March 2008 Edition

heart

March 2008

of the matter online

photo courtesy of Sprittibee

Weapons AGAINST Mass Distraction Right/Left Brain Learners Elections LapBook

Holiday Leftover Ideas

PLANNING Maps Out Success

A Life Lesson

Motivating Your4 Easy Child Steps

Art Museum

Scavenger Hunt

Holiday Leftover Ideas

In This Issue:

1 March 2008 photo courtesy of Sprittibee 3 From the Editors....

3 Homeschooler of the Week 4 Classical Education: Narrations 5 Planning 6 Art Museum Scavenger Hunt 7 Homeschool In the News 8 Let’s Play 9 Organized Clutter?

10 Standing In the Gap 10 Knee-High Homeschool 11 A Life Lesson 12 Motivate Your Child to Learn Using These Four Steps 14 Science In the Kitchen 16 Delightfully Discipled: An Interview With Natasha 17 Weapons AGAINST Mass Distraction 20 Holiday Leftover Ideas 20 Cooking & Cleaning Tips 21 Five Things That Make School Run Smoothly 21 Review by Sallie: “The Easy French” 22 Right Brain Learners/Left Brain Learners 24 So What About Socialization?

25 College Safari 26 Book Review By Sprittibee:“The Organized Home Schooler”

2

From the Editors....

Can you believe that it’s March already? Spring is just around the corner and you know what that means: flowers in bloom, cool crisp air, and Spring Cleaning!

We have several articles this month that will help you organize and prioritize your house and homescool.

Not only that but we have some great downloads available including one from fellow homeschooling mom, Melanie - The Election LapBook is my favorite! We have already begun using it on our lessons. This issue is jam packed with information that you can glean from.

We also welcome a new columnist and contributor this month: Marybeth Whalen from Cheaper by the Dozen and Kysha from Love’s School have joined the team and we are ecstatic about it. They brings years of wisdom and experience to the table and they are ready to encourage you in your ho-

meschooling journey.

Something new to look forward to at HeartOf TheMatterOnline.com is: A Research Panel- We are looking for 250 homeschooling parents or teachers that would like to join our research panel. The purpose of the panel is to give us insight into what YOU want in a homeschool site and magazine.

As a member of the panel you would: • Answer questions pertaining to homeschooling that are asked by our team.

• Be the first to hear about upcoming events, news, contests, and opportunities.

• Be eligible to review products and once you are done then they are yours to keep!

• Give your input on event coordination.

• Get the magazine before everyone else does!

• Participate in contests that are exclusively for HOTM Research Team members.

Would you like to join and make your voice heard? Good! Simply email us at: homeschoolinghearts@gmail.com and tell us who you are and why you are interested.

As always, we take submissions for cover photos, articles, projects, and more. Please see our submissions page for more details: Submissions Link.

Amy B & Amy S

Homeschooler of the Week Would you like to nominate someone for Homeshooler of the week. If so contact us at: homeschoolinghearts@gmail.com and let us know who you would like to nominate and why. If your nomination is chosen, we may use all or some of your comments when writing the article and link back to you as well.

3

Classical Education: Narrations It is one of the most elusive words a homeschooler can hear, “narration.” It seems like a very simple concept, you read and your child tells you what they learned from the reading. It sounds very simple, doesn’t it?

It is actually a skill that needs to be taught, modeled and practiced. Are you a storyteller?

Are you able to read a paragraph yourself and retell it in your own words with clarity? Try it. Pick up your favorite book and read a paragraph, and retell it to a friend or spouse or write down your narration.

Next step, have your child read a selection to you and narrate it for him. If you find it easy, then you’re ready to teach your child to do it. You will be able to model it for your child until he or she is able to mimic your lead. If you’re unable to do it, then it’s time to take baby steps to learn how.

Common everyday conversations are the easiest way to start the narration process.

Repeat what someone else has told you in your own words. This is also used in effective communication, a building tool to become a good listener. Your spouse says it’s going to rain next Tuesday and you simply repeat, “Next Tuesday, the forecaster says it is likely to rain.” Practice doing this for a while. I’m sorry it seems very simple but truly it is one of the areas that most adults need improvement, their listening and comprehension skills.

With your child, have them repeat back any directions you give them during the course of the day. If you tell your son to

4

gather his dirty laundry, before he leaves to do it, have him repeat what you said. Once this practice is common, you’re ready to move on to applying the skill to reading.

A common mistake that homeschoolers make is to select just any reading material to narrate from, including texts that are dry and boring for their children. Would you want to narrate from a scientific journal or from your favorite novel? It’s the same for your children, so set them up to succeed by requesting them to retell a story they love. You may want to read a selection for a couple of days repeating it each time before you ask your child to retell it.

Don’t expect perfection, if your child retells the selection without using complete sentences, that’s fine. Applaud their effort and remember that narration is a skill that needs to be built. Use short selections such as fables at first, in fact fables are an excellent way to start narrations because there is a moral to be learned. Your child could retell the story without all of the details but still get the moral correct. This would be a successful narration! The point of narration is to find out what your child learned from what they read or what has been read to them.

It eliminates the need for comprehension worksheets and allows you to be in communion with your child regarding their reading.

With my own daughter, I give her a heads-up of what type of information I’ll be expecting her to tell me about before she reads. At times I even go as far to write on the board, “Who,

What, When, and Where” so that as she reads she can single out these facts. Some children need a little more guidance than others. If you ask your children questions about their reading, make sure the questions is formulated to be open ended, not a simple “yes” or “no” answer.

Narration is thinking, listening and prewriting skill. It builds a child’s ability to organize their thoughts and prepare them to write.

To aid your child, point out how to recognize the sequence of events within a reading, important events that happen and how it affects the ending. You’re sharing the world of reading with them and asking them to share it with you. Write down your child’s oral narrations, show them to your child so that they see their own work. When your child is narrating orally with confidence, it’s time for them to write their own narrations, given that they can handle the writing portion.

This can begin as copywork, you write your child’s oral narration and have them copy it.

Gradually, you move towards allowing your child to write their own narration, one sentence at a time. By the time they are able to write a paragraph narration based on a chapter reading, they will be ready to to start a writing program or have consistent written essays.

Don’t be discouraged if your child doesn’t take to narrations right away, remind yourself that it is a skill to be taught, learned and mastered. It is not easy but it is worthwhile.

Oral narrations can take many forms at first from the child drawing a picture about what they are hearing from a selection, acting out a scene from the reading to telling their teddy bear what the story was about. It doesn’t need to be formal at all. Some homeschoolers have created “narration jars” where the child can pick how to narrate from a multitude of ideas placed on paper inside a jar. No matter what your approach, make it a positive experience.

For links to narration jars please view this article online.

Jessica is a Classical homeschooling mom to her 3 & 7 year old children. In her column “Trivium Tidbits”, she offers resources, aids and support for those who wish to homeschool their children using the Classical approach. Visit her blog: Trivium Academy.

For me, planning is done in three stages: beginning of the year, weekly, and daily. I also think a mid-year (over Christmas) evaluation on where you are and where you still need to go is very helpful for staying on track.

Beginning of the year: I spend time each spring making lists for each child and begin my shopping. I make a list of the subjects I want to make sure we cover, plug in any curriculum we already own that fits the bill, and then begin looking for the places where I have holes. Using my list, I begin my search at the various used sales we have around our area and I am usually able to find what I am looking for in this way. I also try to make it to our state’s conference to check out all the new stuff and also to get a fresh infusion of encouragement! I have learned, however, not to make impulse purchases at the conference. Generally speaking, I have regretted every time I have done this. Instead I have learned to request info, take it home, talk to my husband, pray about it and read up on the product. As much as it looks good from the outset, I have to ask myself the all-important question: is it something I will actually use? I have to take into account my teaching style, the ages of our children, the commitments we have, etc. and plan according to these considerations.

Weekly: Once all the stuff is bought and ready to go, I line it all up and look at it admiringly for awhile-- while it is still neat and organized! I know moms who sit down and do a marathon year-long planning session, but that does not work for me. We have lots of variables that factor into our lives (curriculum that doesn’t work, gaps

PLANNING Maps Out Success

that need to be filled that I wasn’t aware of, illnesses, family emergencies, etc.) for me to plan long-range. Planning out one week at a time just works best for us. Every Sunday afternoon (typically), I sit down with all the books and our calendar and map out our week, kid by kid, book by book. I use a basic teacher’s planning book. I like The Homeschooler’s Journal if you are looking for one. I include page numbers, reading assignments, any field trips or activities, etc. (For example, if we are going to go on a field trip one day, there would be a big X through all those days!)

While this takes a small block of my time, once I have thought it through and written it down, I don’t have to think about it anymore! By doing it weekly, I can also take into account my own energy level, any illnesses we are battling (especially during the winter), etc.

Daily: Each morning, I get up and open my plan book to look at what I have mapped out for the day. Then I get each of the kids’ assignment books out and turn to a new page in

each one. At the top of the page, I write the day and the date. Then I write down any chores they are assigned for that day. Then I methodically write out each of their assignments. I also include any out-of-thehouse activities they have for that day, just so they can be aware of how to budget their time. In this way, they take ownership of their day. I have found that they like knowing what each day holds and using the assignment books build accountability and responsibility into their lives. We all want to raise independent learners-- and this is hands-down, the best way I have found to do this. They are responsible for completing everything on the page for that day and they check off what they do as soon as they do it. I start this just as soon as they are reading well. So, by about age 7-8, you can begin implementing this in your home. If you are homeschooling several, this is is an excellent way to get them to stay on task if you are working with someone else. Ask them to look at their assignment book and find something else they can be doing.

In this way, I never spend a ton of time planning, yet I can stay on top of our year, our goals and our gaps. That’s about all a homeschooling mom can ask for!

Marybeth is homeschooling mom to six children ranging in age from teen to toddler, as well as a speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries. In her column “Because Life Happens,” she addresses things like burnout, dealing with interruptions, and handling homeschooling from a very practical perspective. Visit her at: Cheaper by the Half Dozen.

5

Art Museum Scavenger Hunt The question is not what you look at, but what you see.

Henry David Thoreau Last month we focused on listening to music, the first part of a two-part series which will conclude in April. But this month we move to visual art. There is something magical about a child’s first up-close-andpersonal experience with fine art. The richness of the subject matter, the variety of styles, genres and time periods, the range of emotions and colors, all combine to make lasting memories and mental pictures that will influence our children’s perception of art for their entire lives.

I myself remember each time I have been to a new art museum - from the Rijksmuseum in Holland, to the Children’s Book Illustrator exhibit on our trip to Maine - and each experience has filled me with a sense of beauty that can’t be replaced. No child is too young to take part in the expressions of beauty displayed in your local art museum.

I could go on forever! Use this list as a jumping off point for your scavenger hunt and adjust it according to the ages of your children.

Have the older ones choose two to compare and contrast, or choose a style that they particularly like and write a report.

Younger ones can simply find a picture in an art book and recreate it with art supplies. If you are not near an art museum have the children search in a large coffee table book on art from your local library.

The sky is the limit and the possibilities for discovery are endless! I hope you enjoy taking your family on this search-and-find mission!

Christine is a homeschooling mom of four, three boys and a girl ranging in age from infant to 7 years. A musician by trade, she desires to help other homeschoolers find the beauty and simplicity in teaching the arts to their children in her column, “The Finer Things”. Visit her at her blog, Fruit in Season.

Of course, without proper focus and direction, children can become overwhelmed and come away with nothing specific for their memory to retain. That is why, as with anything else in our homeschooling adventure, it is our job to prepare them for the journey with a well-planned “prelude” of expectations, questions and guidelines for looking at, and seeing, what is before them. Some museums have children’s activities and exhibits to start them off, but don’t be afraid to bring them to see the regular exhibits as well. Giving them specific concepts, subjects, and styles to look for will make for an exciting hour or two lost in the world of art! The anticipation is killing me, so let’s get started!

6

Scavenger Hunt List • a portrait of a child • a traditional still life • a cubist still life • a painting made only with dots (pointillism) • a painting primarily in warm colors • a painting primarily in cool colors • a painting primarily in black and white • a sculpture made of metal • a painting with lots of shadows The term for this kind of painting is chiaroscuro meaning “bright-dark”) • a painting of a celebration • a sculpture of an animal • a painting using mostly geometric shapes • an impressionist painting (in the style of Monet) • a painting using thick globs of paint • a painting with a feeling of sadness • a painting of a battle • a painting or sculpture using symbols (such • as an olive branch, dove, etc.)

• a sculpture that is broken • a landscape with people only included in the background, or not at all • a portrait that looks almost like a photograph • a portrait that is completely unrealistic • a piece of art that doesn’t seem to you like a piece of art • a painting of a specific place (Paris, London, George Washington crossing the Delaware, etc.)

• a painting with a lot of your favorite color in it • a painting of a snow scene • a painting of Mary and Jesus (there are so many styles to find with the Holy Family as subject that a lot of discussion can take place about what is different and the same- expressions, use of light, shape of face, colors, etc.)

Download this list to print and use on your next scavenger hunt.

w w w .T h e H o m e s c h o o l L o u n g e . c o m

Homeschool In the News In Shadows of the Past: Nebraska homeschoolers stand together Nebraska, 1982. Homeschooling fathers were arrested. Mothers fled the state with their children. Small unaccredited schools operating near the border had escape plans including how to get the children across state lines and where to meet parents in case the state were to raid the school. The Reverend Everett Sileven locked himself and members of his congregation in the Faith Baptist Church in Louisville and held a several day standoff with authorities. He was arrested; the church was padlocked. It wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last.

Eventually, in 1984, a governor’s panel would determine that the Nebraska law requiring certified teachers even in private schools was probably unconstitutional. Sileven appealed his sentence which was overturned by federal judges who ruled the sheriff had acted unconstitutionally in the arrests of several people in the standoff with the church. The legislature drafted a new law allowing for the existence of “unaccredited private schools” which has come to be synonymous with homeschools in Nebraska.

As one of the last serving senators to have been in office since this time, Senator DiAnna Schimek has not forgotten the controversy, nor the turmoil it caused in the legislature.

Nor has she forgotten what she thought the legislature was creating with the new law: unaccredited private schools, something the legislature thought would be overseen through testing and occasional visitation. The thought of homeschools as we know them today was not entertained.

This can all be seen in the current law, with its use of the term “unaccredited private school”

stated testing of students and visitations must be applied uniformly to all private schools and their students and must be arranged with the consent of the parents. To date, the State Board of Education has chosen not to test or visit private schools. NCHEA This isn’t quite what Senator Schimek had in mind back in the early 80’s as she debated the new law. To correct this, she introduced Legislative Bill 1141 which would require annual testing of all homeschooled children or the submission of portfolios or lesson plans combined with samples of student work. If a certified teacher did not determine the child was on grade level and had made at least six months progress, then the child would be forced to attend an accredited school. This would be a drastic step from current law, and would place stricter accountability measures on parents than on public or private schools.

and the provisions for testing and visitation for which the Board of Education may adopt rules. The reason testing and visitation has never been adopted is not because of the law itself, but because of the changing nature of unaccredited private schools in Nebraska. No longer are we talking about small parochial schools operated by uncertified teachers, but about parents educating their own children in their homes. The Nebraska Christian Home Educators Association (NCHEA) clarifies (emphasis added): Student Testing/Standardized Tests: While Section 79-1601(2)-(5) gives the State Board of Education the option to adopt rules and regulations for regular achievement testing of students and visitation of schools, these would have to be arranged with the consent the parents. An opinion issued by Nebraska Attorney General Robert Spire dated July 30, 1987,

Did You Know That....

5

Homeschoolers “are the epitome of Brown students,” says Dean Joyce Reed. “They are self-directed, they take risks, and they don’t back off.”

Brown Alumni Magazine, “Homeschooling Comes of Age,” January/Feburary 2002.

The basis? According to Senator Schimek, There is anecdotal evidence of homeschoolers running around during school hours with little to identify truancy.

Anecdotal evidence and fear of what might be able to occur in homeschools where parents are not held accountable to the state. Her introduction to the bill and closing remarks during the bill’s hearing by the Education Committee on February 26, 2008 reiterated many of the fears regarding homeschooling I hear in conversations with people who have never really had much experience with homeschoolers or view it only through their experience with accredited schools.

I just want to make sure there aren’t some homeschooled students out there who can’t live in the real world.

Fortunately for Nebraska homeschoolers, this is a shortened session. Even if this bill makes it out of committee, it would lack the priority status to be debated on the floor. And with 1300 homeschoolers turning out to the committee hearing (in a state with just under 6000 reported homeschools), an impression was certainly made.

Dana is a fourth year homeschooling mom to three girls and a boy. In her column, “In the News,” she will be taking a look at homeschoolers who have affected the news and news that affects homeschoolers. Visit her blog, Principled Discovery.

7

Let’s Play

Home school doesn’t have to be work, work, work! It can be fun and games, too.

Fun and games doesn’t necessarily mean not educational either. Playing with oys can be learning! Wonderful, exciting, adventurous toys! But not if our special needs children toss them to the side and play with the box they came in instead. *Sigh* I bet you’ve been there, done that. I know I sure have! So, how do we buy toys that can stimulate and teach our children? What are some things we need to look for? Well, let’s take a look!

Each of our children all have the same types of skills from birth on that they need to work on to function properly as they age and develop. Some have to work harder on particular skills, and maybe some have to use more of one skill to make up for another function that is missing (like in a blind child whose hearing may be increased because of his lack of sight). Those skills include fine motor, gross motor, language, social, tactile, visual, auditory, thinking, language and more. It’s important that we find and use toys that generate thinking and learning in our play time to encourage learning in all of our children, but its especially important with our special needs children as they will need more help in developing certain areas.

I like to buy toys that have multiple uses.

Multi-tasking toys, if you will. For instance, gross motor skills use large muscle movement while fine motor skills deal with grasping and your hand-eye coordination. My son’s favorite game has always been Hungry Hungry Hippo. This game is a perfect example of a multi-tasking game. You have to use gross motor skills in slapping the hippo lever to eat the marbles while also using fine motor skills to pick up each individual small marble.

Boy or girl, young or old, I bet most of you have a city play mat with cars and a town, or a railroad table with a train set. These are great multi-tasking toys as they help develop social skills between siblings and friends, as well as providing visual stimulus by keeping the cars on the road. They also encourage creativity and language by providing a reason for our children to use words to express what they are thinking and imagining in their play time.

Puzzles force us to use and develop our fine motor, creativity, thinking, and visual skills. The bigger the better! I love the huge floor puzzles that my kids get down on the

8

floor with and work on together. Together... that’s another skill! Social skills! Anyone with an aspie/autistic child understands the need for learning social skills!

Card and board games are perfect for helping to develop thinking and memory skills. They encourage our children to work together (uhm, social skills again) and help teach everything from colors, to math, to reading, and more. My children currently are in love with the game Wiz Kidz by Discovery Toys. You take two cards -- one has a letter and one has creative questions. It’s not a puzzle. It’s not a quiz. It makes you think and it’s fun! Our favorite letter/question combo so far? A body part that starts with the letter “q”. Yeah, we’re still trying to figure an answer to that one out.

And, of course, I can’t forget electronic games. Wii you like to play? I can’t express in enough words the joy Wii has given my family while having fun and teaching all those necessary developmental skills. There is golfing, bowling, tennis, and MORE. It teaches hand-eye coordination. It teaches social skills. It teaches thinking. It teaches visual. It teaches EVERYTHING! I love it!

The toys listed above are a great place to start if you know what category of special needs your child fits into. What if, however, you’ve just got a diagnosis and you have no idea what it means. Perhaps you are feeling lost and don’t have a clue as to what toys would be helpful to YOUR child. There are a few categories to look at to help you at least have a place to start.

• Physical Disabilities: these affect the motor systems and can include skeletal, muscle and joint abnormalities which in turn limit an individual’s ability to move, stand, sit, play, reach, and so forth. Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Spina Bifida are examples of physical disabilities.

• Sensory Disabilities: these affect the ability to gather and understand information from the environment through any of the five senses (touch, sight, sound, smell, taste).

Some of the diagnosis’ that fit in this category would be hearing and visual impairment as well as Sensory Integration Disorder.

• Communicative Disabilities: these affect the ability to communicate verbally due to limited, or altered comprehension and use of language. Autism and Pervasive Delelop-

ment Disorder, stuttering, speech, and other language delays fall into this category.

• Cognitive Disabilities: these affect the ability to process information, reason, remember and express emotions. Down syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Hyperactivity Disorder, Bi-polar, Jacobsens Syndrome are examples of what would fall under the cognitive disability category.

If you still aren’t sure which category your child falls under, then call your doctor and ask. They are more than willing to help you understand how to better help your child and you can find a wealth of information on the internet as well. If you do know which category your child falls under, then you can start searching for toys based on that category as well as your own child’s individual needs.

Several places you can find great guides that will recommend and help you search out toys are: http://www.lekotek.org/ http://www.ableplay.org/ http://www.toysrus.com/ (look at their toy guide for differently-abled kids) http://www.discoverytoysinc.com/ http://www.specialneedstoys.com/usa/ http://www.adaptivechild.com/index.html So, now that we know we can have fun while playing, and learn while we are at it, let’s get out there and check out some new toys! Put your lists together now for birthdays and holidays and share your lists with friends and family!

Sallie is an off-again, on-again homeschooling mom to her 4 children, ranging from elementary to high school. In her column “The Square Peg,” she discusses the challenges of homeschooling a child with disabilities and offers insight to those who sometimes feel all alone in a round hole world.

Organized Clutter?

A few years back, we lived in a two-story, 1,127 square foot house. We had three bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, living room, and dining room. Since it was built during an era (1895) when wardrobes were likely quite small, comparatively speaking, it was extremely lacking in closet space. When we moved in, we had a 6-month-old son, two cats, and a dog. The house had plenty of space – it was about 200 square feet larger than our previous home. Sometime during the ensuing 11½ years, we had another son, gained a home-based rubber stamping business, and a multitude of other things.

I was able to live with the chaos and clutter while I was still working outside the home full time. After all, I was only home from dinner until bedtime during the week, and just a portion of the weekend. Then I was blessed to leave my job and stay home with my boys.

Once I started living there full-time, the excess stuff became more of an issue. Much more. I realized that I needed to do a better job of organizing everything. It was time to implement that old adage, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” While we didn’t have a lot of closet space, there was storage in the eaves of our steeply-gabled roof, which I was sure would be the key to a better organized home.

I spent an inordinate amount of time buying various-sized plastic totes, re-boxing items, and moving them to assorted areas of the house. I was sure that I could find the ideal storage places, and if I really had it together, I might even have a card file or notebook that would index all of my stored items for easy retrieval. Along the way, I also purchased magazines, books, and anything else that promised me I could be better organized. It was just a matter of finding the right system and implementing it.

It seemed that I came up with as many organizing methods and plans as days in those ensuing years. Each one got off to a grand beginning, only to fizzle out before coming into fruition.

During this time, there were two defining moments that changed the way I view home organization. The first happened in a casual conversation with a friend of mine. Each

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up. ~A. A. Milne ~ week, she prepared a meal for the residents of a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

She told me how these women often had to begin life over with absolutely nothing. They may have barely gotten out of their situation with the clothes on their backs. I also found out from my friend that these women could receive vouchers to shop at a local thrift store for the many things they would need. Maybe I could help them by donating to this store.

Those questions become the framework through which I was able to eliminate some of the abundance of possessions I’d acquired.

A wonderful thing began to happen. I had room for what was important. I found that organizing was a lot easier when there was less “stuff ” to organize. I also gained an internal peace when I opened a cupboard and actually had access to the item I needed to use.

All the organizing strategies in the world – and there are many – will do nothing for you until the overflow of belongings is addressed.

I realize there are people who have a handle on this, but for a vast majority of us, we have more than we could ever hope to use in our lifetimes. Let’s share the wealth, open up some space, both physically and mentally, so that we can better organize what’s left and what matters.

I began to view the bounty in my cupboards differently. Was this extra set of mixing bowls something that I actually used, or just thought I might use? Would it better serve another woman who was trying to start her life anew? The answers came quite easily, as I winnowed the excess out of my kitchen.

The second moment occurred while attempting (yet again) to follow the Fly Lady’s plan of action. Her thoughts on clutter?

“You can’t organize clutter; you can only get rid of it.”

Aha! I spent all those years attempting to organize the clutter, not realizing that the problem wasn’t in my system, the problem was that there was more stuff than space. Once I grasped that concept, it became much easier to get rid of the things I had been holding onto. Instead of continuing to think, “This might come in handy,” the query changed to, “Could someone else benefit more from this than me?” and “Do I really need or use it?

AND does it have a home?”

For further reading: I just received the most recent issue of Debt-Proof Living and the main theme is about clutter. Even without a subscription, you can read the current issue by clicking on the link in her left sidebar.

Dianne is in the third year of homeschooling with her two middle school boys, ages 14 and 12. She’s been joyfully married for 21+ years.

She continually seeks to balance the many aspects of life in a way that glorifies the Lord. In her column “Blueprint for Balance,” Dianne shares organizational strategies for the homeschooling journey. Visit her blog at Bunny Trails.

9

Standing In the Gap Knee-High Homeschool

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 This is it, isn’t it? Our mission as parents? To train up our children in the way they should go? Indeed it is the very nature of our particular calling as co-creators with God – to nurture, protect, and TRAIN up these little souls.

It is of grave concern to me though, that the dialogue between passionate homeschoolers and equally passionate traditional-schoolers has become riddled with perceived judgments and defensive angst.

Not to be too simplistic, but can’t we all just agree to disagree and get along?

For truly, I have discovered a profound peace in keeping my eyes focused on the goal and letting some of the particulars of how we achieve that goal go. Perhaps that comes with age and experience; perhaps it comes as a gift of grace when needed most. I am not sure. I just know that what seemed like such a big deal a few years ago is no longer a divisive issue for me. Where as I used to think what is right for my family must therefore BE THE RIGHT THING, PERIOD; I now understand that what is the right path for our family may not be for another and vice versa.

There are many, many right paths to the same destination: heaven!!

And my goodness wouldn’t it be boring if we all took the same path to get there? We’d have nothing to talk about at the heavenly banquet!

Isn’t it about time that we moms gave one another the benefit of the doubt and the understanding we ourselves crave. We are not on the same path all of us, and yet we are headed in the same direction. For some of us that means homeschooling our children, and for others it means registering the children in traditional school, and for still others it involves some combination of the two. Yet we are all working to train up our children in the way they should go – let us pray that not a one of them should depart from it!

“Parents are the first and most important educators of their children, and they also possess a fundamental competency in this area: they are educators because they are parents.”

-Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality #23

Measure of Grace.

10

Stacey is a wife and stay at home mom to two energetic children: Emma who is 4.5 and Timmy who is 3.5. They are Irish twins!

Trying to be obedient to the call God has put on their hearts of growing their family and raising little saints, Stacey currently co-schools her children. Her children attend a traditional pre-school part-time and are homeschooled the rest of the time. Stacey’s column, “Standing in the Gap” focuses on way to weave together the worlds of homeschooling and traditional schooling. Visit her at A

Psalms 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

For the past couple of weeks I have had the pleasure of witnessing spring blooming all around me. Daffodils are growing in our yard, the trees are starting to sprout their leaves once more and the temperatures have made for some wonderful afternoons spent outside playing in the backyard. I know some of you may still be digging yourselves out from the snows of winter, but I am truly excited about the possibilities of warmer weather and what it means for our homeschooling journey.

Below are a few ideas you may want to try this spring with your preschooler: • Take a nature walk (or stroll). While my son plays in the backyard we also take time to gather interesting colored leaves, check on our butterfly house, and take time to notice little things we might overlook. If you prefer to leave your yard and go on a walk or stroll, take a paper bag and collect interesting things to talk about when you get home.

When we go for strolls around the neighborhood, we look for squirrels, count the houses we pass, and point out the colors we see.

• Plant some flowers. I’m not much of a gardner, but we have managed to grow some flowers in the past and little kids love getting their hands dirty! You can plant a small flower garden or even grow some flowers in a paper cup. The kids also love checking on their flowers daily for growth and watering it.

• Make a weather chart. The coming of spring usually brings with it some interesting weather, at least where we live in the south. Some days can be absolutely sunny and gorgeous, and then sometimes we have severe thunderstorms. Talk about the weather each day and make a chart to record what the days’ weather is like. If it’s cloudy, put a picture (or draw your own) of a cloud on the chart for the day.

• Spring cleaning. I love cleaning and organizing and spring brings with it another opportunity to get things in order around our home. Let your child help you with simple projects like bagging up clothes that no longer fit or storing away your winter clothing. It may take a little longer with a little one helping, but your child will feel a sense of accomplishment.

• Visit the zoo. Baby animals are also a common site in the spring and spending the day observing them at the zoo is educational AND fun.

These are but a few ideas to help you get started on a journey of exploration and learning this spring. I’d love to hear some of your ideas in the comments section.

Mandy is a preschool homeschooling mom to her three year old son.

In her column “Knee High Homeschoolers,” she writes about the joys of homeschooling a preschooler and shares helpful links and practical information gained from experience. Visit her blog, Inching Along.

books on my shelf, unless you OPEN them.

There is a difference between “judging” and “discerning.” Judging is what we do when we don’t have all of the facts to be discerning. There was no discerning that day, I simply had judged.

Jesus was clear, never a “judge some, embrace others” from Him. He lived the perfect life of not judging others. He gave them all a chance.

He LOVED the unlovely, He spoke to the LOWLY and He himself likely had long hair.

Oh yeah, a lesson was learned that day, and I shared it with my children. I wanted them to understand how easily we can slip into those ‘judgmental attitudes,” even their mom.

“If you judge people you have no time to love them.” Mother Teresa

A Life Lesson “It’s nice to meet you ma’am.” He extended his hand and had a fabulous handshake for a 15 year old. I was impressed.

BUT, I had seen him earlier when I arrived to teach my Friday classes. He just did not “look” the part of a homeschooler. He had long hair, well past his shoulders, and ripped jeans and a skullish thing on his t-shirt. Unaware at the time, this boy would find his way into my art history class that I teach on Friday afternoons.

I knew at the time I’d done it, you know the voice, that subtle voice of God that let’s you know in your heart you have just done something, something that you aren’t proud of.

I had done something that I TRY not to do.

I HAD JUDGED A BOOK BY IT’S COVER and his name was Dylan. I saw him that morning, and I judged him in my heart, and it wasn’t until he arrived in my class that I was convicted in my judgment. He was the most polite and interested student I had in my class, a really neat kid! He even came to my defense when another student began to be a bit disrespectful; “come on man, Ms. Lori is trying to teach here.” He asked ques-

tions, and was involved in the discussions, and after class ended, as we were getting ready to leave, he made a point to tell me, “Ms. Lori, I really liked your class today, I’ll be back.” WOW....talk about convicted.

As homeschoolers, we often find ourselves ‘judged,’ and it is NEVER a pleasant feeling. Sometimes it’s by the outside world, and other times it’s within our own homeschool community or extended families. Have you ever found yourself judged on the curriculum you’ve chosen or even on your decision to homeschool? A lesson was learned that day, one that I T~R~Y daily to teach my children.

I know the verse well, “Do not judge, lest you too will be judged.”

Matthew 7:1 Funny thing is that if you come to my house, I remove all the covers of my books, they just bother me, so if I arrive home with a book with a cover, it’s removed and im mediately thrown into the trash. They all look the SAME sitting on my shelf ! Perhaps the reminder was just what was needed that day, you can’t know what is inside the

I made a friend that day, and I learned a lesson, one that I did not realize that I needed to learn, but HE did...and He graciously taught me to see that my heart needed an adjustment. I’m thankful that HE did! I look forward to seeing Dylan on Friday’s.... he’s a great kid, a great heart, and a deep thinker...I’d have missed that if I had continued to only look at what was on the outside.

Judging a book by its cover, it’s NEVER wise.

Father, Thank you for the little lessons that you place on my path to gently show me how I can become more like you in all I do and say. Help me as I walk daily to see others from the inside out.

Help me to remove the covers that often interfere with how I see others. Help me to always be discerning without ever being judgmental. Please continue to remind me when I fall short with the words of Matthew, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” You never judge, you are always there with an open and loving heart, how I desire that.

With your help Father, I can remove all ugly judgmental attitudes from my spirit, where I can see each of your creations as YOU see them. Thank you Father for the lesson and for your constant patience with me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen

Lori is a 4 year homeschool mom to 3.

Currently a 7th grader, a 5th grader and a 3rd grader. Lori insists that when she was wrestling with the decision to home school, a gentle voice guided her with the words, “you know what you should do.” Never looking back, accepting the challenges and rewards and CONSTANTLY clinging to THE ROCK...”No Storm can shake my inmost calm when to this ROCK I’m clinging.” “Raise Your Hands” is an inspirational column while, as the Beatles so eloquently put it, we walk “this long and winding road,” together. Hoping to impart peace and inspiration amidst the daily chaos. Be sure to visit her blog at All You Have to Give.

11

Motivate Your Child to Learn Using These Four Steps Children naturally love to learn.. Even children attending a traditional school setting enjoy learning--at first--when a kindergarten class is full of neat things to learn about like: goldfish, hamsters, seed sprouting, math manipulatives, play areas, etc.

But sometime around the second grade textbooks and workbooks are introduced and a child is forced to sit in a small desk area for six or more hours. Many children decide that school is boring. Studies show that seventy percent of children do not learn well in the way the schools teach -lecture/textbook/test--most students need more.

I want to spend time explaining this step because is almost always skipped (especially in public school classrooms). Adding this step to your current lessons can make a huge difference in your teaching

Learning Styles and 4 Step Learning Cycle Twenty years ago, when I first began homeschool I read book 4Mat System: Teaching to Learning Styles With Right-Left Mode Techniques by Bernice McCarthy. I learned everyone perceives and processes experience in different ways. These preferences comprise our unique learning style. This made a profound impact on my teaching. My eyes were opened to the importance of understanding how children learn differently.

McCarthy and a dozen other learning style experts developed a four-step lesson cycle is a way to teach to all four learning styles.

These four steps will work with any curricula or any subject. ~ Step 1 Excite: Cause an Interest ~ Step 2 Examine: Find Out the Facts ~ Step 3 Expand: Do Something with What Was Learned ~ Step 4 Excel: Share Work with Others

Once I grasped an applied the four steps, I recognized Jesus taught this way!

Step 1 Excite: Cause an Interest

Step 1 is a critical step. In this step the teacher motivate the student by making the lesson meaningful to their lives. They might discuss what the children may already know about the subject and what they would like to find out.

12

effectiveness.

What motivates you to learn? If I offered you a free course in plumbing would you jump at the chance to take it? Probably not, but if you were standing in a basement knee deep in water you’d be interested.

Children, like adults need to know material they are learning is relevant to their lives. A workshop speaker asked this question to a room of 300 school teachers. “Why do we capitalize proper nouns? The only answer that was given was, “Because it’s a rule.” You can teach this as a rule by marking Xs on papers for a few years repeating the rule over and over or you could explain why we capitalize proper nouns. The workshop proved her point by asking one of the teachers in the audience, “What is your name?” The woman answered, “Susan.” The presenter asked, “Would you rather be called Susan or the lady in the red dress?” Imagine explaining this to a 6-year-old. “Would you rather be called Susan or the girl in the red dress?” Then explaining: We capitalize Susan because it is your name, the name of a specific person. We don’t capitalize girl because it could be any girl, not a specific girl. If I were writing about mountains I would not capitalize the word “mountains” but if I were writing about a specific set of mountains such as the “Rocky Mountains” I would use capitals. Spending a few minutes explaining why makes a tremendous difference. Explaining that a period at the end of a sentence is like a stop sign, is much more effective than repeating the rule about using a period at the end of a sentence.

Step 2 Examine: Find Out the Facts

Step 2 is the traditional step: This is where the student findsout the facts.

The schools usually use textbooks. Textbooks are one option but homeschoolers know that using several different resources are more effective.

Some children are simply bored to tears working in text books. When is the last time you curled up by a fire with a good “textbook?” Resources such as “living books,” historical novels, biographies and classics can motivate an unmotivated child.

Step 3 Expand: Do Something with What Was Learned

To retain the material, a student must do something with what is learned. During Step 3 the lesson is reinforced by completing an assignment or creating a project. Projects can be simple tenminute activities or elaborate three-day endeavors.

Step 3 examples: ~ Write a summery, paragraph, poem, essay, etc. ~ Create an Outline. ~ Complete a Crafts or Activities ~ Illustrate the Story - Student illustrates the story in any medium. ~ Create a cartoon strip or a create a storyboard. ~ Create a Scrapbook Page ~ Make a mini book or lapbook. ~ Act out the story in a skit.

Step 4 Excel: Organize and Share Work

In Step 4 the student shares what he has learned. When a student can teach someone else what he has learned, he really knows the subject.

Lesson Example: Rock Classification Step 1 - Create questions and curiosity. Give your child several different rocks, a penny, a paper clip, glass of water, and say “Use these materials to tell me the differences between these rocks.”

Brainstorm and discuss how you can use the materials to show differences.

Step 2 - Reading about rock classification in a visually stimulating book like Eyewitness Rocks or watching a PBS show on rocks, etc to learn how and why scientist classify rocks (answering the questions created in Step 1).

Step 3 - Do something with what was learned. Create a scrapbook page (or chart, or outline, or report, etc) Step 4 - The child shares the scrapbook page (or chart, or outline, or report, etc) with father or sibling explaining what he learned about rock classification. This is synthesis, pulling it all together in a format to teach someone else.

Learning Styles Caution

Christians should be cautious when studying learning-style theories. As with other truths, nonbelievers take a discovery, as the secular world often does, and distorts the principle to fit their secular worldview. New Age and psychology take things like learning differences and brain dominance and use them as an excuse for sin.

The Bible describes how different people are given different gifts and talents. Anything you read about learning styles should line up with God’s Word and never be used as an excuse for sin or shortcomings. They should not be used to categorize or label. They should be used to realize the benefits of teaching new concepts through different modes of learning and to help children who are having difficulty grasping or retaining information. In fact, we should not teach to a particular style-else the student would only learn in one mode. We need to teach children to recognize their strengths and improve on their weaknesses.

The most important thing to know about learning styles is that one style is not better than another. We all have different intellectual strengths.

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body [were] an eye, where [would be] the hearing? If the whole [were] hearing, where [would be] the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where [would be] the body? But now [they are] many members, yet but one body.

And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those [members] of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely [parts] have more abundant comeliness. For our comely [parts] have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that [part] which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but [that] the members should have the same care one for another. 1 Corinthians 12:12-25

Robin has been homeschooling for 20 years.

She and her husband Ronnie are blessed with a “yours, mine, and ours” blended family of eleven children (ages 6 to 34) and thirteen grandchildren (ages 1 to 12). She is actively teaching the two youngest children still at home. Robin is also and author and business owner Please visit her at Heart of Wisdom.

13

Science In the Kitchen The kitchen is often the hub and the heart of the home. Families spend more time in this special room than any other room in the house. It is used for food preparation, arts and crafts, get-togethers, Bible studies, and much much more. So why not add one more function? Turn your kitchen into a science lab.

Most of us cringe at the thought of a science lab, as we are instantly taken back to a time when science labs were sterile, boring classrooms filled with goggles, beakers, microscopes and long white coats. Well, that was HIGH school, this is HOME school.

The incredible thing about science is that it isn’t all about microscopes and beakers.

You do not need expensive equipment and dangerous chemicals. Just grab 2 apples, some lettuce, popcorn, and an onion and let’s do some experimenting.

Have your kids ever asked you the following questions?

• Why does an apple turn brown after you cut it?

• Why do we have to dry foods, like fruits and pasta, to store them?

• How does popcorn pop?

• Why does lettuce wilt after you cut it?

• Why do onions make people cry?

Experiment #1: Why does an apple turn brown after you cut it?

Peal and slice an apple onto a plate and leave it out on the counter. Within a few minutes, the white will begin to turn brown.

Why? Fruit contains a chemical enzyme that reacts with the oxygen in our air creating a “rust-like” effect on the surface of the apple. The same goes with potatoes.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, [and] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed [is] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ~ Genesis 1:11 Who wants to eat a brown apple? Not me.

To stop the discoloration, place the apple slices in a bowl of water so the enzymes do

14

“The more I study science the more I believe in God,” ~Albert Einstein not have access to oxygen. Another way is to sprinkle them with an acidic liquid like lemon juice.

Apple Fun Facts • The apple tree originated in an area between the Caspian and the Black Sea. • The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

• 25 percent of an apple’s volume is air. That is why they float.

• In colonial time apples were called winter banana or melt-in-the-mouth.

•The world’s largest apple peel was created by 16 year old Kathy Wafler Madison on October 16, 1976, in Rochester, NY. It was 172 feet, 4 inches long.

• One of George Washington’s hobbies was pruning his apple trees.

• In 1730 the first apple nursery was opened in Flushing, New York.

Experiment #2: Why do we have to dry foods, like fruits and pasta, to store them?

Most foods, especially fruits, contain a lot of water. This sweet water is a prime environment for the growth of bacteria and mold.

To preserve the food, we need to remove the water through dehydration. To preserve an apple: Cut your apples into ¼-inch thick slices. Lay flat on cookie sheets, do not overlap. Dry at 115 degrees for 6 to 8 hours. Turn the slices over after 4 hours.

Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. ~ Proverbs 31:31 More Apple Fun Facts • Apples were the favorite fruit of ancient Greeks and Romans.

• America’s longest-lived apple tree was reportedly planted in 1647 by Peter Stuyvesant in his Manhattan orchard and was still bearing fruit when a derailed train struck it in 1866 • The largest apple picked weighed three pounds.

• It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.

• Apples are the second most valuable fruit grown in the United States. Oranges are first.

• 2500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States.

• 7500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world.

Experiment #3: How does popcorn pop?

The secret to popcorn is a tiny drop of water contained in the starchfilled kernel. Heat turns that water drop into steam, which expands and breaks the kernel’s shell open.

For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. ~ Psalm 86:10 Popcorn Fun Facts • By the time Europeans began settling in the “New World,” popcorn and other corn types had spread to all Native American tribes in North and South America. More than 700 types of popcorn were being grown, many extravagant poppers had been invented, and popcorn was worn in the hair and around the neck.

• The English colonists were introduced to popcorn at the first Thanksgiving feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where one of the chief ’s brothers arrived with a goodwill gift of popped corn in a deerskin bag.

• Colonial housewives served popcorn with sugar and cream for breakfast -- the first breakfast cereal!

• Popping popcorn is one of the number one uses for microwave ovens. Most microwave ovens have a “popcorn” control button.

• Popcorn kernels can pop up to 3 feet in the air.

• On September 29, 2006 a new record was set for the World’s Largest Popcorn Ball, as measured by the Guinness Book of World Records. Eight feet in diameter and nearly 24.5 feet in circumference, this creation weighed in at a whopping 3,423 pounds.

Uncut lettuce is very firm and crispy. This is because lettuce is 90% water! Once the lettuce is chopped, it becomes wilted because there are more edges for the water to escape.

To freshen wilted lettuce, simply soak it in a bowl of ice cold water.

Onion Fun Facts • Originated from area around Iran.

•Egyptians believed onions had strengthproducing powers, therefore, they were fed to labors who built the pyramids.

• Onions have been found in Pyramids in Egypt where they were buried along with the Pharaohs.

Lettuce Fun Facts • The name onion stems from the Latin word ~•The ancient Greeks served lettuce at the unus meaning oneness or unity. end of a meal because they believed it made • Alexander the Great ordered his troops to people sleepy.

•Christopher Columbus was believed to have eat onions to improve their vitality. brought lettuce with him to the New World. ~ An average American consumes around 21pounds of fresh and processed onion every • In terms of production, lettuce is the top year. vegetable crop in the United States •Thomas Jefferson grew 19 varieties of lettuce ~ The largest onion ever grown weighed 10 pounds 14 ounces. in his garden at Monticello.

Amy is a Classical homeschooling mom to a five-year-old Superhero. In her column “Through the Microscope”, she writes about the beauty of science and finding God’s handprint through the miracle of everyday elements and processes. Be sure to visit her blog at Milk and Cookies.

Experiment #5: Why do onions make people cry?

The layers of an onion contain an irritant called sulfuric acid. Cutting releases the strong aroma of the acid. Tears are produced to wash the gaseous chemical from our eyes.

Great Science Links: Apologia Science www.highschoolscience.com

Biology In Motion http://biologyinmotion.com Forensic Biology http://www.bxscience.edu/publications/ forensics/science.htm Green Hour http://greenhour.org How Stuff Works http://www.howstuffworks.com Our Place in Space http://www.amnh.org/ology/astronomy Science With Me www.sciencewithme.com/experiments.php Scientific Method Today http://www.scientificmethod.com

Before there were television and video games, kids used to play outdoors, entertain themselves and work around the house in the afternoons. Kids don’t choose television over people. They choose television because of lack of people interaction.

- Brook Noel

www.CastleHeightsPress.com

15

Delightfully Discipled: An Interview with Natasha

by MandyMom Over the last couple months, I have had the privilege of getting to know a new breed of homeschoolers. They’re eclectic, but not very structured. They’re borderline unschooling leaning toward delight-driven education with the ultimate goal of leading their children on the path of the Lord.

It may seem like a new trend, but discipleship schooling has been around since the beginning of time. Over the next few months, we’ll be exploring what it means to be delightfully discipled.

This month, I’ve interviewed a fellow discipleship schooler and good friend of mine, Natasha Pharis. She’s been a blessing to have as a friend, and, without knowing it, encourages me daily!

I met Natasha in our small group bible study for married couples. Our sons are close in age, and we have similar interests, so we became fast friends. She’s now 28-years-old and pregnant with her second child who should be arriving in a few weeks! Natasha and her husband of seven years are both involved in their son’s education, but fill different roles.

“I’m more of the structured teacher [in helping with] cut and paste, drawing, etc.

Mike teaches the ‘as needed’ instruction,” she explained. “We both support each other in the teaching we do because we know we have the same goal in mind [which is] to raise children of God who have a hunger for learning without the pressure of it.”

Natasha was once a career-oriented woman who was climbing the corporate ladder.

When her son, Kale, was ten months old, she left her full time job to care for him.

“I’ve truly been grateful for every, almost every, minute of it,” she grinned.

Some people know they will home school before their child is even born, but Natasha wasn’t one of those people.

“To be honest, I never imaged myself as

16

a homeschooler, because I had always been very career focused. As Kale aged, I realized I had more responsibility to my family and raising him than I did helping someone else get rich. My husband and I have the biggest influence on our children, and we really didn’t want someone else raising them.”

A little over a year ago, Natasha got to know one of her neighbors who, come to find out, home schools her four children and is the secretary of our local home school association.

“In getting to know her family, I realized [homeschooling] was something that had been placed on my heart to do. It was something I needed to do. I started researching, and, lucky for me, [my neighbor] had tons of material and references available.”

What seemed intimating at first became less so after Natasha realized she was already teaching her son. “I just wasn’t doing it in ‘school’ format!” Natasha exclaimed.“I was a little worried at first,” she admits. “I didn’t want to be one of those parents who makes a child get involved in something he truly has no interest in because we like it so we think he should.”

Her son, who is nearing age three, is constantly on the go. He’s a busy little boy who has a variety of interests and loves to explore.

“There isn’t much he doesn’t like to do. He loves to draw, color, and cut and paste- which [neither of us] do very well. We started teaching him sign language at six or so months old so we could communicate easier, and to this day, he is very excited in learning more.

We started off with the signs for ‘more’, ‘eat’, and ‘all done’, but now he‘s constantly asking me how to ‘say this’ with your hands.

It‘s good, because I‘m learning as well.”

We started off with the signs for ‘more’, ‘eat’, and ‘all done’, but now he‘s constantly asking me how to ‘say this’ with your hands.

It‘s good, because I‘m learning as well.”

Sign language definitely has it’s benefits. “Today at the library, we were able to communicate to each other during story time without disturbing the teacher or other kids.

It excites me that he will be able to talk to his new sibling at a very early age because we will teach him or her sign language as well.”

Kale is well-loved and nurtured, but he’s not treated like a helpless baby. Mike and Natasha encourage him to do things himself, but are always there to offer a helping hand if needed. They have allowed their child to grow without hindrance.

“He’s surprisingly coordinated and can actually play baseball very well. He doesn’t need the t-ball stand. I am truly blessed to have a child that enjoys learning and wants to learn. He keeps me on my toes!”

Natasha is passionate about her God-given mission. “I don’t want underpaid teachers who aren’t allowed to teach about God to be responsible for the raising of my children.

God blessed me with them, and we feel it’s our responsibility to do the best we can. We don’t have structured school every day, but we do make time to do school work. It’s getting to the point where he’s asking if he can ‘do school work’. How can I possibly tell him no?

Why would I? It definitely makes it a lot easier to teach someone that is anxious to learn.”

Natasha and I both agree, all parents are teaching their children in some way.

“Anyone who has a young child knows they pick up your good and bad habits.

They are very curious creatures and are very interested in the world around them.”

As parents, we have to be aware of our own words and actions because our children are watching. They mimick us well. That’s what discipleship is all about- leading our lives in such a way that we direct and disciple our children to do the same. Mike and Natasha have decided not to subscribe to cable television so they can better control what comes into their home. Instead, they’ve placed wonderful learning materials within arm’s reach and are ready and willing to teach their child with every situation, small or large.

“As Kale gets older, we structure things a little more. We actually sit down to draw, color, and read for short periods of time.

Learning is never forced, but always enjoyed.

He takes breaks to play as often as needed, and sometimes ‘school’ is concluded after just one short session. Even though we may not do a lot of ‘school work’ in a structured setting, I use every opportunity I can to teach him without overwhelming him. Every life situation can be turned into an opportunity to teach; you just have to be open to seeing it!”

Mandy is a former homeschooler student who has set out to unschool her three young munchkins. In her column “Adventures in Unschooling”, she gives a glimpse into the curious minds of her children as they follow their natural instincts to explore the heights and depths of knowledge and and are led though Godly discipleship. She blogs at MandyMom.com and MandyMom.com/edublog

Weapons AGAINST Mass Distraction Overwhelmed?

As a Homeschool mom, I have about a gazillion things I have to juggle each day. I am the cook, the maid, the teacher, the referee, and the accountant. It is amazing I can fit in time for personal hygiene. It is no small wonder that people aren’t beating my door down to find out more about home education! Homeschooling isn’t for the faint of heart. However, while the job may be thankless and the salary is awful, the benefits are certainly worth every small chore. The problem, then, is not that Homeschool moms need to give up homeschooling… it is that we need to find a way to balance our lives and put more focus on what is really important. We each need to find a way to zero in and eliminate all the fluff so we can be productive and successful in everything we do.

Matthew 12:25 ~ ... “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

Do you find yourself struggling to keep the distractions at bay? Do you have a child that is unable to keep to the task at hand? Have you ever stopped to wonder if your distracted child is learning the behavior from a distracted mom? Often times the things we see in others that we like the least are reflections of our own worst character traits rising to the surface. I can vouch for that advice… I remember hearing a mother scold her son one day at WalMart and heard the harshness in her voice.

It certainly touched my spirit and made me think about how I had scolded my own son not long before we left the house… and how I must have sounded to him. Recognizing that our hearts are not in the right place and that our attentions are divided for the worst is a first step in positive change. As a wife, mother, and teacher to our clan… the last thing we

need to be is “remote”, “troubled”, “confused”, or “deranged”. Some synonyms for the word distracted also include the words: imbalanced, bewildered, crazed, deviant, disordered, irrational, unreasonable, unhinged, and wandering. Thinking those words over individually leads you to the correct assumption that a little distraction is NOT a good thing – nor should we take it lightly (because our enemy isn’t).

1 Peter 5:8 ~ Be self-controlled and alert.

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Think about the consequences of distraction in everyday life: a healthcare worker is distracted and causes a medication error that injures or kills a patient… a distracted eater gains another five pounds and increases their chance of diabetes… a distracted driver accidentally runs over a child… you get the picture. It may not seem quite as important when your children can’t remember what they have just read because they were busy watching you do chores or listening to you take a phone call instead.

Yet as the distractions pile up, you find yourself overwhelmed and “troubled”… “anxious” and “remote”. Stress from distraction causes relationships to be strained and your example to be tarnished by ungodly character (anger, resentment, complaint, rage, idolatry, poor stewardship, procrastination, unforgiveness… the list goes on). When the children see mom in a mess, they tend to mimic us as well. Siblings fight, laziness becomes apparent and you soon find that the kids are just as off track as mom.

In my first article at HOTM back in January 2008, we discussed what “heartstrings” are and how we can make them. In the second article of this series we talked about the mission field

So what is distraction?

Main Entry: dis•tract•ed

in our homes – how our example and relationships with our children are our most important mission in life… and how time is fleeting to accomplish a great work in their lives. For our “heartstrings” to remain in healthy shape, though, we need to eliminate the distractions that seek to damage them. Remembering that we are in a spiritual war and that God truly is in the details will do us all a great service: helping us to be the opposite of distracted!

What is the opposite of distracted?

Who wouldn’t want to be known as “focused”, “observant”, “sharp”, “aware”, “alert”, “reasonable”, “balanced”, “clearheaded”, “sane”, “stable”, “calm”, … even “happy”? Maybe our pursuit of ‘happiness’ should be a pursuit of life driven by un-distracted purpose and happiness will follow. I think I speak for most Homeschool moms when I say, “I want that!” I want less distraction and more vision. I want to come away from each week feeling like there was focused and meaningful success (even if the list didn’t get checked off and the house isn’t perfectly clean). We all know that feeling of being on top of things… of knowing that God carried you through an insanely busy week and somehow you arrived in one piece – and you feel blessed and encouraged that lesson plans got done and you managed to keep your cool. While everyone’s idea of a successful week might differ, I think we can all agree that less distraction would rocket us all forward towards meeting our goals.

9 Practical Steps to Reform our Scattered Ways: 1. Recognize what distracts you.

Much of our problems are self created. Many times distraction is the result of sin. Are you allowing yourself to spend more time on things that are lesser priorities? Do you suffer from a lack of prayer time? Your temptations and patterns with lost time will lead you to the root causes and give you lots of ideas on what you can change in your daily routine.

Function: adjective 2. Unplug and Reconnect.

Date: 1576

1 : mentally confused, troubled, or remote 2 : maddened or deranged especially by grief or anxiety - from Dictionary.com

Chances are if you find yourself overwhelmed by the noise of the day, you are listening too much to the wrong sources! Even Jesus had to

17

step back from the crowd and connect oneon-one with God. In today’s world of email, on-one with God. In today’s world of email, text messages, junk mail, telemarketers, blogs, tv, radio and other electronic stimulus – it is good to remember that the constant stream of input is OPTIONAL. People will understand if you turn the phone off during school hours. Certainly mom’s computer time should be limited during school to avoid distraction and a routine breakdown. Sure, you may have important business waiting on you when you return to the computer… but usually nothing that can’t wait a few hours for you to regain composure and reconnect with the Almighty.

A set time for unplugging the kids is another important step towards keeping their “heartstrings” strong. Green Hour, free reading or Tea Time are just a few ideas that you could quietly do together each day or each week.

Allowing your teen children to do a bible study on their own might give them a sufficient does of quiet reflection as well. If you aren’t making time for your own daily dose of meditation over God’s Word, I would highly suggest it. A day without God is a wasted one… and one that is destined to go wrong.

3. Simplify and Purge.

If it isn’t working, ditch it. There’s no use beating your head against a wall. If you have fallen in to a rut, identify the problems you are having, set some goals, and resolve to change. You don’t have to use every worksheet in a workbook. You don’t have to do every activity in a unit study. You CAN switch curriculum two months before school lets out in May! You don’t need to be on five or ten different email lists and get over fifty emails a day (calculate how much pointing, clicking and deleting that requires and keep only the email groups that you NEED). Declutter your supplies, catalogs, curriculums, furniture, closets, etc.

Having all the things you need handy – and getting rid of what you don’t need will free up more than just space and time… it will make you FEEL better. When your mind is free you can focus on what is important and allow the kids to work efficiently (without the distractions that come from searching for things or not having what they need to finish a project).

4. Speed it Up: Shave your Time Do you know where your biggest time-wast

18

ers are during the day? Make a list of how you spend your time during the school day (have the kids participate and it will impress upon them the value of time and responsibility).

Set up your errands on the same day. Set up your school day based upon the arrangement of your house and accessibility to curriculum, tools, and natural flow of each project. Schedule clean up breaks to minimize end-of-schoolday disaster. Keep a grocery list. Know what you are having for dinner before lunch each day (to save money and eliminate frantic fast food dinners). Freeze meals ahead. Take some time on weekends to plan the next week out and even prepare assignment sheets and tear out worksheets if you use them. The quicker the kids can tackle their work, the fewer distractions on Monday through Friday! Keep a notepad handy (avoid the scraps-of- paper trap). Sure we know you wrote it down “somewhere”, but if it isn’t in ONE place, you may never find it again. Handle your mail once and throw it away if you don’t need it. If you look hard enough, you’ll find an area or two where you can improve your efficiency … and time saved is pure gold to a Homeschool mom!

5. Don’t Procrastinate.

Aside from clutter and wasted time, one of the biggest distractions for Homeschool moms come in the form of those little piles of projects that never got done on time. Maybe they aren’t piles, but are lesson plans that go undone because we weren’t prepared. Maybe the grading isn’t finished or the dishes aren’t done. Whatever it is that you haven’t done will come back to haunt you later... adding stress that will eventually drive you to distraction. Break your big projects down into steps, set small goals, keep an updated calendar, and force yourself to ask the question every day: “What ONE project can I complete today?”

You’ll find that the stress relieved by finishing something and the feeling of accomplishment you get are worth the extra thirty minutes you lost by putting duty before play-time. Tomorrow your load will be that much lighter!

Finding a way to get our point across without sounding like a nag is a difficult task when we are in the trenches of everyday life. However, you will find that if you come across with a negative tone, use guilt as a motivator or give empty threats – the kids will begin to tune you out and the cycle will go on for eternity.

Broken record = no results. Get creative and establish a ‘New Plan’. Instead of calling it “getting school done”, be specific. How about, “I would like for you to finish these last four or five things on your assignment sheet and then you can have free time until Daddy gets home.” Instead of the same old phrase, you have given the kids a “quest” and reminded them of their motivation. You have made the task seem less formidable – and have avoided sounding like the “school nag”.

It is smart parenting to allow natural consequences to take place rather than constantly remind someone that they are not on task (ie: Johnny doesn’t finish Math, so he has homework during video-game time with Dad…).

Try a written note to the kids, a rule chart with consequences, or an assignment list.

The key to communicating without walls are fivefold: be clear, be encouraging, be consistent, be prepared to act, and think before you speak. If we remember to change things up and put ourselves in other’s shoes when bringing our requests to the table, we will avoid sounding negative or demanding. We can extend this technique across all our roles and watch amazing things begin to happen.

With idle words out of the picture, progress towards better character is made - for parent and child! The children might even begin to think it was their idea to finish the chores.

Maybe they will start to feel good about their contribution to the family through hard work. That will make life easier for MOM. 7. Make a Priority List.

It helps if you have a reminder now and then.

A simple list on the fridge can help remind you daily if you get off track. A list might look something like this: God, husband, kids, 6. Don’t NAG - Mind your Tone! meals, school, house, family, friends. Read over your list each day when you eat your Too often we Homeschool moms (and par- meals and take some mental notes. Have you ents in general) sound like a broken record. spent time with God? Have you done something thoughtful and kind for your man and the munchkins? Do you know what’s for din“Please finish your math.” ner? Have you done more than the 3R’s? Is “Hurry and finish your breakfast, we need to the house somewhat presentable? Have you start school.” talked with your mom today? Did you re “I told you to clean off the table.”

member your best friend’s birthday? It doesn’t take long to create a new habit – and forging a new routine around your top priorities will keep life running in the smooth lane.

8. Know When to Rest.

Don’t wait until you are having to lay in bed with a box of tissue and the throat spray to get some R&R. Your mind and body need to rest and re-energize (and so do your kids). Have you noticed that you have dark circles under your eyes? Are you tired more often than not? Are your teeth on edge? Maybe the whole family needs a field trip day, a play-hookey day, or just some time alone to read and kick back. Pushing your kids or yourself until you are running out of steam goes against the purpose of making learning enjoyable anyway. Plus, “Ain’t nobody happy if mama ain’t happy.” If you find yourself scowling, it is highly probable that everyone needs some solitude and a dose of “schedule-detox”.

9. Rewards Rock!

Rest may seem like reward in and of itself, but even more than the reward of some time off, everyone in the family needs incentives to work towards. If you have ever worked in Corporate America, most likely you haven’t worked for free. Most people don’t take a job and work hard at it unless they can take a paycheck to the bank. Set small goals and make a few “wish list” items that you can work towards. An allowance might be a start. Make sure that it isn’t “free” money, but rather, a reward for hard work. Are the chores done? Is the school list checked off ? Other ideas to work towards might be a pizza party, a sleepover or a new book. Rewards don’t have to break the bank (nor should they come too quickly or easily). Maybe mom and dad can take one kid each on a “parent-kid date-night”? The treasurebox of ideas is only limited by your own creativity. Watch the kids light up when they start reaching goals and feeling like winners!

What the Bible Says about Distraction: Luke 21:34 ~ “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.”

I’m sure you have seen this verse before. If you haven’t, it is a favorite verse of many a harried homeschooling mother. Did you know, though, that there is a world of meaning behind the word “dissipation”?

Take a good look at what Jesus warns the hearts of mankind against:

So what is dissipation? dis·si·pa·tion Pronunciation [dis-uh-pey-shuhn] –noun 1. the act of dissipating.

2. the state of being dissipated; dispersion; disintegration.

3. a wasting by misuse: the dissipation of a fortune.

4. mental distraction; amusement; diversion.

5. dissolute way of living, esp. excessive drinking of liquor; intemperance.

6. Physics, Mechanics. a process in which energy is used or lost without accomplishing useful work, as friction causing loss of mechanical energy.

- from Dictionary.com

Preventing distraction to protect your “heartstrings” is advice that comes from the RED PRINT - straight from Jesus himself. It is serious business... a mission in and of itself. Rid yourself of the roadblocks that are in your way and consider a distraction-less life your new mandate. All things are possible through Christ! May you find a way to prevent the “anxieties of life” from stealing your success each day. May your heart truly be purpose-filled and light.

Sprittibee (Heather) has been homeschooling for 6 years and has one crazy husband, 2 crazy kids (ages 9 and 11) and 2 crazy cats. When she isn’t making Tex-Mex, learning web design, teaching the kids, or rubbing her face on the cat’s belly... she loves to blog. In her column “Heartstrings for Homeschoolers,” she reminds us to stop and smell the proverbial flowers on this journey we call homeschooling. Not every day will be a great one. She admonishes us to learn to focus on the beauty of the moments God has blessed us with - for better or for worse... because our hearts are shaped by the memories we are making.

19

Holiday Leftover Ideas Easter is almost upon us and the very thought gets me excited. To think about what that means to me, to know that it’s the day my Lord rose from the dead and conquered my sins forever makes me happy all over. The very idea of making a ham or turkey and getting together with my loved ones to celebrate this is the best warm fuzzy!

Then, on Monday, you are faced with leftovers. Lots and lots of leftovers. Leftover turkey, leftover ham. And you can only have so many sandwiches before the kids go on a eating strike! What to do? I think I may be able to help. Here are some of my favorite recipes to use those leftovers in a different way. Enjoy them and please leave a comment and let me know if you liked them, or if you have others to share.

Ham and Bean Soup

1 cup leftover ham, cubed 1 large jar of white navy beans or 2 cans Great Northern beans, with liquid 1T. garlic powder 1/4 chopped onion 2 c. water Place ingredients in crockpot and set on low.

Simmer for 5 hours. Serve with cornbread or biscuits.

Cordon Blue Casserole 1 cup leftover ham, chopped 1 cup of leftover chicken, chopped 1 bag frozen broccoli 2c. Shredded cheese 2T soy sauce Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place leftover chicken in pan and add soy sauce, stirring until heated through. Place in “pammed” 9x13” pan and add ham and broccoli. Stir around until mixed and add cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve or rice.

Melt butter in pan on med-high heat. Place cubed potatoes and cook until almost done.

Add garlic, onions, ham, and peppers and simmer until just sweating. Cook eggs in separate pan to your liking. Place potato and ham mixture on plate and cooked eggs on top. Top with cheese and sour cream.

Mix 1 can soup with 1 can’s worth milk, 1/2 the sour cream, 1/3 cheese and turkey. Place in tortilla shells and “roll up”. When all shells are filled, add the second can of soup, and can of milk, and 1/3 of cheese and rest of sour cream. Make a creamy topping and pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remainder of cheese. You can make these ahead and freeze.

Bake at 400 for 1 hour for frozen, or for 20 minutes for “fresh”. What I like to do when I freeze extra, since I only have 2 pyrex pans, is I line them with heavy duty foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. When I am done, I make sure the foil wraps around the food like a neat little package and then I freeze the whole thing in the pyrex pan. When it’s frozen, I can take it out of the pan and store the foil package in the freezer. When it comes time to cook it again, just place it back in the pan, foil and all! Easier to clean up, too! That idea works for almost any dish.

Hot Turkey

Turkey Spaghetti

leftover turkey leftover gravy leftover mashed potatoes 2 slices of bread, buttered

leftover turkey 1 lb. cooked spaghetti noodles 1 jar favorite spaghetti sauce 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Lightly grill the bread in a hot skillet until golden brown. In the microwave, heat the turkey, potatoes, and gravy separately. Lay the bread on a serving plate grilled side up with the mashed potatoes in between. Layer the turkey over the bread and pour hot gravy over all. Yummy!!! And a great quick meal for those days when you are on the run!

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, mix noodles, sauce and turkey together.

Place in a pyrex dish sprayed cooking spray.

Sprinkle the cheese all over the top and cover with foil. Bake for approx 30 minutes. Dish can be made ahead of time and frozen for later use.

Ham Skillet 1/2 cup leftover ham 1 potato, peeled and cubed 2 T. butter or margarine 1/2 small onion, chopped fine 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 c. shredded cheese 2T sour cream (optional) 1/2 red pepper, chopped fine (optional) 2 eggs, any style

Turkey Enchiladas leftover turkey tortilla shells 2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken) 1 8oz tub sour cream milk 1 c shredded cheese

Heather is a stay at home mother with 3 blessings to take everywhere with her. Teaching women to shop and save and get the most for your dollar are a vision that has been a long time in the making. She enjoys sharing her trials and triumphs at the local stores, as well as some good (and some not so good) recipes to help make those dollars stretch. Her column, “Practical Penny Pincher” is a must read for the thrifty homeschool mom.

Visit her blog at Titus 2 Woman.

Cooking & Cleaning Tips:

• A wooden spoon resting across the top of a pot of boiling water wil prevent boil overs.

20

• To clean glass & ceramic cookware fill it with hot water and drop a used dryer sheet in it . Once the water is cooled to room temperature you should be able to just wipe it clean.

Five Things That Make School Run Smoothly REVIEW: The Easy French

People often ask me HOW we manage things around our house. So this month I have five things to share with you that have worked well in our large family homeschooling situation. Hopefully, they will be beneficial to you. Even if it is not something that you can incorporate, it is always fun to see how others organize their homeschool.

1. Get an early start. This is a very difficult one for me but it makes such a big difference.

I am not a morning person and am often up several times a night with little ones but I have found that if we get an earlier start we accomplish so much more. Things tend to run more smoothly for us as well. We try to be up, dressed, fed, and ready for school by 8 am.

I will readily admit that it is a rare morning that this actually happens. We shoot for this never the less and it is becoming a more frequent occurrence. It seems if we start school work any time after 9 am then we most likely will not finish our work and we are going all day long. If we start at 8 am we are almost done by lunch and are finished by 2pm. I do not know why it works this way other than we are more energetic and motivated to make the most of the day when the day is still fresh.

2. Organize your teacher materials and resources.

If you have a specific place for things and they are easily accessible, not only to you but to the children who will need them, things flow more smoothly. I have two bookshelves located in the hallway about ten steps from where we have school. It is easy for me to pull things out and to replace them. I typically pull out everything I will need that day and replace it as I finish with it. This gives me a visible and tangible way to tell what I have accomplished and what is still left to be done. The children can go and get their resource books and replace them as needed.

3. Organize the materials and books per each child.

I had a friend introduce me to this particular idea and it has made a big difference in organizing our materials. Each child receives their very own plastic bucket. They are similar to milk crates in size. Each child places their folders, math books, readers, journals, paper, container of pencils, and anything else that is specific to their course of study in these containers. They have a designated place for their buckets and are required to pull them out before school and to return them after school.

4. Keep a stash of pencils, pens, staples, glue sticks, and any other necessary items. Find an easy place to store them. I have a basket thing that I keep ours in. It sits atop the book shelves listed in #2 above. It is on the end that is next to the stairs so even the shorter children can climb a few stairs and be able to reach what they need without any difficulty.

5. Take advantage of nap time! Nap time is when you can accomplish a lot! You can finish lessons with the older children or correct papers without the little ones making noise or trying to take pencils. You can have chore time and do a quick pick up to straighten the house, or you can take a short refreshing nap to help fuel you for the rest of the day. You can have your Bible readings or other reading. You can use this time as I am now, blogging. Take advantage of this time.

Kristine is the wife of a pastor who is currently serving as a chaplain in the military. She is also the mother of eight wonderful children and schools them using the Classical Christian method. In her column, “Ducks in a Row,” she writes about the challenges, joys, and logistics of homeschooling a large family. Visit her at her blog, Mama Archer.

by: Sallie

Many times as homeschoolers we wish to teach our children a foreign language but funds, as well as talent perhaps, hinder us from taking on this challenge. Let me share with you what our family is using to further our horizons and ability to reach others for Christ.

I took French for 4 years in high school.

I retained quite a bit of it until we moved to Japan and even then when trying to learn Japanese, French words would roll off my tongue. This was quite confusing to our friends! When we moved to Arizona, I tried to learn a bit of Spanish but then Japanese and French words would come out of my mouth so I eventually gave up trying. Our daughter started public high school and she took her first year of French as well. She has always had her eye on fashion and so it makes complete sense for her to learn this language. We came back to homeschooling this year and I really DID NOT think my husband would want us to keep up with French but he surprised me by telling me to teach everyone. We found a used (though it looked pretty new to me) curriculum online at another homeschooling mom’s blog and bought that from her. We have been so pleased with this program!!

The Easy French Level 1 has been a blessing to us. It is based on scripture and the company is working with groups like Wycliffe Bible Translators and others to prepare missionary families in training for their service to God. The cost of the program at their web site is $129.95 but the program is set up to take a younger child 3 years to complete so if you are starting off very early, then this is where the frugal part comes in. Basically you are paying less than $45 a year for foreign language. That’s probably the best deal I’ve seen around!! If you are a high school age level, you have to complete level 1 and level 2 to meet state standards but if you start off with it early, then you can catch deals or maybe even find it on ebay.

The workbook comes with 2 CD’s with vocal examples.

We have also purchased at CBD several downloads to supplement. They were all less than a dollar and are songs in French. The children have really enjoyed listening to these. Some other things we have used to supplement were things we already had in our house. For instance, we sometimes watch our movies in French just to get used to hearing the language. I think their favorite line is “Je suis un ogre!” from Shrek...LOL... I can’t tell you how quickly my previous French training has come full force back into my brain using this program. We spend about 20 minutes a day practicing and listening. We also do some writing and I will catch the children through out the day and say something to them in French and have them repeat and translate or answer in French. It has been great so far.

Purchase Here: The Easy French

21

Right Brain Learner/ Left Brain Learners by Darnelle For as long as I live, I will never cease to be amazed at how so many different looking children can come from the same two parents.

My husband and I have five children - five very distinctly different looking children. The oldest is very Italian looking, like his father. He has very straight black hair, very dark eyes and dark features. Son #2 two has brown hair, (that was blond-almost white- for years, then got darker) and is extremely curly (ringlets kind of curly). He has light brown eyes, medium skin and features and wears glasses. The third child is a girl with black hair like brother #1, but it’s curly like brother #2. She also has dark skin and eyes and wears glasses. Child #4 is female and has the same features as #2 son, except that her hair is wavy, not curly and was never blond. Baby girl, #5, has straight dark brown hair, light features, freckles and green eyes.

It’s like God was pulling traits from a hat. I just think it’s funny.

And, if those aren’t enough differences, each one possesses a unique personality and a totally different learning style from his/her siblings.

(A girl’s gotta have a mean bag of tricks to teach in that kind of home school.)

The phrase ‘learning style’ is used often these days and is simply a catch-all way to express the fact that each child has unique methods by which they are able to absorb and process and remember information.

You’ve probably noticed that while one child seems to love performing his work in workbooks regularly, another child would rather pull his own teeth than sit for even 5 minutes working in a daily workbook. Some children love to employ constant help and intervention while others prefer to work completely independently. Some children memorize things more easily with constant review, while others require every kind of song and dance imaginable to get things to “stick” in their memories.

Learning styles When I first began home schooling, I purchased a pricey phonics curriculum that required a significant amount of memory work. Son #1 sailed through it with ease and utter enjoyment. (Enjoyment. I said it.) Son #2 wanted to run away from home every time I tried to use that same curriculum with him. It drove him batty (and hence, he drove ME batty.) Lesson learned.

This is the point at which a wise parent/teacher concedes that it might be a good time to investigate the differences in learning styles and make adjustments. A great first step in that direction is to discover whether your child is, what is often referred to as a ‘right brain’ or ‘left brain’ thinker. Scientists tell us that different parts of our brains are responsible for our abilities to do different things. While the left side of the brain seems to be responsible for our ability to function in all things logical, sequential and rational – the right side allows us to think randomly, intuitively and subjectively.

Most people generally exhibit characteristics that seem to suggest

22

that they use one side of the brain more masterfully (or at least more often) than the other. Since most curriculum is geared toward a more left brain learner (focusing on auditory and sequential aspects, as well as a lot of writing) children who are considered right brain learners often struggle to keep pace though they may be quite intelligent. It makes sense to find out which kind of learner/thinker – left brain or right brain – your child might be. Most people are a combination of the two, though they tend to lean a little more in one direction than the other.

For younger students, consider the following tendencies:

LEFT BRAIN LEARNERS

• Tends to seek structure in the school day • Memorizes best by repetition (auditory or writing) • Likes to know the plan for each day, week, etc.

• Tends to work well independently • Likes to make lists, and check them off as tasks are completed • Thinks things through with multiple pieces of evidence before coming to a conclusion • Tends to find math interesting and is very good at it.

• Likes the predictability and conciseness of workbooks • Can work well within a self-paced computer curriculum

RIGHT BRAIN LEARNERS

• Likes spontaneous events, versus planned events • Memorizes best by using meaning, color, pictures, story and emotions • Does not plan ahead regularly • Prefers much involvement with parent while doing daily lessons • Does not work on items sequentially, but skips around in his/her work • Makes quantum leaps when learning - figures things out with little evidence • Finds math quite repetitive and somewhat boring • Prefers projects and discussions rather than book work • Does not do well with self-paced or computer curriculum For older students, consider the following traits:

LEFT BRAIN CHARACTERISTICS 1. Verbal 2. Responds to word meaning 3. Sequential 4. Processes information linearly 5. Responds to logic 6. Plans ahead 7. Recalls people’s names 8. Speaks with few gestures 9. Punctual 10. Prefers formal study design 11. Prefers bright lights while studying

RIGHT BRAIN CHARACTERISTICS 1. Visual

2. Responds to tone of voice 3. Random 4. Processes information in varied order 5. Responds to emotion 6. Impulsive 7. Recalls people’s faces 8. Gestures when speaking 9. Less punctual 10. Prefers sound/music background while studying 11. Prefers frequent mobility while studying As I mentioned, most curriculum tend to teach to left brain learners. If your child (especially in early elementary grades) shows signs of difficulty with memory skills, focusing and attention OR if he/she has a genuine dislike for “traditional” desk work very early on in the game, OR if the situation has reached a point where your spouse is hearing rumors of an impending mother/child smack down during school hours – then you may want to look into some right brain teaching strategies. The beauty of right brain methods is that both right brain and left brain learners seem to love the techniques and they are very effective for both groups. In the blue column to the right are a few suggestions listed by subject.

For space reasons, I have only briefly listed a few suggestions for helping your right brain thinkers with their work. Also listed are some online resources that are packed with detailed information to guide you in creating an atmosphere where your little right brainers (as well as left brainers) will be able to function and excel.

Last thoughts. It is important to remember that struggling learners usually do not learn independently, but need much teacher involvement to be successful. And, don’t forget to pray for the ability to be able to employ some of these techniques regularly and the wisdom to discern exactly where your child’s greatest needs are. God is aware of every detail. Just ask Him! Darnelle is a wife and a mother to 5 children: 4 home schoolers currently in 3rd, 7th, 9th, and 11th grades and one college sophomore. All 5 children have been home schooled from preschool. She has experience teaching in public, private, parochial and special schools but her favorite . . . is home school! Her certification is in the areas of special education and remediation. In her column, “Fill in the Blanks”, Darnelle aims at assisting parents in finding and then correcting trouble spots that often cause academic problems and struggles. Children - and their parents - who are free from the burden of academic struggles, can begin to love learning again, just like God intended! Visit her blog, All Things Work Together.

SPELLING - Train child’s photographic memory capability - Teach the word retrieval technique that spelling bee winners use ~ Avoid using writing as main means of learning spelling words - Use colors and pictures and humor on the letter or letters in a word VOCABULARY - Have students draw cartoons to aid in memorizing vocabulary words - Make a drawing of the meaning of the word - Use pre-made vocabulary cartoons by homeschool dad Sam Burchers MATH - Teach the problem and answer as a whole rather than in parts - Use stories, emotion and pictures - Make visual charts of math processes whenever possible and keep them displayed PHONICS - Use color and pictures to make phonics memorable at every opportunity - Train the brain to store the sound and picture as a unit - Employ music and/or singing to teach sounds READING COMPREHENSION - Train students to change words into pictures when listening and reading - Teach them how to make a movie in their head as they read to increase comprehension/memory - Add specific/recognizable music to reading time WRITING - Model how to see their whole paper or paragraph before they write it - Show them how to write only one or two words to remind them of the whole thought - Don’t correct spelling errors on the paper.

Instead, put misspelled words into the next spelling lesson RESOURCES: - Teaching Your Right Brain Child - video by Dianne Craft - Right Brain Child in a Left Brain World - by Jeffrey Freed - VocabularyCartoons.com - http://diannecraft.org/ - Right Brain Math - by Dianne Craft - Lindamood Phonemic Awareness Program - Dyslexia: How do I Teach this Child” - by Dianne Craft - Teach Both Sides of the Brain - by Tony Buzan - http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/

23

SO WHAT ABOUT SOCIALIZATION?...AND OTHER QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING! (This is part 2 in a 3 part series.)

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE. I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE!

Matt. 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the peck measure, but on the lampstand; and gives light to all who are in the house. Let you light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” ~”Aren’t we called to be “salt and light”?

I can’t tell you how many times I have had someone say this to me. Each time someone has said to me “Aren’t we called to be salt and light?”, I have felt a little stab in my heart because it can cause me to feel as though I am being a neglectful parent, and not teaching my children how to live out and share their faith. Because my desire is to be a parent that is obedient to God’s Word, I desire that they learn what it means to be “salt and light,” and be ready to practice it as they are given opportunity. It can be very insulting to have this accusation thrown your way.

I have had a few people actually get irritated with me as they have told me that my kids need to be “salt and light!” I actually had a man say this to me once, “Home schooling parents are a bunch of lazy parents who don’t want to teach their children how to be ‘out there’ and live out their faith!” After my husband pulled the dagger out of my heart and picked me up off the floor, I walked around for quite awhile feeling somewhat wounded! He hadn’t bothered to ASK how we are teaching our children to be “salt and light.” He had just assumed that they weren’t learning it because they aren’t in the public school system!

For me, this is the hardest accusation to “swallow,” because it is a very serious accusation.

24

But the Holy Spirit prompts me to just be silent, AS HARD AS THAT IS, to evaluate how our children are learning to be “salt and light,” and then seek the Lord’s guidance for how He wants my children to learn to be “salt and light.”

In order for salt or light to be useful there has to be interaction or contact with its environment. If anyone were to take the time to think through this argument thoroughly, I believe that they would be able to see that there are multiple ways that a person can be “salt and light.” Although being a student in the public school system can be one way, there are so many other ways in our day-to-day life to interact with and be a light in this world! But FIRST it must be modeled by US as parents.

A friend told me that, “every time you walk out your front door, you are on the mission field.” That is so true. If we can start to teach our children this concept, and look for ways to reach out and to be an example to those around us as we go through our day, our children will learn how to be a “salt and light.”

What about when we go to the store, or out to eat, or to get our hair cut, or fill our car with gas, or play on a sports team, or interact with relatives that aren’t Christians/or aren’t living for the Lord? Whenever we come in contact with people - customers, sales clerks, cashiers, waitresses, teammates, parents of teammates - we are in contact with people whom we can reach out to, talk to, share with, and live out our testimony before. I keep New Testaments in my purse, because at times I have felt the Lord prompting me to give one to a sales clerk or someone I have spoken to.

I buy some products from a lady who is not a Christian. So, at Christmas time, with my daughter’s help, I made up a little gift bag for her with coffee, chocolate, a candle...and put a New Testament in there as well.

There are so many ways you can reach out to

those around you, and teach your children how to live that life as well (socialization + being a light!!) Then, as they find themselves in situations with teammates, coaches, or friends, you can help them think how to reach out and share their faith. But we must be living it first. I like to think of myself of a sort of “coach” in this regard. The fact that we do so many things together gives us ample opportunity to be “salt and light” together. I love it when one of my children has done something that stood out, and was a testimony, and I can say to them, “You did such a great job being an example in that situation!”

When Jesus taught about being “salt and light,” He was talking to a multitude, including His disciples...who were grown men! Although as believers we are all called to be “salt and light,” we as parents have the awesome opportunity and responsibility to live that calling before our children, and guide them in their calling as they grow and mature in their faith, so that when they are grown they have learned what it means to live that out, and can teach their children the same. As homeschoolers, we can pray for God to open our eyes to how we can be a light and how we can teach our children to be “salt and light.” Then we can pray that God would provide opportunities for our children to practice what they are learning. It is exciting to see God’s timing and His wonderfully unique ways for using our family as part of His plan.

As hurtful as some of these comments can be, they can still be opportunities for us to evaluate how we are doing in the area of teaching and providing opportunities for our children to learn this most important life lesson!

Gina is the mom of two high schoolers, a freshman and a Senior. In her column “Reaching High,” she shares the many lessons that God has taught her and her family, as they have sought Him through the years. Visit her at her blog,Chats with An Old Lady.

Let’s Go On A College Safari (sung to the tune of “Surfin’ Safari”) Lets go visit now Everybody’s learning how Come on and safari with me (come on and safari with...)

Still feel like you need help?

My DVD on “Finding a College” can take you through the process step by step: Finding a college to explore, comparing statistics, visiting the campus, and preparing the application.

Right now is the perfect time to plan a college visit - especially if you have a junior in high school! Junior year is the “right” time to visit so that by their senior year your kids know where they should apply. Spring is such a beautiful time of year: The flowering trees, the chirping birds, the preening freshmen....Plan a college safari so you can experience the campus with students in their natural habitat!

A college safari is important!

You really don’t know what a college is like until you are physically there.

We visited many medium-sized, private and religiously-based colleges in our area. The differences between them was simply shocking! They looked the same on paper, they looked similar on their promotional materials, and they had similar numbers in the US News and World Report College Guide. And yet when we saw them in person, the contrast was stark! Make sure you visit so that you and your child really KNOW which college is the best fit for them.

A college safari is easy!

It’s a good idea to go for an “official” visit, so the college knows that you have been there. Most colleges have a similar process for visiting. Go to their website, click on “admissions” and then click on “visit.” It’s that easy! You can get lots of information about college visits on my DVD called “Finding a College,” and I’m sure it will really help. But really, all you NEED to find out is two things: can my student live there for 4 years, and can my student learn there for 4 years? If your child feels comfortable with those two things, then that’s one college to put in the “apply” category.

A college safari is fun!

Each family represents a huge “sale” for a college, and so they invest a lot of energy into making your visit special. It’s usually quite fun! Beautiful grounds, interesting conversations, questions about socialization - what could be better? Taking a child on safari also can remind them that they are becoming adults and will soon be released onto the savannah. You are giving them proof that they are growing up! It can be very encouraging for a teenager, and some teens really start to take their studies (and their life) a little bit more seriously.

Every step of the way, homeschoolers have the advantage. With our oneto-one student to counselor ratio, parents can ensure that their student doesn’t get overlooked or forgotten in the long process of finding a college.

Go on a college safari this year. I promise it will open your eyes to the wonders of the collegiate animal kingdom!

Early in the morning well be startin’ out Some homeschool kids are coming along Were loading up our Windstar With our kids inside And headin’ out singing our song...

Yes I’m gonna take you to college with me Lets go visit now Everybody’s learning how Come on and safari with me (come on and safari with me)

Lee Binz is a veteran homeschool mother of two and the owner of The HomeScholar. Her mission is “Helping parents homeschool through high school.” You can sign up for her free email newsletter, The HomeScholar Record and get your daily dose of wisdom via reader from her blog, The HomeScholar High School Helper.

25

BOOK REVIEW BY Sprittibee: “The Organized Home Schooler” - by Vicki Caruana Probably the number one comment I get as a homeschool mother is, “Oh, you homeschool?! How do you ever do it?! I am not that organized.” I have had many a friend tells me that they would consider homeschooling if they thought they could be organized enough to actually do it some justice. I think that not only with homeschoolers, all of us seek ways to improve our ability to manage the tasks we are faced with each day. Vicki Caruana, a former public school teacher and veteran homeschooler who speaks at conventions across the country, has done well to explain the desire we have for order in our homeschooling. She gets down to the root of the matter - the God who created us put inside us a need for orderliness! Using scripture, Vicki helps you see that the matter is not merely a matter of the mind, but of the HEART. Vicki adds wonderful bible verses and checklists at the end of each chapter for the reader to follow along. This book is not only a helpful tool to teach you new ways to get your school, home, and life more organized; it is a bible study for your soul!

The book takes you through so many wonderful topics that most people overlook when trying to start a new time management system. Vicki starts first with, “Why Organize?” and follows with “Organize Your Thoughts”. She continues with “Organize your Time” and “Organize Your Space”. Some homeschoolers are given to remain shut in and others are so busy coming and going that they meet themselves along the way. Some homeschoolers are hands-on learners and others learn mainly from books and movies. Some homeschoolers use a boxed curriculum or a computer program and others are eccentric and own a little of everything on the market. We all have a responsibility to have an aim or goal in mind when educating, though. I loved her comment, “Everything we do within our homeschools should lead us to the goals we have set with our children. It is so easy to get distracted and get off track. You might receive a homeschool support group newsletter outlining all the field trips they have planned for the year, and you sign up for many of them. There’s nothing wrong with going on field trips or engaging in activities on the spur of the moment.

But I caution you to not make a habit of it. The more time we spend away from home, the less time we have to work on the business at hand. I strongly recommend that all, or as many as possible, activities relate to attaining the goals you have set forth.”

Vicki can be called none other than the Master of Organization! She gives a three step process she uses to stay focused on her homeschooling goals which can be used for her other topics as well. While discussing the organization of time, she gives a checklist test for you to find out if you are disorganized with your daily activities. I found this activity very helpful and insightful (even if I’ve flunked it almost every time I’ve taken it). She has many diagrams, checklists, and sketches throughout the book to help the visual learner. Her ideas are wonderful, and I always enjoy reading through them for a refresher. I highly suggest this book for the first time homeschooler, the organizationally challenged, and those trying to recover from post-holiday blahs. Even the seasoned veteran could take notes and gather ideas for record keeping and file systems.

Other topics included in the book are: Organize Your Supplies and Materials Organize Your Paperwork Organize your Family The Task of Reorganizing Habit Forming (I can hear you sigh) The Nuts and Bolts of an Organized Homeschool A Homeschool File System The List of Lists for Homeschooling (BOY, is she right!)

Also included in the book are references and lists of other books that Vicki herself has found helpful in her quest for creating an orderly home and homeschool. I give her book five stars out of five! This one is a keeper. I consider it a reference book for my school and home, and read it at least once a school year! I hope you enjoy “The Organized Homeschooler” as much as I have.

www.HeartOfTheMatterOnline.com homeschoolinghearts@gmail.com