It's ALL about God - Homeschool Blogger

Random thoughts and new developments

Fri, 8 Jun 2007 18:04:00 -0500

As many of you know, my father died two weeks ago today. It was terribly sad to say good-bye, but we have such comfort in the fact that we'll see him again.

I'm in the final stretch of producing Apologia's newest book, Exploring Creation with Zoology 3. Sadly, it won't be ready until mid-fall. Happily, it's really going to be a great book for giving children (and adults) a solid foundation in creation science and evidence to back their beliefs.

In the midst of this, I'm working on getting a domain name for my blog. I am going to use the name Jeannie's Journal, after my newsletter (which, by the way, is late in its most recent publication). The domain that will be associated with my blog is www.jeanniesjournal.com. It will take a while to get this completed as I have to transfer to a blog site that can also host my domain. You will still be able to access it by going to the homeschoolblogger address where you are right now.

When Zoology 3 is complete, I'll get caught up on the newsletter, as well as complete the audio recordings of my science books and finish the co-op manuals. I will also begin work on the next Apologia book.

I hope everyone is having a great summer!

Curriculum Review: Calculadders

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 16:27:00 -0500

I've heard it said that a child should do math facts every day until they take the SAT. Maybe this would be a bit much, but it could be made easier by using Calculadders. We have been using this for several years and I do believe it helps keep the math facts solid. We have used several methods to learn our math facts, including Math Facts in a Flash as well as Times Tales. These programs have helped them learn the math facts, but without reminders in the form of math fact practice, they are prone to forget.

The way the program works is your child is given a sheet each day. On the bottom in the number of minutes your child has to complete the page - usually about 4 minutes. Now, I have one child that completely cracks under the stress, but I make him do it anyway because in the real world, we have timelines, time crunches, due dates and he needs to work through his stress on this. It's all based in fear and we discuss how he is still valuable, special and gifted by God for a unique purpose in life and he isn't a failure if he doesn't finish in the time allotted. Further, he's not "supposed" to finish in that time, it's the goal we work towards.

There are several sheets that cover the same facts before you move to the next set of sheets. So, they have plenty of opportunities to improve their time and hopefully finish before the time is up.

We've done Books 1 - 3. It's part of our daily routine and it only takes five minutes total. The four minutes they have to work plus the time it takes to get the sheet, set the timer etc. The kids have it on their daily list and simply get it ready and time themselves. I can't say they are experts at all the facts, but they are far better than they would be if we didn't have this daily routine. My oldest has been doing it longest and probably only stumbles on two or three facts in the entire multiplication table.

I think daily fact review is essential to success in higher level math. If the child knows her math facts, she won't linger over long division or have to skip count to find the factors for 36. It's important that they be familiar with all the facts and have at least most of them memorized. This is helped by doing daily fact work and I have found nothing easier than Calculadders.

Curriculum Review: Teaching Textbooks Pre Algebra

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 14:25:00 -0500

Teaching Textbooks

Because it was a company on the market with mixed reviews, I researched Teaching Textbooks quite a bit before I purchased it last year. I knew that Jay Wile, my publisher, wasn’t fond of the Algebra program due to some missing concepts, and I’ve heard from others that it isn’t rigorous enough for college prep. I’ve also heard that TT has included all the missing concepts in the Pre Calculus program and that the students who have used this course in the past did very well on the SATs.

As my daughter was not quite ready for Algebra, I perused the Pre Algebra program and found that it covered a lot of higher basic math concepts that we had not completely mastered. I also watched the video and loved the way that he explained some of the things my child was struggling to understand. I felt this review of basic mathematic concepts would help her to finally understand, as well as fill in any gaps we may have due to the fact that we skipped around to different math programs throughout the elementary years.

So, here we are at the end of the year and I have some good news and some not so good news about the program.

The Good

First, let me say that my child (almost 14) had never ever before this year liked math. She, well, let’s just say that One and One did not equal two, it equaled tears and protests in our home over the last six or so years of doing math. Not only that, but the careless mistakes were the order of the day (year after year). She excelled in every other subject, almost to the genius level. Math, however, was like walking through thick mud, uphill.

Then, along comes Teaching Textbooks math. Wow. What can I say? What an easy year? When we finished devotions, the first subject she went for was math. She would plug in her little CD, listen and watch as Greg Sabouri explained the concept. Then she would do her work…happily, independently, really learning. Only a few times did she ever need intervention. She couldn’t remember the procedure for certain problems, and I would show her my ‘short cut’ for getting the answer. I’m sure Mr. Sabouri had a reason for having them take the long way to answer the equation, usually so that they understood the why behind the how. However, there were a couple of equations that the easy way was much faster and easier to remember. That happened probably twice, once with fractions, and once with percents. Overall, the basic math found in the first ¾ of the Pre Algebra book was well done and completely solved our chronic math woes.

I think the things that made this work so well were:

1. How easy it was to use. Popping in and finding your next lesson, watching it, then doing the problems and popping in the solutions CD to help with any problems that weren’t easy to solve was not complicated at all. It is designed with amazing facility.

2. The explanations he gave solidified many of the concepts she struggled to understand. It may have helped that she was “familiar” with all the concepts and had learned the algorithm at some point in the past. However, learning it from a new perspective was extremely helpful. I believe she finally understands math to a certain extent.

3. The independence that the program offers. The program is so streamlined and easy to use; each lesson gives just the right amount of new information and there isn’t too much work in the daily assignments. The child can check her answers and if she gets one wrong or struggles over a problem can actually pop in a CD to watch the problem being worked out. It’s so amazing.

Because of these things, I will be getting the program, beginning in sixth grade for my younger children. However, I will only use it for sixth and seventh grade math. I believe the Pre Algebra basic math section is probably a repeat of much of what was learned in 7^th grade math. If more concepts are introduced, I may also get the Pre Algebra program and use it until the child reaches the actual algebra section of Pre Algebra (somewhere near the end of the book).

To summarize the good parts of this program: It has really helped transform my child from a math hater into a math liker (I didn’t say lover, but if she were a boy she might have turned into a math lover). I can only credit the transformation to this program. She loved it, felt successful all the way through the basic math portion of the book. I believe it filled in the gaps we may have left from our constant elementary math quandary over the last six years. I think it is fabulously designed and really makes it easy for the parent and student to get math done without any problems or tears every single day. Highly recommended for the basic math section.

Now, to the not so good.

When we did finally reach the end of the Pre Algebra book and began learning about negative numbers, things got hairy. I couldn’t understand what she didn’t understand because negative numbers makes perfect sense to me. He didn’t seem to be able to explain it in a way that a creative ballerina could really grasp. She would bring the book to me and I would explain it in my own words, but she still did not get it. When she finally understood a concept, there was not enough practice with it in the written lesson. She needed more practice with each new concept. There were about four equations total dealing with the new concept. This is probably due to the fact that it is a Pre Algebra course and not a true Algebra course. I have heard that the Algebra course has more than enough equations dealing with the new concept.

It seemed that we went through a similar routine with every new concept. Was she not ready for algebra? I thought this might be the case. However, I went to our local homeschool store and picked up the Keys To Algebra series. The way negative numbers were explained there turned on a light for her. Was it that she now had two explanations? I can’t be sure. Maybe if we had done Keys To first, she wouldn’t have understood until we listened to the TT explanation. I honestly don’t know.

I do know that if you asked me to write a review of TT in February or March, I would have gushed on and on about it. However, now, I am unable to do that. We had to put it down because the algebra in the Pre Algebra book is not explained in a way that rings a bell with my child and there isn’t enough practice. So, our experience with the algebra of TT has been a negative one. I cannot make a generalization about all their Algebra products. I also can’t say whether it was due to the fact that my daughter is not math minded, is not ready for algebra, or whether it was the explanations in the book.

So, as a recap, Teaching Textbooks basic math is superb in the TT Pre Algebra. I’m assuming it will also be in the fifth, sixth and seventh grade math books. I plan to get the sixth grade book for my younger children and work through the series until all the basic math is covered. I will not be using TT for Algebra, however.

I am seriously looking and leaning towards A Fresh Approach Algebra I for Algebra. I have the book and really like what I see. I also have the College Introductory Algebra book by Lial, and it doesn’t seem as easy to understand as A Fresh Approach.

I hope this was helpful!

Curriculum Review: Teaching the Classics (Literature Course)

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 08:45:00 -0500

Have you ever purchased a particular curriculum with the best of intentions; then, after a couple of weeks, you realize you have too many subjects to teach and can't fit it in. Well, that is what happened to us with Teaching the Classics, a DVD series on Literary Analysis by Institute for Excellence in Writing. But wait! Don't leave yet; the story doesn't end there.

I really wanted to teach my 13 year old literary analysis this year. I was determined we would cover the importance of plot, character, theme, setting and all the other literary devices and tools authors use. I didn't feel equipped to do it without the help of a curriculum, and was immediately drawn to Teaching the Classics, which teaches the Socratic method of literary analysis (if you want to know what that is, you'll have to buy the course!)

We began by watching the first DVD in the series. I have to admit, it began a bit slow and, well...couldn't compete with all the other interesting things I wanted to teach my child this year. Within two weeks, it was sort of forgotten.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I ran into a friend who said that she had completed the course and her children loved it. I thought to myself, "Hmmm....I should pull that back out and really give it a go for the last six weeks of school. Maybe we can finish it." So, we searched high and low, found the missing DVD's and began where we left off - this time with determination. I'm so glad we did! We have really, really, really (really) enjoyed all the rest of the DVD's. Sometimes you just have to keep moving forward when something starts out a bit dry. It's like classic literature, the first 4 chapters are usually quite dry, detailed and uninteresting, but once you plow through, you find yourself immersed, engrossed and delighted for the rest of the book.

We began by watching one DVD a day and then applying the concepts we learned to the book she is currently reading (Uncle Tom's Cabin). It's been a lot of fun. We have so enjoyed learning about the five elements of literature, and going through the exercises. I love that I now have a list of hundreds of questions that I can ask my child throughout her reading of classic literature that will encourage her to think critically and in greater depth of insight about the books she is reading. She can easily determine the author's purpose, bias and worldview by asking the right questions.

This DVD course produced by Institute for Excellence in Writing is a winner. I highly recommend it as the first step towards studying great literature.

You may wonder what ages this is good for. Well, I believe every homeschool mom should watch the series to learn how to help even their young children think about what they are reading. Students (ages 10 - 18) that are mature will enjoy watching the series with mom.

Curriculum Review: Write@home

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:40:00 -0500

If you've ever been to a homeschool conference before, then you know how you need to be prayed up before you even walk in. The choices can be overwhelming. Well, I had prayed with total faith that God would not let me go home with any product that was not His perfect will for our family. As I'm strolling down the isles, I see a familiar face: Brian Wasko of Writeathome.com. We met years earlier when we were both new to the homeschool publishing world.

I stop by to say hello, and find myself intrigued with his courses. I looked at the scope and sequence of each grade level, and stayed there for a long time, praying silently while I chatted with him. Writeathome is an expensive endeavor, but I thought it might be just what I was needed for my 13 year old daughter. She is a fantastic writer, but nothing we had used challenged her much. Yet, spending $350 on a writing curriculum would have to be totally from God. I left and prayed more before finding my way back to his booth and made one of the best decisions I made last year.

I know that it sounds expensive, but for the money, you don't only get a writing curriculum, which includes weekly grammar and writing lessons, along with a weekly assignment (either a new writing assignment or a rewrite of an edited assignment), you also get a real live living human being writing coach that will nit-pick your child's writing in a way you would never have the guts to do.

I believe my child was an excellent writer before she began the year. Adults who had seen her writing continuously remarked on her ability to write well. I can tell you that, today, her writing is much improved, far surpassing her previous writing form and style. If I could get her permission (which I'm sure she would never grant) I would show you the first essay compared to the last. You would think the child had aged three or four years, rather than one. I was so pleased with the last few papers. Her word choice was astute. Everything was fantastic.

This is the way writeathome works: The child logs in to the website on a certain day each week. She will download her lesson. These lessons are predominantly grammar lessons, things your child may or may not know. Then, she will download her writing assignment. Every three weeks, she has a new writing assignment. If it's a new writing assignment, the writing assignment will require her to utilize the grammar technique she learned in the lesson.The paper she writes is reviewed and thoroughly edited by a writing coach that is experienced with excellent writing. The comments are very lengthy and detailed. I studied every comment with a critical eye the first few months, and found them to be extremely insightful and helpful. She noticed when my daughter used the same word too many times. She would ask her to think of more descriptive words and elaborate on certain details. She also taught her how to cut down on wordiness, only keeping in words that really counted. She would have paragraphs of comments that described how she thought my child could improve. When my daughter received these comments, it trained her to write future essays with the newly learned principles and techniques.

Sometimes, the writing assignment was for her to edit a paper she previously wrote. When she receives her comments from the teacher, she has to rewrite the paper, incorporating the comments and ideas the coach gave. Every paper was reviewed and commented on three times. The first two times, the student is allowed to edit and rewrite the paper. The last paper is a final draft, yet still includes comments. She then recieves a grade for that assignment.

I have to admit that I would never have been able to help my child improve this much in such a short time (predominantly because I thought her writing was superb.) I may have suggested that she could have picked a better word here and there, but I would never have made her edit the paper twice. Frankly, she would have been a bit insulted if I had given her the lengthy comments and suggestions that the coach gave. She wasn't at all insulted by the coach, though. She was encouraged to improve.

The most amazing part of this entire thing is that my daughter begged me to do write at home again this year. We have a very heavy academic load next year and I wasn't sure I wanted to use it. However, I couldn't resist. So, we will be doing two writing workshops - Essay and Research Papers, which are 9 week courses each.

I am very pleased with this course. If the essay writing course works out well, I think we'll stick with writeathome through high school. If the essay course isn't perfect, we'll take a detour and find a good academic writing course before hopping back into writeathome.

Winding up the year

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:33:00 -0500

As we are winding up the year, we look with eager anticipation at the finish line ahead. For some reason, the thought of the end being so near serves to motivate us. We are more eager each morning as we sit down to work, more excited about what we are learning and working more diligently, sometimes doubling up on our lessons, as we wrap up the year.

What really motivates me is the thought of planning out next year. Though my mind has been occupied with all things animal (finishing up the Zoology 3 book), I've also been reveling in research over what we'll use and study next year. For the homeschool mom, choosing and buying new curriculum is as exciting as a ordering a tailor-made designer dress for the rich and famous. It thrills like few other thngs can. What could be more wonderul than books filled with amazing discoveries, truths we didn't know before, that we'll share with our children. They hold promises of a year filled with revelation and joy, meaningful discussions and thought provoking ideas. It's exciting to think that our children will know more than we did when we left high school. I love this time of year. Don't you?

Over the next few blogs, I will be sharing some reviews of the curriculum that we have used this year. I will tell about the things we loved and why, as well as the things that didn't work for us and why. I think it's so important that when we discuss anything that didn't work, we can articulate why so that others can judge whether those things that hindered us would be a hindrance for them. This takes a lot of deep thinking and insight. It requires us to analyze our particular family, our strengths, weaknesses, needs and special circumstances. If we can look at these factors from an objective point of vew, we can give others valuable feedback about the curriculum we use. For example, some families prefer structured curriculum, others prefer to fly by the seat of their pants. The former mom will have an aversion to Truthquest, while the later will denounce Sonlight. However, if they were to give the reasons behind their dislike of the course, others wouldn't be turned away from a curriculum that may suite them perfectly.

As time permits, I hope to begin my reviews tonight!

God bless!

Updates and Thoughts

Sun, 1 Apr 2007 15:56:00 -0500

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged. I've been so busy with writing Zoology 3, which I hope to have out and published before the date advertised so that people can use it next fall for science. This book covers all the land creatures that God created on the sixth day. It won't include humans, as I would call humans a special creation of the sixth day, an anatomy course. I may write an anatomy book after I finish the chemistry/physics combo I will write next year.

Anyway, that's kept me busy along with training my son for the second annual birding competition, driving my daughter to ballet every day, homeschooling them in the midst of a serious 'bout of spring fever (otherwise known as, Let's-go-to-the-plant-store-instead-of-school-today, or Who-wants-to-paint-the lattice-with-me-and-count-it-as-school?).

I've also been speaking a lot around the Atlanta area this season. That's been terrific. I love actually meeting people in person and sharing the things that God has used to make homeschooling joyful and effective in my own life.

I've been planning what I will do with Heather, my oldest, who is beginning high school next year. She's technically supposed to be starting eighth grade, but since she completed all eighth grade courses this year, she'll be a freshman next year. Fun fun! I want to prepare her for CLEPing most (or all) of her college over the course of the next four or five years. So, I am planning courses that will prepare her for particular CLEPS. I'm looking at Sonlight as that is a great college prep/CLEP prep program. We've never used it because I don't like schedules. But the beauty of Sonlight for a high school child is that they are fully autonomous with the schedule. I will only check to make sure she has checked marked her work, and I will have scripted discussions to determine her understanding of her reading. It's a lot of reading. Any suggestions on particular courses?

I will also be enrolling her in an art program called Artios. This is a one day a week art school. She's very artistic and this will really give her the skills she needs to excell in artistic endeavors. She'll learn music notation, film, art, Biblical Worldview and every year advance in her art studies. Also! They happen to have a public speaking course that I'm really excited about. They are using the Bob Jones public speaking textbook. I perused it and was very impressed. I think this will prepare her to pass the Public Speaking Dantes course. The arts study will prepare her to take the Humanities CLEP which gives six hours of college credit.

It's funny how when you begin preparing your child for high school/college and life, you realize what you need to prioritize with your younger children to make the transition to junior high and high school easy. They need a strong spiritual foundation first and foremost. If they know and love God, they'll be able to overcome any obstacle before them. Then, they simply need to know how to read really well, how to write grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs, type and know their math facts. Everything else can be taught in junior high and high school.

Another thing I've got going on is I'm giving my eight year old the Iowa test prep to prepare for the state mandated Iowa testing we have to do.

Who else is counting the days until the end of May when you can take the summer off?

I'm learning about podcasting and would love to put some of my talks on podcasts. I think I've figured out how to do it. I just need to prioritize my projects.

Of all my little projects, the number one priority is finishing Zoology 3.

Number two is recording the Botany book as an audio book and writing a co-op manual to go with the Astronomy book. Then, I'll record the Astronomy book and write a co-op manual to go with Zoology 1.

So much to do!

Until next time...

Writing Contests

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 15:44:00 -0600

As promised, here is the list of writing contests I have. I will add to this list as I find more contests:

Elementary and Older

Daughter's of the American Revolution

www.dar.org/natsociety Grades 5 - 8 (essay)

Cricket Magazine

www.cricketmag.com AGES 9 - 14 (themed writing and photography)

Spider Magazine

www.cricketmag.com/activity_disply.asp?id=39 Ages 6 - 9 (Story or poem)

Laws of Life Essay Contest

www.lawsoflife.org Grades K - 12 and college (Personal Essay about values)

Library of Congress

www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/letters.html Grades 4 - 12 (Writes letter to author of book)

NRA

http://www.nradefensefund.org/writingcontest.aspx Grades K - 12 (Essay about how great guns are- LOL!)

Science Fiction Contest

Email for information: contest@bucconeer.worldcon.orgGrades 5 - 12 (Science Fiction)

Newscurrent Cartoon Contest

www.newscurrents.com/intro/edcartoons/carcon2.html Grades K - 12 (Cartoon with Political Bent)

Middle School and Older

Harry Singer Foundation

http://www.singerfoundation.org/Current%20Contests/Essay%20Contests%20206/2006index.htm AGES 13 - 18 (Topical Political Essays)

Vets of Foreign War

http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.leveld&did=151Grades 6 - 8 (Essay about democracy - conservative organization)

Scholastic Writing

www.scholastic.com/artandwritingawards Grades 7 - 12 (Many different styles)

Ann Arlys Bowler Poetry Contest

http://www.weeklyreader.com/teachers/read/RDContests Grades 6 - 12 (poetry)

Young Naturalists Award

http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/ Grades 7 - 12 (science related essay)

High School

Guideposts Young Writers

www.guideposts.com/young_writers_contest.asp Grades 11 - 12 (Faith based personal story)

Answers in Genesis

http://www.answersingenesis.org/cec/research-paper-challenge/ Grades 9 - 12 (Research Paper)

Sons of the American Revolution

http://www.sar.org/youth/knight.html Grades 11 - 12 (Essay about American Revolution)

National Federation of Press Women

http://www.nfpw.org/competitions.htm#highschoolcommunicationscompetition Grades 9 - 12 (Journalistic writing - most likely a liberal organization)

MS Scholarship

www.parentsinc.org/finaid/aid6233.html Grades 10 - 12 through college (Essay about Multiple Sclerosis)

Voice of Democracy

http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.leveld&did=150 Grades 10 - 12 (Audio reading of personal essay on freedom)

United States Institute of Peace

http://www.usip.org/ed/npec/index.html Grades 9 - 12 (Essay on Peace and Security)

I'm not certain that all of these contests accept homeschoolers, or hold all of our beliefs - I ommitted the ones that did not support family values. Please comment with any other writing contests you know of.

Writing Contests

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:04:00 -0600

I've found that entering competitions are helpful because they push a child to raise the bar, and break through barrier of their abilities. A child entering a contest simply tries harder and becomes better because of it. Thus, competitions are not really beneficial only if you win, they are beneficial for the purpose of honing your skills. In fact, I submit that the purpose of competition is to hone one's skills and not to win.

Entering a writing contest can really ignite a child's desire to write with excellence, as they edit their work and listen to critique with genuine interest. It will often produce better writing in the end. It's a great way to motivate talented writers to try even harder, and to motivate those who like to win to write for a prize. Let's face it, sometimes it is hard to encourage our homeschooled student to put forth their best writing. There's not a lot at stake if they don't. That's why I want to encourage you to have your child enter a writing contest.

This week, I'm going to compile a list of all the writing contests for children that I have gathered. I have an extensive list that I would like to share with you all.

In the mean time, check out this organization: http://www.ffl-essays.org/

Foundations for Life is a conservative organization, affiliated with the Josephson Institute, that encourages young children to think through the guiding principals of life. Children are asked to write an essay that incorporates one of the quotes in their FFL maxim list. The children can read through the list of quotes and then write an essay about their own beliefs regarding the maxim stated in the quote.

Here are some of the examples of the maxims:

E1.1.9	Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it. – William Feather, American writer (1889-1981)
E1.1.10	Action is the antidote to despair. – Joan Baez, American folk singer (b. 1941)
E1.1.11	Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. – Dr. Seuss, pen name of Theodor Seuss Geisel, American author and illustrator of children’s books (1904-1991)
E1.1.12	Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. – Thomas Norton, English poet and politician (1532-1584)
E1.1.13	No one has ever become poor by giving. – Anne Frank, Jewish girl who kept a diary while hiding from the Nazis during World War II (1929-1945)
E1.1.14	It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! – Professor Dumbledore, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
E1.1.15	A friend in need is a friend indeed. – Quintus Ennius, Roman poet (239-169 B.C.)
E1.1.16	Everyone has an opportunity to be great because everyone has an opportunity to serve. – Martin Luther King, Jr., African-American minister and Nobel Prize-winning leader of the civil rights movement (1929-1968)
E1.1.17	If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. – Anne Bradstreet, American poet (c. 1612-1672)
E1.1.18	Do or do not. There is no try. – Yoda, in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
E1.1.19	Don’t judge a book by its cover. – English proverb
E1.1.20	If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. If at first you do succeed, try something harder. – Unknown
E1.1.21	You can’t unscramble eggs. – John Pierpont Morgan, American financier (1837-1913)
E1.1.22	Think forward! Concentrate on who you want to be and where you want to go, not on who you were or where you’ve been. – Michael Josephson, American ethicist, author, radio commentator, and founder of CHARACTER COUNTS! and the Josephson Institute (b. 1942)
E1.1.23	Honesty is the best policy. – Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish author (1547-1616) (from Don Quixote)
E1.1.24	When spider webs unite they can tie up a lion. – Ethiopian proverb
E1.1.25	I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent. – Dr. Seuss, pen name of Theodor Seuss Geisel, American author and illustrator of children’s books (1904-1991) (from Horton Hatches the Egg)
E1.1.26	Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched. – Aesop, legendary Greek author of fables (6th century B.C.)
E1.1.27	We hate some persons because we do not know them, and will not know them because we hate them. – Charles Caleb Colton, British clergyman and author (c. 1780-1832)
E1.1.28	An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox. – Mexican proverb
E1.1.29	There’s a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to [live] with pride. – Aunt May Parker, in Spider-Man 2
E1.1.30	It takes less time to do a thing right than to explain why you did it wrong. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (1807-1882)

The entire list can be downloaded from the site. It's a wonderful list of quotes that can be used to discuss character and truth with your children.

Read through the FFL website and you'll find this to be a great organization. I emailed them and asked if homeschoolers could enter. The answer was "Yes." We only need to write homeschool on the application.

Your child's essay must be post marked by March 16th. Here is some more information:

REMINDER: The 2007 Foundations for Life National Contest is just around the corner! If your youth are planning to participate, here are a couple of reminders:

-- All submissions must be postmarked by March 16, 2007 and mailed to Foundations for Life, 9841 Airport Blvd., Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

-- Each essay must have a completed and signed National Contest Submission Form attached. (Appendix A in the contest manual or available at

-- Essays must relate to one of the FFL maxims.

-- Up to five essays per grade, per school may be submitted to the contest.

-- Maximum of 500 words per essay for 3rd through 5th grades

-- Maximum of 1000 words per essay for 6th through 12th grades

For more information about the contest, please visit

Good luck!

Melissa Brown

Assistant Director

CHARACTER COUNTS!

Foundations for Life

www.ffl-essays.org.)www.ffl-essays.org.

Collge without Compromise

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 20:09:00 -0600

As one who has read far and wide regarding homeschooling, it has become rare for me to read a homeschooling book that is revolutionary, motivating, and gives me confidence in the homeschool journey. However, I can say, without any reservations, that College without Compromise is one of the most foundational, inspirational and ground-breaking books on the market for homeschoolers. An easy and fun read, this book will transform your mindset about homeschooling, high school and college, giving you hope and purpose in your homeschooling.

As you all know, I've been pursuing the path of college at home, CLEP and online learning for my two oldest children - having determined that this was the best path for them. People suggested to me that I procure a copy of College without Compromise. I bought a copy, and the Lord gave me and my husband two uninterrupted hours to read it on an airplane. It was so absorbing and interesting; we found ourselves so inspired by the wise words and persuasive prose that flowed through the book.

I highly recommend this book to every homeschooler. I'm even thinking about giving it to my Christian friends that have always "thought" about homeschooling, but were afraid because of the college issue. This book will give you such excitement about the years to come.

Without question, it imparts confidence to all who are the homeschool journey.

To order this book, support the authors by purchasing directly from them:

http://www.homeschoolsampler.com/cwc.html.old