Category: Homeschool
Finishing the Race: Graduating Our Homeschooled Student
It has been a little quiet here on the blog lately. Our family had a busy time of preparation last week. Friday evening we graduated our oldest daughter from high school.
This is the child that made me a mother for the first time. Then she made me a homeschooling mom. Now she has made me a mother to a beautiful, grown-up young adult.
3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
This verse was so present in my mind this weekend. There really is no greater joy than seeing your children grow up to absolutely love the Lord.
As we were preparing for the graduation and the subsequent family dinner, my daughter and I were reflecting back over the years of homeschooling. She was asking me about my thoughts of homeschooling over the years. Here are a few of our reflections:
1. Homeschooling is not about education.
Surprising, huh? But it’s really not. It is about training up your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. The “education” comes in as a part of this mandate, but not the whole of the mandate. We learn to read and write and do equations so that we can better serve the Lord. I loved what the graduation speaker, John Stonestreet, said, “God has created us as human beings, not human doings.” It’s not what we do that matters, but who we are.
2. Everything the public school advocates say is true.
Our kids are not being socialized, I am not qualified to teach them, and yes, they are being indoctrinated. And you know what, praise God it is so.
I don’t want my children being socialized. I have seen how socialized children act and I don’t want any part of it. I would much rather them learn to be encouragers, to be communicators, to be the kind of person who can reach out to people of all ages and not be afraid.
And, no, I am not qualified at all to teach my children. I don’t know enough, I am not patient enough, and I certainly don’t get it all done. I sleep too late in the morning and we have never had a school year where we finished all the curriculum. But you what, by the grace of God, and through Him, I have ran the race and finished well.
3. I have learned more than I have taught.
It is true. Each step of the way, I have had to learn not only the material the children needed to learn before I taught them, but also the character qualities. If I didn’t exhibit the learning in my own life, it was being properly taught.
I think this is part of the plan the Lord has for us in teaching our own children. By teaching them, we are being refined in our own learning.
4. The hardest part about homeschooling — staying home with my kids each day.
We are all sinners and being around sinners all day is difficult. There is no way around it. I just thank the Lord that He uses my children to sanctify me, and uses me to sanctify them.
5. The best part about homeschooling — staying home with my kids each day.
What a blessing to wake up each morning and spend my day with bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed kids! What a blessing to be the one to see them take their first steps, to hear them read their first words, and to sit in the passenger seat as they take their first drive!
There are lots of people out there that are really great at taking care of babies and teaching kids, but I am the one that the Lord has given these children to. I am the one He has blessed with their presence. I am the only one that can really do the job of being their mother.
Science Project: Edible Cell
I had good intentions of using Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology for science this year. But time has slipped away from me and here it is May and we are just now getting started with it. Science is one of the things that gets put on the back burner with life gets too overwhelming. And really, most of what the (elementary age and younger) kids learn about science should come from Nature Studies, hands-on exploration, and really good “living books” (like Pagoo).
The girls have been asking to do science, so I believe that is a good indicator that their minds are yearning for a little more. I ordered the experiment kit to go with the books, because at this point in my life I just don’t have the time to brain capacity to run around making sure we have toothpicks and marshmallows and vinegar all at the same time. When I opened the experiment box you could hear the choir sing. It was filled with zip lock baggies, neatly labeled for each chapter. On the labels, the list contained the items in the back, noted which ones to save for future projects (gotta love that!), and then listed the few items we would have to supply ourselves (like pencils, or cups).
Every day the girls have been asking, “Is it time for science?”
And they are loving it!
And I am learning it (did I ever tell you I am studying to become an herbalist? Anatomy and physiology are good things for an herbalist to know.)!
Despite our mishaps…
This is our edible cell. The big white ball is the nucleus. The yellow jello is the cytoplasm. Looks like the perfect cell. Everything is in it’s place. We have talked about each one and what they do.
We turn the cell over just like the directions stated. The nucleus falls out. Not too worried because we can always slip it back in.
Then plop. Out falls the cell, completely discombobulated. Older daughter (who is working through her high school anatomy and is much further along than the rest of us) states that it is a holocrine secretion — the whole disintegrating cell is secreted from the glands along with the secretory product. What an amazing elementary science lesson!
All’s not lost. Mom scoops the cell back together. Kids get their once a year dose of jello. Life is good.
$50 Vision Forum Giveaway
~~~~~~~~~Congratulations Caroline! You won the $50 Vision Forum gift certificate!!!~~~~~~~~~~
Last night my oldest daughter and I attended a meeting for her upcoming graduation. In just over 3 months my husband and I will be graduating our oldest daughter and first homeschooled student. I can’t begin to describe the emotions that fill my heart when I ponder this thought!
My mind starts to wonder and think of all the things I have not taught her, that I have somehow missed. Then I am reminded of one of my very favorite quotes:
Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. ~Socrates
What a great metaphor used to describe our role as a homeschooling parent. How freeing it is to know that I don’t have to choose everything to put in my daughters vessel, I just have to kindle the flame. My goal is to teach my children to love learning!
This week we had the chance to review one of Vision Forum newest products, WWII: D-Day and the Providence of God Study Course. This history course covers much of the history surrounding World War II and the D-Day invasion. The study set includes 4 DVDs, 1 MP3, and a study guide with questions and Bible verses to memorize (that pertain to the learning for that episode).
When we received the course in the mail, the kids were a tad bit disappointed that I didn’t get the zip line to review. I was excited because I have a 14 year old who loves making movies, especially “war” movies. We haven’t studied much on World War II, so I was hopeful that this would fill the gap (here I go again trying to fill that vessel).
The older kids and I sat down to watch episode one (there are 7 in all), and I had to keep pausing the movie to explain or talk about different topics the film was covering. I was surprised by how attentive the kids were and how thought out their questions were. The film is shot in Europe, and I felt that this helped to bring the topics to life. Having lived in Europe twice, it is such a different understanding when you can see the old cobblestone streets where prisoners were marched along versus the modern streets here in the states. I loved that much of the series was shot on location.
We haven’t worked our way through the entire series yet, but so far the kids and I are learning so much. Kendra was working her way through the Civil War, but after watching episode 1 she asked if she could pause the Civil War and learn about World War II. She then went on to read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry and Hitler by Albert Marrin (flames being kindled…I love it!). Everyday she has something new to tell us about Adolf Hitler.
$50 Vision Forum Giveaway
I know that many of you would absolutely love this study course. I am so thankful to Vision Forum for the opportunity to review it. I am even more thankful that they are going to give one of you a $50 gift certificate! $50 can go a long way at Vision Forum right now–there is a great sale going on until the end of January.
Entering the contest is easy…
1. Visit the Vision Forum website and tell me in a comment below which product you would like to get with your $50 gift certificate.
2. Share this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter and leave me a comment letting me know you did so.
3. Like Ponder the Path on Facebook or subscribe to Ponder the Path by email (and make sure to leave me another comment to let me know).
Contest ends Friday, January 27th at midnight. I will choose a random winner and announce the winner on Saturday morning.
Note: The above links are my affiliate links.
Learning to Ride a Bike (without pedaling)
Years ago with our first two children, we did what most parents do. We bought them bicycles with training wheels. We followed them around as they tried to master pedaling the bike, trying to keep them from falling over each time they hit a bump with the training wheel. Then when they were “ready”, we took off the training wheels and ran behind them as they wobbled along.
When our third child was three years old, a friend showed me a bike she had bought for her son. It was some kind of European training bike. It was basically a small bike without any pedals. She said the idea was to let the kids learn to balance first, without having to think about pedaling. Once they learned to balance, they can ride a regular bicycle without any problems. The proof was in the pudding, as it wasn’t long before her son was riding around on a regular bike without training wheels.
I told my husband about this nifty (and expensive) bicycle. Being the handy man he is, he quickly whipped up our own model. In no time at all, our three year old was riding around just like a big kid! Same story with child number 4. Now child number 5 is learning to balance. Although he is not thrilled about us taking off the pedals. He thinks he needs pedals to go fast like Lightening McQueen. It won’t be long until he gets them back.
IndoctriNation Review and Giveaway!
Congratulations Miriam, you are the winner of the IndoctriNation DVD!
Last week I took advantage of the sales going on over at Vision Forum and I ordered a movie I had been wanting to watch for quite some time — IndoctriNation. I had seen the trailers for the documentary and I knew that Colin Gunn is a feisty Scot who doesn’t shy away from tough topics. I was excited to see what was in store!
So in this film, Colin, his wife, and their six children load up in an old school bus and travel across the eastern half of the US interviewing principals, teachers, parents, pastors, and lawmakers. The first part of the movie discusses the problems in the public schools.
A word of caution here — when it says parental discretion advised, take that as “make sure the younger kids are not in the room”. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I guess I thought it wouldn’t be too bad. It was. Thankfully it all went over the younger kids’ heads and they didn’t even ask any questions. The older kids were just floored by it all.
I have heard is said before that I shouldn’t shelter my kids because they will be faced with the “real world” someday. I have to say, I live in the “real world” and I don’t face the kind of stuff some of these children are facing everyday. I am not forced to listen to teachings that go directly against the Word of God. And even if I do read or hear something contrary to God’s Word, I have studied His Word enough that I am able to know that it is contrary (or if I have any questions about it, I have wise counsel available to help me see the truth).
Put on the Armor of God
Most children enter school before they are even saved, and definitely before they have put on the full armor of God commanded in Ephesians 6.
Ephesians 6:10-17
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Be Not Deceived
Part of the armor of God is salvation and knowing His word. And even if a child has proclaimed Christ as their Savior, we cannot forget Paul’s admonition to the believers in Corinth –
1 Corinthians 15:33
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
Reading from John Gill’s commentary of I Corinthians, I would say that bad principles are definitely being communicated and imbibed on youngsters.
This is a sentence taken out of Menander, an Heathen poet, showing how dangerous is the conversation of evil men, and what an influence bad principles communicated and imbibed, have on the lives and practices of men.
Blessed is the Man
Psalm 1:1-2
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
In the film, it is pointed out that everyone always believes that the problems may exist in other schools, but not their own. I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. Most parents love their children. They want to think that their school is really not that bad.
History of Education System
The film chronicles each of the influencing leaders that have had a part in creating our government schools. To truly grasp the all the information shared, I really need to go back and watch this part of the documentary several times. So much of what I consider even a normal part of school is based on paganism, marxism, darwinian thinking — you name it, if it is evil, it has been thrown in the mix!
With that said, anyone who is serious about the wanting to know the origins of public schools should do their research. There is so much out there. This film does a wonderful job of bringing it all together. It was especially helpful to see it in a timeline format so that I could place historical figures in the context of other historical events.
IndoctriNation Giveaway
Because I believe so strongly about homeschooling, I wanted to give an IndoctiNation video away to one of my readers. I am praying that the Lord would direct this giveaway and that the winner would be blessed by the information they learn!
I would also be happy to discuss any questions you may have about this topic. I won’t judge you by your decisions, but I will pray for you : ) I just ask that no gets ugly about it and I reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments.
To enter the contest, please leave a comment below. I will pick a winner randomly next Friday, Dec. 16th.
HSBA Swap — A Big Thank You to My Swap Partner
In November I participated in the Homeschool Post Homeschool Swap. Homeschool moms from all over the country are matched up with swap partners. The partners then send each other goodies in the mail.
I was match up with a wonderful lady named Heather, aka Sprittibee. Our paths have crossed before, well kinda. Remember this fall when I was supposed to meet some other homeschoolers in Austin and I ended up at the wrong museum, well she was one of the cool bloggers I was supposed to meet up with!
We were matched up as swap partners because we lived so close to each other. The goal was to get to know each other, and maybe even meet up IRL. Only I don’t live so close to her anymore.
So, we our paths have almost crossed twice.
Here’s to hoping that someday we will get to meet up with each other! And a huge thank you to Heather for all the goodies she sent in the mail. She even took a beautiful photo before she sent it. If she knew me before, she would have know that the chocolate she was sending would be gone before I could get a picture of it (it was). And the cute kitty cat and owl were taken by my girls and the jellybeans have been used to bribe the now 3 year old.
If you get a chance, stop by Sprittibee’s blog or visit her the Homeschool Post. Tell her I sent you!
The Homeschool Blog Award Nominations
There are awards for just about everything these days, so I guess it should be no surprise that there are actually awards for homeschool blogs. This year Ponder the Path was nominated in 2 categories. When the nominations were announced, I checked the “new” blogger category, found my name and was thrilled. It wasn’t until later in the day when I was looking through the other categories that I was ecstatic. I found my name again for Best Crafts category. I am so excited, especially since I love to sew and quilt.
I would love to contain my excitement and say, “It’s an honor just to be nominated.” But I will let you in on a little secret. I am pretty competitive. Just ask my son. Last year he asked me to play on his fantasy football league. I had a shaky start and was down 0-something, when the Rascal Rooters made their comeback going all the way!
Honestly though, I just love the fun of it all. I love the hype, the “vote for me” signs, and most of all, checking out all the other blog nominations. Several of my favorite blogs were nominated and that makes me so happy.
I am not sure where I read it, but someone wrote a post about how as Christian bloggers, our goal should be to point others to Christ. If we are all doing that, then we are all working together. Building others up doesn’t bring us down, but furthers our cause…Christ.
This is so true!
So amidst all the hoopla and competitive fun, I am so thankful to be included with this great group of bloggers!
And just in case you haven’t voted, here are the links!
Best New Blog
Best Crafts, Plans, and Projects Blog
Best Teen Blog
High Five Moms: Hand-On Learning for Boys
I am really looking forward to reading the other moms suggestions today, especially Brandy…she is pregnant with her 8th son. I know she has to have some great hands-on learning activities for boys. Make sure to visit all the other moms and find out what kinds of projects they keep their boys busy with!
Brandy @ The Marathon Mom
Keri Mae @ The Happy Home
Andie @ Happy Andersons
Stacy @ A Delightful Home
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I am an artsy kind of person, and ever since I can remember, I have loved all kinds of arts and crafts. My daughters have inherited my “craftiness” and are always working on some type of project. This has all be very natural. When I am working on something, I try to include them in what I am doing. If they want to learn something new, I try to at least learn enough to teach them and get them going.
It has been different with my son though. I have really struggled to find projects that would keep him busy and teach him skills at the same time. I usually blame it on the fact that we don’t live on a farm where I can send him out to build a chicken house. Or I blame it on the fact that my husband is in the Air Force and is away from us so much. Whatever the cause, which is probably just my lack of thinking outside the box, I am on a mission to find projects for my boys!
Some of the projects we have done:
Rockets
We have bought model rockets for my older son to put together and launch. The rockets that I have looked at range from almost no skill level to very detailed and challenging. We bought ones that were somewhere in the middle, although they did require some help from me.
Hobby Lobby carries quite a large selection of rockets and other items such as engines and launchers. If you check your newspaper, you can usually get a 40% off coupon each week. We have also ordered from Amazon or Estes Rockets.
Although we haven’t done it yet, I think this would be a great project to get a group of boys involved in. It would be so much fun to have a launch day contest. You know boys always love a good contest to get them motivated.
Woodworking
This is one area I am hoping to really get my son started in. He is 14 years old now, and I feel like he is capable to learning some basic woodworking skills. We have let him use a few of the simpler power saws (it still makes me a bit nervous).
My oldest daughter has been good about creating projects for my son to work on. Her latest request was a drop spindle used to spin roving into yarn. He was able to create one with the power sander and a dremel tool.
For the younger kids (even the girls), I have been taking them to Home Depot on the first Saturday of each month. They offer a free woodworking project. I usually let the kids do their hammering and putting together at the store, then we come home and paint and decorate the project. Some of the projects have been so cool that the older kids joined in. I understand Lowes has a similar project day, but we haven’t made it to one yet.
More Ideas Needed???
I am sure we have done other cool stuff, I am just drawing a blank right now. I need your help.
What about your little men? I would love some more ideas to test out on my guys!
Homeschool Planning: Bible and Language Arts
We started school this week, but I feel like I am still in the planning stages of this school year. I have chosen a few things we will be using that are new for us, and few things we are bringing along from last year, and a few things are yet to be determined.
Bible
For our Bible study, we don’t have a curriculum we follow. I did purchase Balancing the Sword this year, and although we have only used it a few days so far, I think it will be a great match for us.
During our Bible time (mid-morning after all chores are done and everyone has eaten breakfast), we usually start by singing a few hymns. I let the kids each pick a hymn. We all sing remembering the words the best we can (sometimes we use the hymnal if Kendra doesn’t need it to play the piano). My goal is to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord” and to help my children prepare their hearts for the Word.
After singing, we all open our Bibles to the scriptures we will be reading. This year we started with Luke. I have each child of reading age read a section (depending on their ability I decide how long they should read). For my 6 year old who is still learning to read and sounding words out, I try to find one verse with simple words and help her sound them out. This encourages her to work on learning to read so that she can read more of the Bible like the older kids.
As we read, I will stop them and ask questions or discuss what they are reading. This is where Balancing the Sword comes in. It contains retention questions for every book in the Bible. It doesn’t add commentary, or ask opinionated questions, just questions about exactly what was read. It also contains maps and pictures related to the passages. When the 2 year old has trouble sitting still, I let him look at the pictures as we read. We generally try to cover a chapter a day, but for longer chapters (like Luke 1), we break it up into 2 days.
For scripture memory, I try to pick verses from the passages we are reading. As the year moves along, I will pick verses from other areas of the Bible, especially for the older kids who are able to learn more verses. I found a scripture memory method from Simply Charlotte Mason that I have modified to work for our family. It involves writing each verse on an index card and reviewing them systematically throughout the month. As we learn more verses, I hope to be able to get better at reviewing them.
~As a side note, last year I had a little boy who would dump the cards out of our scripture memory box when I wasn’t paying attention. This year he is a little older, but just in case, I bought a small notebook that holds index cards. I keep it with my Bible and so far, no scattered index cards.
For personal Bible reading time, I found a reading checklist online. I just print off each of us a copy and we check the boxes as we read through the Bible on our own.
Language Arts
For the littles, this one is fairly straightforward.
1st grade – Hannah is still learning to read using 100 Easy Lessons. She also uses Explode the Code to help cement the phonics lessons she is learning. For handwriting, I have her copy scripture or she sometimes uses Draw Write Now. I have her read various books at or below her reading level.
4th grade - Maddie is working on Learning Language Arts through Literature. It is a workbook type curriculum, but I like that it follows a somewhat Charlotte Mason type learning style. It includes grammar, spelling, reading (not much though, I supplement with extra), handwriting, and other extra learning activities. She really enjoys doing it, so I am sticking with it. Last year she did Phonetic Zoo for spelling (because I already had it and it is what her older brother was using), but this year I think I will keep it simple and just use the spelling word in her lessons. She gets 5-6 words a week and it ties into what she is already learning.
9th grade - Tristan…OK, here is where I am still planning. Last year he used Phonetic Zoo for spelling, Fix-it for grammar, and IEW for writing. I would like to find a way to tie everything together in a more practical manner. I feel like he is learning the mechanics of language without learning the usage, if that makes sense. I will mark this one “to be determined”.
12th grade – Kendra will be reading some great literature through the Beautiful Feet history curriculum she is using. I am having her focus on writing skills this year, through her blog, in a nutrition class she is taking, and in the history class. I want her to learn to express herself in a structured way and basically find her writing “voice”.
Just so I don’t leave anyone out…
5 month old – practicing his babbling, cooing, and laughing. No curriculum needed, just lots of encouragement from everyone around him.
2 year old – practicing answering mama in a kind tone without the words “No way, Jose”, memorizing every word of his Veggie Tale shapes and colors books, and keeping us in an uproar with the clever comments he comes up with.
In case you missed them, here are the links to find out what we are using for science and math or history and literature.
School Pictures
Tomorrow is our first day back to school. Here is the 2011-2012 class…
They look like a lively bunch, but I don’t know about their teacher. She might be a card short of a full deck…
Then there is this cutie-patutie. How is anyone going to get any work done with smiles like this grabbing our attention!
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