Homeschooling His Way - Homeschool Blogger

Things don't always go as planned

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:18:00 -0500

Life is an ever changing learning adventure! I seem to keep learning this lesson over and again, and it seems to keep coming up in different areas of life. This time the lesson is related to homeschooling. I thought I had found the curriculum that I would be using with all of my children for the rest of our homeschooling years. I have been very happy with My Father's World curriculum, but because of issues we have encountered due to the lagging economy I've had to make some changes in our homeschool. Now, rather than having the ease of a curriculum that is already planned for me, I'm doing the planning myself.

I thought this was going to be an overwhelmingly difficult thing to do, but I'm finding that it isn't as tough as I thought it would be. I already knew that we would be using Apologia science for the two older children, but I wasn't sure what I would do about the youngest. Math was already set as I was able to purchase their Teaching Textbooks packages last spring. Bible was another area that I was unsure about, and Grammar was already in full swing with Easy Grammar. My main concern for the year was how to plan for history.

We had been studying through history chronologically, so I knew that we needed to cover from 1850 forward. On the surface that didn't seem to be to difficult to do, but when I really began looking at what that would involve I was a little fearful. I began to pray and ask God to help me to teach the children what He wanted them to learn in school this year. I tried to put aside all of my own thoughts and fears and tried to focus on what He wanted to say to me. What I found was that He gave me a basic plan for half of the year in a period of a few days. That basic plan included books that we already had on our shelves - some purchased and others had been given to us. Some things were of concern to me in that I didn't want to gloss over important events because we didn't have the specific information I thought we would need, but God is ever faithful. Just this past week we made a trip to the library and I found seemingly all of the right books to fill in those "gaps" that I thought existed in the upcoming weeks topics.

Science for the most part is solved for the youngest child. She is currently using the Elementary Apologia series we purchased for their summer courses, and will most likely use another Elementary Apologia title we have on the shelf but haven't used. My concerns over what to do for Bible were not necessary either. Ds13 is currently going through the Catechism for his Bible. Dd12 is using Polished Cornerstones that a friend passed on to us. Dd10 is using something that I thought would never again be used in our homeschooling program. What my older children hated using she loves! She's using Switched on Schoolhouse Bible. I don't know why I hadn't gotten rid of it yet, but I still had it downstairs. It was on my heart but I thought she would hate it like the older two had. I finally decided to show it to her and once she got started she has enjoyed using it. Who knew?!

Anyway, it seems that my learning adventure is never ending and I'm so very thankful to have the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead me away from what He is finished with and to what He wants for our family. Some day we may go back to My Father's World if it is His will, but for now I'm just thankful for the peace that comes from following Him.

Blessings,

Missy

Pray, Speak Out, Stay Involved!

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:03:00 -0500

While most families take a summer break from school our government is hard at work in Washington. Sadly many of the things they are working on at this time are legislation that will erode our freedoms even further than they already have done. I just want to remind everyone that our responsibility as citizens does not end with a vote on election day. We have a privilege of living in a free nation with a representative government. We need to take every opportunity to express to our representatives our desires concerning legislation being considered. Here is an issue that is in the "drawing room" at this point. If we take action now and let our leaders know where we stand perhaps we can avoid the passing of legislation down the road that will restrict the freedoms we now enjoy.

Health Care Reform - http://www.freeourhealthcarenow.com/

And here is an interesting article to read. It reminds me of how little we actually know about what our constitutional rights are in this nation, and how long we have stood by in constitutional ignorance while our government did what it pleased.

Census questions are unconstitutional - http://newswithviews.com/Roth/laurie171.htm

(Someone sent me the one about the census, so rather than copying the entire article here I've given you the link. This does not constitute an endorsement of the author or website linked.)

Some food for thought - We need to ask for wisdom from God and His intervention to keep this from happening, though we are already well on our way.

"The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." by: Norman Thomas, (1884-1968) six-time U.S. Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America

Watch this video from the past and see how well it relates to our current nation ( I do not know anything about the person/organization who introduces the video so I am therefore not offering my support to that entity).

Bottom line? Get involved! We can save our nation from ruin and destruction, God willing, but only if we get involved and take a stand.

Pray for our nation's people and our leaders:

1) Repentence - the turning away from sin and to God's ways

2) Blessing - that God would bless us and that we would bless other nations

3) Wisdom - God's wisdom for individuals, families, and our leadership to honor God in all areas of life

We can make a difference.

Blessings,

Missy

The State of the Nation...did you hear it?

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:42:00 -0500

Last night on American Family Radio we listened to the coverage of the State of the Nation with Ken Ham. If you didn't hear it on the radio it's not too late, you can still listen or watch the video at the Answers in Genesis website. Here is the link:

www.answersingenesis.org/events/state-of-the-nation.

Come back here and leave a comment after you listen. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Blessings,

Missy

"Top Ten Questions About Genesis and Creation" by Ken Ham

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:01:00 -0500

A few weeks ago we had a free DVD give-away sponsored by Vision Forum Ministries. At that time I got one of the DVDs that were offered in the contest for our family. I chose the "Top Ten Questions About Genesis and Creation" DVD by Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis hoping it would be educational for the children. My family has watched this DVD several times since, and I thought it would be relevant to report to you what we think of it. I wasn't sure what to expect because I knew that it would be a lecture from one of his speaking engagements, but I must say that we all enjoyed it greatly. Ken Ham is an excellent speaker and is very engaging. He provided a great deal of information on related to the top ten questions he gets asked frequently about Genesis. He deals with questions like Where did Cain get his wife? and How did all those animals fit on the Ark? Some of the information was a little to deep for our 10 year old, but our 13 year old son found it fascinating. I think we all enjoyed it a great deal and learned a lot. The information was helpful in learning how to explain to people that the book of Genesis is not a fairy tale, but can be backed up with scientific evidence. Now if I could learn to articulate this information as well as Ken Ham does that would be awesome, but since I'm not a scientist I'll just have to make this DVD available to friends and family so that they can get the information straight from the man himself. He does a much better job of it that I ever could.

Blessings,
Missy

And The Winner Is........

Thu, 14 May 2009 18:41:00 -0500

We have a Winner!!

It's time to announce the winner of the Vision Forum Ministries DVD give away. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest. I wish I could give each of you the DVD of your choice, but alas there can be only one winner. And speaking of the winner....drum roll please!!!

The winner is....Olga B.
Congratulations Olga!!

I've zipped Olga an e-mail to notify her that she has won the contest, and now she can look forward with anticipation to the arrival of the DVD of her choice - "Top Ten Questions About Genesis and Creation" from Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis!

I have ordered my own copy of the very same DVD and can't wait to get it. Perhaps after viewing it I will come back here and post a review. If you want more information on the 5 DVD set "Reclaiming the Culture" just click the link or the image below.

Blessings,

Missy

Leapin' Lizards, How Does Your Garden Grow?

Tue, 12 May 2009 23:15:00 -0500

Leapin' lizards, what is this creature? My kids found him on the driveway a few days ago and snapped a picture, then he slunk off into the grass. I have no idea what kind of lizard he is, so if anyone out there knows please tell me. I suppose with all the rain we've had the past few weeks he's on the move, or maybe he just came out into the sun to warm up.

Then today I found this little guy on the carport. I've always heard these called blue-tailed lizards, but I'm not sure if that is their common name. He wasn't camera shy as DD9 was able to get very close to get the photo.

Finally our little garden is planted...well re-planted.

We don't have a large garden space but we were able to plant some cucumbers, straight neck squash, okra, purple hull peas, tomatoes, lettuce, chives, mint, and some insect repelling marigolds. In addition we have several small blueberry bushes we planted last year. For this years garden DH planted the lettuce first while the weather was still mostly cool. The morning after we found that our dear dogs had "helped" during the night by digging in the spot the lettuce seeds were planted. About a week later the lettuce was coming up in patches rather than a straight row. We decided it was going to be too hot where the lettuce was planted, so we moved it then planted the other plants. The next morning our dear dogs had "helped" again during the night (aren't they sweet). This time the okra had been uprooted. We battled this situation all summer last year, and even though we put up a fence around the garden they still managed to get in and dig. This year DH found the answer - an electric wire around the bottom of the fence. They won't go near it now, but have protested by chewing on the wood trim on the french doors (sigh). One of the dear dogs used to (before the electric wire on the fence) stand in the middle of the garden and bark during the night. When we would look out our bedroom window (down 2 stories into the back yard) we would find her in the middle of the garden looking up at us. I don't know why she had to stand in the middle of the garden in the middle of the night to talk to us, but it seemed to make her happy. We spoiled her fun when we electrified the garden fence. Now we sleep peacefully at night, and our garden may actually survive this summer.

Other plants around our home are blooming and doing well after the rains. This has been great to see and has given us the opportunity to see and apply some of what we have learned this year in Exploring Creation with Botany by Jeannie Fulbright. Here are some of the plants in their glory.

Clematis

Petunia

Succulent (unsure of the specific name)

Chives- The ice cubes are a good slow watering system for potted plants. They are able to utilize more of the water as it slowly melts into the soil, rather than a large quantity being poured in at once and some of it running out of the bottom of the pot.

Mint - I've heard that ants do not like mint, so in an attempt to keep the ants away I have mint on the deck near the kitchen. If anyone has a good recipe for using fresh mint to make mint jelly I would love to have it.

Moss (?) growing beside the house and moss (?) magnified (if you know what this plant is leave me a comment please)

Strawberries

Amaryllis

We have enjoyed planting and growing our own food, and many other plants, over the years. Now we are able to include our children, and they are learning and enjoying it as well.

Blessings,
Missy

http://homeschoolhisway.blogspot.com

Get a free DVD!

Sat, 9 May 2009 16:11:00 -0500

I love FREE, and I bet you do too. That's why I'm taking Vision Forum up on their offer to give away a free DVD on my blog. They have just released a new package, a 5 DVD set, called "Reclaiming the Culture". It is designed to give "encouragement, hope, and practical instruction to Christian families" during these difficult times in which we live. Vision Forum has very generously offered to give away 1 of the DVD's from the set to the winner of this contest on my blog. The DVD's may be purchased individually, so if you win the DVD and like it you may want to purchase some of the others in the set later.

How to Enter:
1. Click on the graphic above (or click here) to view the specifics on the Vision Forum website about each of the DVDs.

2. Come back here and leave a comment telling me which DVD you would like to have. Please make sure you leave your e-mail address or a link to your blog or website that has your e-mail contact link.

Contest details:
The drawing will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2009, and only entries posted before Thursday, May 14, 2009 will be eligible. Only one winner will be chosen by random drawing. I will contact the winner by e-mail, and you will have until Friday, May 15, 2009 to reply to my e-mail with your mailing address, as I must notify Vision Forum Ministries of the winner by that date. You will receive your free DVD directly from Vision Forum Ministries once I notify them of your DVD choice and your mailing address.

Blessings,
Missy

http://homeschoolhisway.blogspot.com

The Homeschool Channel! Have you heard???

Sat, 2 May 2009 20:06:00 -0500

I've been hearing about this on American Family Radio (AFR), but we don't have the privilege of having a phone line that is rated for DSL so we can't get Sky Angel . However, I know that many of you do have DSL and so you may find this information helpful. You can now subscribe to Sky Angel television programming via DSL. They are no longer using a satellite dish to provide their programming. They are adding several channels to what they used to offer, and I understand you can now get channels such as the History Channel and the Fox News Channel. In addition, a new channel they are adding is called the Homeschool Channel . You can view a video about it here: thehomeschoolchannel.tv/. (Since I can't view the video on dinosaur dial-up perhaps one of you will be so kind as to watch then leave me a comment about the video so I will know what it said?) They are planning on launching the channel on September 1, 2009. You can read their blog here: The Homeschool Channel Blog, and sign up for updates if you want. This looks very promising and I hope it is great!

Blessings,
Missy

Math? Which curriculum will you choose?

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:35:00 -0500

It seems that Math curriculum is a topic on most minds these days as we homeschooling moms are busy making plans for what curriculum we will use with our children next year. Unlike stories I've heard from veterans in the home school arena, we are blessed to have such a wide variety of educational materials available. Math programs are no exception. It can be overwhelming to make a decision on a math curriculum with so many programs available, but that can be a blessing in disguise. Any of you who have multiple children will most likely agree that each child has a little different learning style, and what works for one child doesn't always necessarily work for the others. So, having a variety of math programs to choose from is a great benefit when trying to choose curriculum to fit each child's math style.

Over the years we have tried numerous math programs. All of the switching programs we did gave me some insight on what I wanted in a math program, but it also helped me to realize that I needed to find a good fit for my children and stick with it. I hope that we have now settled on a program that we will be able to stay with until my children graduate. In our last seven years of homeschooling we have tried math from Alpha Omega, ABeka, Singapore, and Saxon; all of which have their benefits and their weaknesses. This school year we found, upon recommendation from another home school mom, a program that really has made a tremendous difference in my childrens' understanding of math concepts. This year we used Teaching Textbooks Math 7 by Greg Sabouri, Shawn Sabouri. We are so pleased with the curriculum that I have just ordered Teaching Textbooks math for next year for all 3 of my children.

What we like about Teaching Textbooks:

* Easy to use!
There is no teacher preparation. The student simply inserts the CD-ROM into the computer and selects the lesson he needs to do.

* Great explanations
Once the student selects the lesson he will do for that day, he will watch a lecture. Animated graphics on screen give the student a visual explanation while the narrator explains the lesson. The student will then read the lesson in the text/workbook before beginning the practice/problem set. If they do not understand something they can watch the lesson as many times as necessary to ensure they understand each step. The lecture video is easy to operate. It works like a DVD player in that you can fast forward, rewind, and pause with the click of the mouse.

*Real world applications
In addition to the traditional math topics you would expect to find in a math curriculum, Teaching Textbooks has incorporated real world math into their curriculum. Throughout the book there are practical applications of how a math concept would be used in the real world. In Math 7 we covered lessons on income taxes, computer hard drives, quilting, buying a car, clearance sales, checking accounts, stock prices, carpentry, etc.

*Step by step solutions on the computer
I loved that if my children missed a problem, and didn't understand why, they could watch the step by step solution on the computer. The explanations are clear and easily understandable by the student.

*Grading
The computer program grades each lesson and quiz as they are done. I don't have to check math anymore. I just open the grade book and print the pages that have the lessons we've covered in a semester. Then I just average the grades. It's very simple.

*Can be used multiple times
Once you own the CDs you can install them on more than one computer in your home, and can also use them over again for other children. When you are finished with them you can sell them or give them to someone else and they can call the company for a code to be able to install it on their computer.

This program enables the student to do math more independently, for which I'm grateful. There are times when my children come to me with a question. I love that I can sit down with them and watch the lecture, then help them with their problem. The times they have required help have been very few with this curriculum compared to other programs we have used. I like that the lectures and explanations are communicated in a manner that is easily understood by the student. They have understood more about math from using this curriculum than any other we have tried.

There are critics that say that Teaching Textbooks it isn't as rigorous as other programs and that it won't prepare students for college. Their concerns are mainly centered around when the program introduces certain topics rather than the fact that they aren't addressed at all. Teaching Textbooks has responded to my questions and assured me that the topics that some critics of the program express concern over are covered, but in a higher level of their program. Their purpose in doing this is that they believe the student is better prepared, and able, to understand the material at the higher level; therefore they present it when they believe it will be best understood. I think every program has it's faults and I'm certain that Teaching Textbooks is not perfect. After reading many reviews, and receiving a response from Teaching Textbooks that addressed my concerns, I am satisfied that we can continue to use this program until graduation and my children will have everything they need to succeed in their future endeavors.

Here are some links if you are interested in finding out more about Teaching Textbooks, or if you want a quick link from which to order. You will find that Teaching Textbooks does not charge for shipping their products. That is true if you order from their site or if you order from Christian Book Distributors...FREE shipping, now that is a very good thing!

We will be using Pre-Algebra and Grade 5 sets this year. Here are the links to those specific programs.

Entire Set:

Pre-Algebra: Teaching Textbooks
By Greg Sabouri / Teaching Textbooks Inc

Tired of math curriculums with little instruction, since they presuppose a teacher? This applauded pre-algebra curriculum was written specifically for the independant learner; it doesn't require a teacher guiding you every step of the way, so it's very clear about instructions, employing an easy, conversational style of writing. Illustrations, examples, and graphs have a hand drawn look to them, and problems often use engaging real life illustrations. Teaching Textbooks uses the review method, helping students through difficult or new concepts, and increasing long-term retention. Another unusual and extremely helpful feature are the audiovisual lecture, practice, and solution CDs for every chapter, homework and test problem. With such a support network, you'll never be stumped again!

All together, this kit includes:

A 600 page spiral bound softcover textbook

111 page test bank and answer key

1 test solution CD

3 lecture and practice CDs

4 textbook solution CDs

System Requirements:

For Windows:

A CPU of 133 MHz or faster

A Windows 98 or later operating system (Vist a-compatible)

A 4x CD-ROM drive

Speakers

For Mac

A CPU of 211 MHz or faster

A MAC OS 9.0 or later

A 4x CD-ROM drive

Speakers

Text and Answer Key only if you already have the CDs or need an additional workbook for another child.

Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra Text & Answer Key
By Teaching Textbooks

Have additional students using Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra? This additional student workbook and answer booklet will allow extra students to complete the course in their own book. Perfect for co-ops or siblings! The student workbook is 600-pages, softcover & spiralbound; answer key book is 111-pages and softcover. This kit does NOT contain the audiovisual lecture, practice, and solution CD-ROMs.

CD set only - use this option if you already have the student book and answer key.

Teaching Textbooks: Pre-Algebra CD-ROM Set
By Teaching Textbooks Inc

Perfect for families that already own the Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra Text & Answer Key, this set includes three Lecture & Practice CD-ROMs, 4 Solutions CD-ROMs that contain step-by-step audiovisual solutions to each homework and test problem, and 1 Test Solutions CD-ROM. Lectures teach each of the 126 lessons in the textbook; lessons include 5 practice problems (examples) and 20-24 assigned problems, for a total of almost 4,000 problems.

System Requirements:

For Windows:

A CPU of 133 MHz or faster

A Windows 98 or later operating system (Vista-compatible)

A 4x CD-ROM drive

Speakers

For Mac

A CPU of 211 MHz or faster

A MAC OS 9.0 or later

A 4x CD-ROM drive

Speakers

Math 5 Complete Set

Teaching Textbooks: Math 5 (Windows)
By Greg Sabouri & Shawn Sabouri / Teaching Textbooks Inc

All the fantastic features that have made other Teaching Textbooks are so popular are included in the new Math 5. Designed for independent students, the Teaching Textbooks learner will discover a wealth of instruction written directly to them, clear examples, fun hand-drawn illustrations, highlighted important concepts, and of course, step-by-step solutions to every problem. Plus, a 5-10 minute interactive lecture is included for every lesson, and includes a print summary that reinforces the key concepts to remember. Automated grading, non-required additional practice problems, lectures and step-by-step audiovisual solutions to every homework and quiz problem make for a thorough and easy to use curriculum for both parent and student. Consistent review and real-world illustrations help reinforce both concepts taught, as well as the relevance of what they're learning.

Fifth grade topics covered include operations with whole numbers, adding and subtracting with multiple digits, multiplication, rounding and estimation, fractions, decimals, money & measurement, division, percents, number lines and more.

This kit includes:

Student textbook: 558 pages, softcover, spiral bound.

Answer booklet: 34 pages, softcover.

Four CD-ROMs with lectures, problems, quizzes and solutions arranged by lesson.

System Requirements:

Windows:

A CPU of 1.0 GHz or faster

A Windows XP or later operating system

256 MB RAM

A 4x CD-ROM drive

Speakers

Math 5 CDs only - use this option if you already own the student text and solutions manual

Teaching Textbooks: Math 5 CD-ROM Set
By Teaching Textbooks Inc

Perfect for families that already own the Teaching Textbooks Math 5 Workbook & Answer Key, this set includes four CD-ROMs that contain step-by-step audiovisual solutions to each homework and test problem. Topics covered include operations with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals, simple geometry concepts, units of measure, and percents. A digital gradebook grades answers as soon as they are entered and calculates percentages for each assignment. Though this CD-ROM set may technically be used without the workbook, students will then have to write out each problem; won't be able to work away from the computer; and won't receive the written summaries available in the textbook.

System Requirements:

Windows:

A CPU of 1.0 GHz or faster

A Windows XP or later operating system

256 MB RAM

A 4x CD-ROM drive

Speakers

MAC:

A CPU Processor type of: G3 PowerPC / Intel Solo

Processor Speed of: 500 MHz / 1.0 GHz or faster

Mac OS 10.3.9 or later

256 MB RAM

A 4x CD-ROM drive

Math 5 Student text/Answer Key only - use this option of you already own the CDs

Extra Workbook and Answer Key
By Teaching Textbooks Inc

Have additional students using Teaching Textbooks Math 5? This student workbook and answer booklet will allow extra students to complete the course in their own book. Perfect for co-ops or siblings! Workbook is 546 pages, softcover, spiral-bound and answer booklet is included. CD-ROMs are NOT included; this book is not designed to be used without the CDs.

For other levels of Teaching Textbooks Math Curriculum click here: Teaching Textbooks Math Curriculum

For sample lectures and lessons, and for more information, please visit the Teaching Textbooks website: http://www.teachingtextbooks.com

Blessings,
Missy

The Widow's Might

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:14:00 -0500

I just read an article on the net about the movie called "The Widow's Might". It is being released in movie theaters all across America. It was made by a homeschooler and won the Best of Film award at the 2009 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. You can read the news article here. Or you can visit the official movie web-site to see if it is being shown at a theater near you. If you are able try to support this film and send a message to the film industry that we want quality family films, and especially good Christian films. If you have seen the film please leave your comment about the film below. I've not had the opportunity to see it yet, but it got great reviews on Fandango.com ;~)