun.
1. Reading
• Encourage your child to read a variety of good books during a quiet time set aside each day for personal reading.
• Read together as a family (see below).
2. Writing
• Ask your child to write a sentence, paragraph, or journal entry every day.
• Have him write a brief report of something interesting he has learned which he could read to Father at dinner.
Learn a vocabulary and/or spelling word each day. You can use the same word for both or learn two different words.
Spelling
Choose spelling words from your child's misspelled words or from the following:
• Lists in a spelling book you are using.
• "300 Most Commonly Used Words" (making up 65% of written material)
• 1,000 Most Commonly Used Words.
• Most Often Misspelled Words (for older students) with a mnemonic help to remember each.
• See spelling teaching tips and a list of 100 most commonly used words in Newsletter #32.
Vocabulary
Choose words from your reading or from the following lists for your older students:
• Vocabulary List from the SAT practice test.
• 5000 Collegiate Words with Brief Definitions.
• See vocabulary teaching tips and a list of common prefixes and suffixes in Newsletter #21.
Learning Procedure
• Read the word, then pronounce and spell it together.
• Write it out and place it where everyone can see it.
• Define the word and use it in a sentence.
• Review the words often.
You can adapt this procedure to the learning of a foreign language or sign language.
4. Basic Math Facts
Success and speed in mathematics depends on instant recall of the basic math facts and operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division).
Frequent repetition (drill) is the key to learning them thoroughly and retaining them.
You can also review last year's math by doing one problem from the workbook each day.
5. Globe, Map, or Time-Line Study
Keep a globe, map, and time-line in a central location and do one of these activities.
• Have a 5- or 10-minute map search and check off a list of objectives (continents, oceans, countries, major cities, rivers, lakes, mountains; see Newsletter #146 or one of your textbooks).
• Locate times and places that you encounter in your reading, in the news, in missionary prayer letters, etc. or methodically work through a list of geographical or historical items from one of your school books.
• Do the above activity with a time-line and list of events or people.
6. Bible Memory
• Take a minute or two before each meal to say a Bible memory verse together.
Be a Good Neighbor
As light in this dark world, our first assignment (after our own family) is the area nearest us — our neighborhood! ("You shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:8)
How can you be a witness to your neighbors and still protect your children from harmful influences?
1. Schedule and limit playtime with neighbors so that everyone will know what to expect. State this as an invitation to children and their parents (e.g., "You are welcome to come play from 2:00 to 4:00, Monday through Thursday.)
2. Discuss your house rules in simple terms (e.g., no bad language or attitudes, be kind and considerate to all). Appropriate consequences might be time out or end of playtime.
3. Add some activities to your children's free play, such as old fashioned games like those in the left-hand column, marbles, jacks, or hopscotch or an art project.
4. Ask your neighbor if it is OK to include her child in your family's read-aloud time (Bible or Christian stories) or light academic studies (see above). She might appreciate some help for her child in a needed area.
5. Supervise (by sight and hearing) all interaction between children so that you can correct attitudes and maintain the standards of your family.
6. Invite your neighbors to dinner or maybe a 4th of July barbecue or picnic. Prepare by praying for them, and being ready to share the Gospel with them.
Your neighbors might ask about why you are home schooling. This is an excellent opportunity to share the Gospel.
You will probably have to go outside your comfort zone to be a light in your community, but that is, after all, why we are teaching and training our children for the Lord.
7. You might also organize a block party for later in the summer and set up a neighborhood watch.
Read Aloud Together
Reading is a pleasurable summer activity with many benefits. Reading aloud together as a family makes it that much better!
• Bible Reading. In just 5 minutes per day your family can read the entire New Testament through in a year (See a Bible reading schedule).
• Select a worthwhile book that will keep the interest of all family members. If your family has not read the all-time greatest Christian classic, Pilgrim's Progress, start with that or the "Little House" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, or an exciting historical fiction book by G.A. Henty, such as The Cat of Bubastes, set in ancient Egypt (a study guide is also available).
• Make this time relaxed and enjoyable, but stop to explain or discuss items that come up.
• Read with expression and at a slightly slower pace.
• Read together before or after a family activity, such as a meal, Bible reading, or bed time.
• Read at the table, sitting together on the couch, or outside.
• An alternative is to listen together (at home or in the car) to an audio recording of good literature, such as those from your local library or Sing 'n Learn.
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NorthStar Academy
and NorthStar HomeSchool
Two options enable homeschool students to study at their own pace.
NorthStar Academy is a teacher-led, nationally accredited, online school.
NorthStar HomeSchool is a parent-led, homeschool and independent study program.
See NorthStar's website or the accompanying e-mail to learn more about these two programs!
____________________________________________
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Free: Frances Series Study Guide ($16) when ordering Reading Made Easy. ( E-mail mentioning this ad for online orders.) Reading Made Easy:
A Guide To Teach Your Child To Read
by Valerie Bendt
Complete Phonics Curriculum:
• 108 lessons (30 mins. ea., 3 days/week)
• Christian content
• Instructions and dialog to read to your child
• Writing, drawing, and hands-on activities
Read more and see samples at www.ValerieBendt.com. Free Shipping in USA. 813-758-6793 Also:Unit Studies Made Easy, Making Most of the Preschool Years
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Study the Classics Online!
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Give Your Children
AVKO (Audio, Visual, Kinesthetic, and Oral)
Create a Curriculum or Enhance
With the 4th of July coming up soon, it's time to start thinking about how you can reach out to the unsaved in your community.
See more ideas and order tracts at 
