Adoption Presentation

Return to Sender

Thank you for your interest in my homeschool blog! I found maintaining two blogs to be too much for me. I am now including thoughts on home education in my other blog, Harvester, which covers all areas of my life. My plans are to soon post more in regards to our Adventures in My Father's World. Please stop by Harvester for a visit.

Summer School

We have been taking it easy for the past month. We finished our first grade curriculum at the end of April. We've been doing a unit on Canada since then, with math and Bible included in everyday. The further we get into summer, the more relaxed our school time has become. Gabriel seems to think that since the high school we work for is finished, so are we. He's in for a big surprise tomorrow morning. Then again, he may not realize we're still in school. Reading books and playing games is just part of a fun day, right? By mid August we should be back into more structured studies.

There is a reason for my year-round school philosophy. My children have a strong need for routine. Although a year-round schedule increases the retention of information, my biggest concern is keeping my sanity. Last week, for example, we only had one day of school work. With extra family in town, the graduation festivities of several family members, and the wrap-up of a school year in the dorm, keeping routine was next to impossible. Half way through the week, people began to ask if my kids were tired. I'll say! They were tired of not knowing what was going on. They were tired of feeling insecure. As a result they were grouchy, rebellious and down right hard to get along with. (I am soooo ready for tomorrow!) Year round education allows us to keep a routine in our home that provides the kids with a secure environment and makes my day more peaceful.

In mid-August, we will officially begin a new school year. Despite my desire to branch out on my own, I purchased another curriculum kit. I chose to stay with the company I've used since Gabriel was in kindergarten. My Father's World really is a quality program. (I will spend more time explaining this in another post.) This year we will use Adventures in My Father's World,be a year of American history. I am very excited about the books we will read and the projects we will do through out the year. I've had the books since May. I've gone through each one several times and have prepared a shopping list for supplies. I can hardly wait to get started!

In Need of Some Down Time?

There is currently a discussion regarding family activities taking place on a yahoo group I belong to. This idea, which is not neccessarily just for summer, was sent out this afternoon. I think it is a marvelous idea. I plan to use it when my three start to get weary of each others company, hopefully before the arguing begins.

And for "downtime" anytime of year that my 5 kids (ages 1-9) are getting chaotic, we have "station" time, where I grab 5 different toys or activities (puzzles, playdough, the dollhouse with furniture, watercolor painting, blocks, etc.) and each child has to stay at that "station" until the timer beeps (15-25 minutes, at mom's disgression), then we rotate stations until I'm ready to be done or we've gone all the way around. One of the stations can even be "mom's helper" Works really well most of the time since the kids are happy to have a toy to themselves for a set amount of time, and looking forward to the next station too.

An idea I often use for giving the kids downtime is the book basket. (an idea from the authors of MFW curriculum) This is different from the organized basket I posted pictures of earlier. This basket contains books from the public library, as well as our own, centered on subjects we are studying that week. Whenever I need the kids to sit quietly for an extended period of time or if I need to do guided work with one while the others wait, I tell them it's book basket time. Surprisingly, this is always met with cheers. Typically, I play a CD of the composer we are currently studying as they "read" the books.

What's in our book basket this week? Books on Canadian provinces within the Appalachian region, Canadian seek and find books, and Canadian photography books. This week the basket also holds books about wildflowers, plants in Canada and even a book on poisonous and injurious plants. (Boys dig the poisonous stuff!) I like to include Arch Books to go along with our Bible readings for the week. This weeks Arch Books are about Zacheous, The Last Supper and Thomas. I must not forget to mention books about our current composer, Mozart!

So Fickle

Alas, I have changed my mind once again about curriculum. I will wait until my plan is complete to announce my decision. I reserve the right to change my mind again!

The Bible As a Reader

“. . . should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble. The reverence for the sacred book that is thus early impressed lasts long; and probably, if not impressed in infancy, never takes firm hold of the mind . . . In no book is there so good English, so pure and so elegant; and by teaching all the same book they will speak alike, and the Bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as of faith."

Fisher Ames, 1801

Curriculum Confession

I've been going in circles trying to decide on a curriculum plan. Since January, I had been planning to do-it-myself once we finished our grade one curriculum. I've been collecting books and formulating thoughts all year. All of a sudden, I got nervous. I had all of these books and ideas, but no idea how to organize them into a plan. I decided to begin looking for help.

I thought long and hard about following the free curriculum guide at Simply Charlotte Mason. It is a general guide with lots of room for change. I compiled a list of resources needed and figured out the cost. Still, I needed to plan out a few more details.

Then April came. April has been a reality call for me. I have been busy studying for two lessons I gave and a Bible bowl coming up next weekend. I've also been working on the week of camp Scott and I direct in August and a VBS to be held the week before. Finally, I've been seduced by the sunny weather. I can hardly get any housework done, much less thoughtfully plan out any homeschool lessons. We haven't been to the library since the middle of March. We finished most of our grade one curriculum from My Father's World in the beginning of April. Needless to say, homeschool has been done very half-hazardly lately.

This is my problem. My availability goes in spurts. I'm speaking of my attention span. I work hard to focus my ministry in my home. (With much criticism, I might add.) There are a few things outside the home, however, which I enjoy and even get passionate about. Camp being one of those things, public speaking another. Both require study time. If I'm going to be any good to my family and give the kids the consistent education they need, I can't stress myself out with the extra burden of planning my own curriculum. As much as I dislike being tied down by the structure, I've been reminded this month that my kids thrive in structure.

Therefore, I have searched far and wide for the curriculum package to suite our need for a plan, yet with the flexibility we also need. I think I've finally made a decision. Living Books Curriculum is based on Charlotte Mason's methods, which I love. It is a bit more expensive than My Father's World, but includes all the books you need for the lesson plans. It is similar to Sonlight, but less expensive. Unlike MFW and SL, LBC has a weekly plan. The other's have a daily plan. I enjoyed MFW for K and 1st, but hardly stuck with the daily plan. Some days we needed to focus on a specific subject. I really like the idea of having weekly goals set out for me. Even more so, I like the ability decide how and when we will meet those goals. I also like the fact that the books are sent with the complete package. Although MFW supplies many of the basic resources for the curriculum guide, the living books for individual lessons are not included. While living in a city, that was fine. Most of the books I needed were at the library. Now, in a small town, I find we go to the library less frequently and find what we need even less. Overall, LBC looks like it will be a good choice for us.

I've decided to wait until September to get started. Today, I quickly sketched out a summer plan for our studies. I'm continuing the year-round education because we all need it to stay motivated. Not to mention the review we'll avoid in the fall! It will be a light schedule, though. Math hasn't been our best subject grasped this year, so we need to include that, along with reading everyday. Poetry, Art, Music, and Nature Study are subjects we enjoy. They will be a part of our weekly schedule. Literature, of course, will be daily. I plan to get Canadian history and geography in through our literature. (LBC teaches American history, not Canadian.)

So there it is, my plan. What a relief!

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Spring Promo

The HSB Front Porch is having a contest and you can win a $50 gift certificate just for blogging about The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Spring Promo before midnight April 30, 2008. Subscribe now to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and receive 25 BONUS gifts valued at over $550! The Winter Promo sold out, don't miss out on the free gifts this time!

They are also giving away a $150 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store. All print subscribers (new or renewing) between April 3 - 30, 2008 will be automatically entered into a drawing. No purchase neccessary to win. To enter without subscribing, please send a postcard with your name, address, telephone number, and email address to:
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Spring Promo Contest
PO BOX 8426
Gray, TN 37615

Ah, Spring!

Yesterday was the first warm day of the year (15 degrees C). We tossed the books aside and lived outdoors. When someone at the park questioned why my oldest son wasn't in school, I answered that he was in phys.ed. Tee-hee.

After lunch, I put the little ones down for a nap. Then Gabriel and I headed back outdoors for a nature study. We are blessed to have a pond right in our backyard. We sat quietly next to the water on a quilt, with our sketch pads and watercolor pencils. I also had a camera to catch any fleeting birds. (To my dismay the battery was dead. I missed the frolicking of a robin while waiting for it to recharge.) As we sat, I told my son about the things my dad taught me about nature photography. I told them that if we sat still and long enough, nature would come to us. Indeed, it did.

In the warmth of a glorious afternoon, we were visited by two geese, a robin and a mallard. All birds were elegant creatures, bringing glory to their creator. Perhaps the most magnificant sight of the day was the brilliant emerald head of the mallard. The sight nearly took our breath away as he glided into the water. His visit was short and we were sad to see him go.

We finished our afternoon of observation and art with a study of the bright green algea growing in our pond. Gabriel was fascinated by the texture of the slimy growth. I was happy enough to leave it in the pond. It was difficult to capture the color combination and depth of the bubbles with our watercolors. The photographs, however, will provide us with a beautiful reminder of the life in our water. (Gross)

It was my intent to spend time in the late afternoon investigating the facts regarding our subjects. We had a surprise visitor and ended up practicing the art of hospitality instead. Then, of course, the rest of the day was, once again, spent in the sun! We'll have to finish off our study this afternoon.

I really wanted to post the pictures I took yesterday, but it appears as though my Adobe program was lost during the great computer crash a couple weeks ago. Hopefully, it can be reinstalled so I can post pictures soon.

Snow, Snow Go Away

If you're like me and hide inside while the snow melts into a big muddy mess, this is a link for you to check out. The Green Hour has some great ideas for celebrating the Muddy Season.

Don't Panic

If you feel like panicking over the ruling in California, this would be a good stop for you. This blogger has put together some informative articles.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

So, this is what I found when I went into Abby's room after nap-time.




Do you think I'm rubbing off on her at all?

Book Basket

I love baskets! I love books! I love teachers' dirty looks... oh, wait. Sorry, I got a little carried away there. Really, though, I do enjoy both baskets and books. Bookshelves, not so much. I don't know about your house, but no matter how many times I put the books away in an organized and tidy fashion, they always end up in a mess. I use to organize the books according to subject, height, binding, etc. By the time our youngest came along, I had given up on the idea of an organized bookshelf. I'm happy if the books even make it to the shelf now! Without the organization, however, we seem to forget which books we have or where the books we remember we have are. Gabriel especially has trouble finding books which are at his reading level. (This is most convenient when his aunt requests her own personal read aloud.) The bookshelf is fine for simple browsing. It's not so great when a quick grab is needed for our study times. Today I decided to combine my two loves in hopes of finding a solution.

Introducing the Book Basket

Step One: Find a sturdy basket and remove any contents. (The basket I found just had a few toy necklaces in it. No problem. They already belonged somewhere else.)

Step two: Pick out (or search for in my case) frequently used books or books necessary for current subject of study.

Step three: Place them in the basket, organized by subject and facing one direction.

Step four: Using coloured cardstock, make dividers with subject heading on top. (I also included a list of books to be used in the "Readers" subject. I will expect Gabriel to check off each title after he has read it. This will give me an idea of when the readers can be switch out for more advanced ones. Abby and Sam's subjects don't need to be checked off as they require higher frequency right now.)

Voila! That was simple.

It can be Gabriel's job to keep these books organized. It won't be a big task and it will help him to combine his reading and sorting skills.

How do you keep your books neat and tidy?

Next Term, Geography

I'm getting ready for our next term. We are about to finish up My Father's World first grade. After using curriculum for two years, I have figured out that I am too much of a free spirit to buy another year's worth of someone else's ideas. Therefore, since the beginning of the year, I have been collecting books and devising a loose plan of study. I don't even know what to call this rather than a "term." I could say that my son is starting the second grade. That doesn't sound right to me, though. We've decided on a year-round education and don't plan to follow the public school's system of grades. So, what are we about to start? A new period of study? Oh well, I suppose it doesn't really matter what we call it.

During this "whatchamacallit," we'll be exploring different places around the world as well as their cultures. I'm not wanting to dig too deep into history yet. I've collected all kinds of neat geography resources. I would like to use readers, biographies and folktales to explore culture. I've picked out way too many books to use while studying Canada and the United States. I have one or two about Mexico. I've picked out some great Christian heroes to look at while exploring different continents. I am really struggling, however, to find good stories to teach us about cultures. So many books I find in my searches are more like mini-encyclopedias. We prefer real-live stories. I have thought about contacting some of our missionary friends to see if they'll write to us about their countries' cultures.

Please let me know if you have any other ideas. I need more books! (My goal is to study at least one culture from each continent.) Please make sure any suggestions are appropriate for a seven year old. As much as I enjoyed learning about Ethiopia's culture and recent history through Hospital by the River, I don't want to explain to Gabriel what a fistula is!


We'll incorporate the arts and life skills into this term of study. It will be so much fun to explore the arts of various cultures as well as the food and dress.

I cannot wait!

Cabin Fever

As much as I love winter, by March I am ready for it to be over. I get cabin fever and long for spring. Witnessing the rebirth of God's creation energizes my soul and motivates my creativity. Cabin fever hit a little early this year. In an attempt to ease my jitters, I pulled out my favorite nature book yesterday. The children and I looked longingly through the pages of Maryjo Koch's The Nest. (I've searched for a link for the book, but could only find Koch's site which doesn't mention the book.) Today I found and purchased An Egg is Quiet, by Dianna Aston. It is very similar to The Nest, with the style of a Nature Journal. The sketches and watercolors in these books have created a stirring within me. I can no longer hold out for the robin to grace us with her presence. I've decided that the children and I will make this bird feeder tomorrow. I already have the seeds. We'll hang it outside one of our huge windows and see what new friends we make. Surely, we're not the only ones anxious for spring!

(Please remember to wave your mouse over titles to find links. For some reason this template doesn't bold links.)

Art

Art has always been one of my favorite subjects. That love seems to be rubbing off on my children. Aside from the constant stream of drawings, sticker art and miscellaneous crafts in our home, we have two official days of art per week.

On Mondays, we sit together to do a picture study. We are currently working through Come Look With Me; Enjoying Art with Children. Each portrait not only includes details about the artist and it's subject, but also a list of questions to get discussion going. We also identify the elements of shape and colour included in the portrait. This practice exposes the children to various works of fine art and a wide variety of artist, as well as inspiration for future works of their own. Not to mention more cuddle time!

On Thursdays, Gabriel and I are working through two books. We are using Drawing with Children and How to Teach Art to Children consecutively. Many of the lessons in the latter reinforce those in Drawing with Children. Once we finish Drawing with Children, Part Two of How to Teach Art to Children has many projects to continue practice and to broaden our use of medium.

I've provided links to the books we are using. Just wave your mouse over the title you are interested in. As soon as Gabriel gives me permission, I'll start posting some of his drawings.

Whom Do You Reflect?

After witnessing the beauty of last Wednesday's eclipse, I was inspired to write about our own spiritual eclipse.

When our children are young, we teach them about our solar system. We teach that the earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves around the earth. The sun is a source of light during the day, as is the moon at night. The moon, however, does not shine on its own. Its light is a mere reflection of the sun.

In John 8:12, Jesus said that he is the light of the world. But wait, in Matthew 5:14, we read that we are the light of the world. How can the two be true? God has given us a wonderful example in his creation to teach us this truth. Jesus (the son) is like the sun. He is the true light of the world. We are like the moon. We cannot give light to the world unless Jesus shines on us, unless he is in our lives. It is through the darkness that we must reflect the light of Jesus, lighting the way for those in the world. Matthew 5:16 tells us how we do that. We do not merely sit in our homes, as if under a bowl. Our light shines through the good things we do and through the praise we give to God.

Occasionally, the earth gets in the way of the sun shining on the moon. This causes a lunar eclipse. For a period of time, the moon does not reflect the light of the sun. Instead, it reflects a shadow of the earth.

We can experience an eclipse on a spiritual level. When we allow the world to cast its shadow on us, the light of Jesus is unable to reflect off of us. Be challenged today. Ask God to show you how the world is keeping you from being a positive light. For some, it may be your words and the attitude behind them. In Philippians 2:14-15, Paul tells us not to argue or complain, so that we can become pure and blameless, shining like stars in the universe. Perhaps you are overshadowed by your choice of clothes. Does your appearance draw attention to yourself or to God's glory? Think about the money you spend, the activities you participate in, the media you allow into your home. So many verses flood into my memory on this subject. Be a living sacrifice... we are the Lord's temple...let there not even be a hint of immorality... Here are some more shadows to consider: food, worry, hate, etc. Everyone can think of something that casts a shadow on their reflection. My challenge is to ask God to forgive you, and to remove that shadow from your life. Ask yourself on a regular basis, "Who am I reflecting?" My prayer is that it will always be Jesus.

This lesson is meant for all who read it, including myself. I plan to tuck it away, saving it for my children to hear during the next eclipse. If only God had brought it to me sooner!

My New Favorite Hangout

Grab a cup of tea and join me!

Why We Educate at Home

I've decided to start this blog off with our reasons for educating at home. As for most, there is not one simple answer. In a nutshell, it's because we believe home is the best choice for our family and we believe God is pleased.

Home schooling is something I wanted to do before I even had kids. It kind of runs in the family. I saw the fruits of home school and wanted that for my children. I thought it would be fun as well as save my children from some of the heart ache I endured throughout my school years. My husband, Scott, was not in complete agreement. He had the usual concerns about our qualifications, the socialization of our children, etc. It only took the birth of our first child to change his mind.

When making decisions for our children, we always consider their spiritual welfare. The same has been true in regards to their education. I love Scottt's statement, "My concern is not whether or not my child turns out to be a geek. My only concern is that my child loves God." Amen.

After prayer and discussion, we decided that public school was not an option. In the beginning, my fears took over and I pushed to have our oldest son, Gabriel, enrolled in a Christian preschool. Gabe's first experience with school was wonderful. At that point, I resigned myself to a lifetime of being classroom mom.

Then we moved. We moved 4500 km away from home. A month later, we dropped Gabriel off for his first day at his new school. As we drove away, Scott was questioning the wisdom in our choice. I was saying, "Scott, I NEED the time alone." (What a dummy I was.) Besides, Gabriel needed a place to make new friends. Right?

Scott continued to give me a guilt trip, but left the decision to me. Had I been wiser, I would have submitted to his leadership and avoided the problems to come. The guilt did eat at me some. I spoke with a friend about the decision and she assured me that I should only home school if God burdened my heart to do it.

It didn't take long for things to go sour. Within two weeks, Gabriel was crying every time I dropped him off. He never talked about school in a positive light and lost interest in learning at all. After some investigation and time in the classroom, I realized that the new teacher was very insensitive to the needs of children out of her range of normal. She always acted frustrated with kids who didn't comply to her standards. In fact, one day she told me that Gabriel had a fear issue and needed to memorize Philippians 4:13. I offered to speak with her further in a phone conversation rather than in front of my son, other children and their parents. We had a nice conversation and I told her that Gabriel would no longer be in her class, effective immediately.

My heart was burdened and I haven't wavered since. As time goes by, we see more and more reasons to keep our children at home. There are so many things in life that pull us away from home. So many children spend so few hours out of the influence of home. In the end, we want to be the primary influence in our children's lives. We want to have time spent with our children developing trust and teaching values to strengthen them for adulthood. We want to teach them that God is really the only thing that matters.

Besides, Scott works nights. Our family time is in the morning. Need I say more?

Now, for a tiny confession. One of our children is in preschool two mornings a week. This was not an easy decision for us. She does have some needs that, due to various reasons, we are unable to meet on our own right now. It is our plan to take her out as soon as she is enrolled in the services for which we await. In the meantime, this homeschooling momma is very irritated by everything that goes along with preschool. I.E., fundraisers, parties, dress-up days, show and tell, etc. Basically, all the things that everyone else loves about school now officially get on my nerves.