Homeschooling

Sending my child to receive an institutionalized education is right up there with the worst decisions I have ever made.
It is sad that the best education poses financial hardships. If it were not for the cost of the Little Boy's fifth grade curriculum, he would not have been downgraded to public school. My lesson is being learned, however.
Not only is the Little Boy being set back in his education, but our family has already been bombarded with all kinds of things the school wants us to buy and/or provide. I am a bit floored that he is working on place values, gravity, and proper nouns as a fifth grader when these were things we did as part of third and early fourth grade homeschool curriculum. As far as book clubs, school gear, and fundraisers, I am trying not to allow myself to be sucked in. It is already picture time at school, too. The company they use takes the photos and sends the kids home with a complete package in hopes that no one will send some of it back and just buy the whole thing. I think the pictures I take of my children come out better than school pictures. Without purchasing a package, though, your child is deprived of the class composite. Another aspect of the business side of public education and how parents are sucked into spending money.
When I hear the comments that the Little Boy should "breeze through" fifth grade since he has already done the stuff they are teaching, I want to scream. Children deserve challenges and opportunities to excel. Limiting them to the pace of twenty-or-so other students horrifies me. No child left behind? Apparently not! Public school keeps ALL children behind. The Little Boy has not been publicly educated even a month yet and I already want to vomit every day. How am I going to make it through until June?
Thank goodness the Young Lady is not even entertaining the idea of public high school!
I will always advocate for the best education there is, that which can not be found in a government institution.
(¯`v´¯)
·. ¸ .·´ *•*CrystalLynn*•*•*
¸.·´
(
☺/
/▌ Sent from my BlackBerry®
/ \

Difficult Choices

For roughly a week I have been thinking extensively about our family's relocation. The education of my children is something I hold very dear to my heart and I will always believe that being active in and responsible for a child's education is one of the most important things a parent can do. Which is why I am heartbroken and devastated with the decision our family made.
After continuously dismissing the idea, I reluctantly made the phone call to the main office of the middle school where we are moving and asked about enrolling the Little Boy. I hung up and cried. My next step as far as making sure he can attend the first day of class is to take proof of residency, the Little Boy's birth certificate, and a copy of his immunization record to the office at the school and fill out a bunch of paperwork. I honestly do not know if I will be able to get through it without breaking down.
I do not want him to think I gave up on him. That could not be further from the truth.
The Young Lady will continue her course at home through The American Academy. When the Little Boy reaches high school, he, too, will likely return to home education through an accredited program.
I desperately want what is in the children's best interests. At this time, the consensus is the Young Lady will be better able to focus on her more demanding studies without her brother's distractions. The Little Boy has been undecided about returning to public school, but leaned more toward it as a result of the desire he has to be hands-on with his learning. I did my best to have a very interactive home school. Admittedly, we lack the resources to provide materials to do amazing experiments. Without active participation and hands-on opportunities the Little Boy gets bored quickly.
The Little boy is becoming excited about meeting new friends at school and is hoping to meet someone who lives within close proximity to our new home. I am definitely more worried and heartbroken about this difficult choice than he appears to be.
(¯`v´¯)
·. ¸ .·´ *•*CrystalLynn*•*•*
¸.·´
(
☺/
/▌ Sent from my BlackBerry®
/ \

Moving Forward

Suaemoc is changing locations again. A move always puts a kink in getting things going. Of course, one of the many advantages of homeschooling is being able to begin whenever we are ready. Did we ever finish?
The children are enjoying themselves. They have a renewed love of outdoor activities. Bicycle riding, skateboarding, walking, and fun workouts together are some of the things keeping the children active and healthy this summer. The Young Lady has also been giving horse riding lessons, aspiring to grow as a trainer. The Little Boy became very interested in baseball and is eager to learn everything he can about the sport. I have unsuccessfully been trying to get information on sign-ups for fall baseball in the town we are moving to.
Part of Suaemoc's upcoming studies will be educating ourselves on our new town. Being excited about a topic encourages the desire to obtain knowledge. Moving, especially moving to a new town, provides a great opportunity for Social Studies, History, and Geography lessons. Perhaps we will even take a field trip to visit some town offices.
(¯`v´¯)
·. ¸ .·´ *•*CrystalLynn*•*•*
¸.·´
(
☺/
/▌ Sent from my BlackBerry®
/ \

Summertime Lessons

Just about everyone makes the statement, "Kids are like sponges." Children soak up the world around them. Parents most certainly want their children to absorb appropriate moral principles and beliefs and develop a friendship with their Creator.
The Little Boy attended overnight summer camp for the first time. His conduct at camp surely pleased his Heavenly Father, as the Little Boy was rewarded for honesty, respect, and for being the best camper of the group by his counselor. Learning Bible principles is certainly helping the children to become appreciative, respectful, and empathetic.
Summer camp was another experience in learning about God through creation. Romans 1:20 states: "[God's] invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world's creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship." It was wonderful to hear the Little Boy speak of the activities he enjoyed and just as wonderful to remind him that it is possible to survive and have fun without Nickelodeon and the Wii.
Promoting faith is the most beneficial thing parents can do for their children. Summertime affords so many opportunities to draw lessons from creation. Happy learning...and teaching! 8)
*¤•~*CrystalLynn*~•¤*
¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•` ¤ Never miss an
opportunity to make others happy,
even if you have to leave them alone
in order to do it.*´¨)

Learning Throughout the Summer

Learning does not stop just because the calendar tells us it's summertime. We may not do as much of the "formal" stuff, but every experience in life is a learning experience.
We are planning a trip to the zoo in a couple of weeks. Not only is it a fun day out, but the children learn about animals and their habitats and often get excited about at least one exhibit which inspires them to want to learn more.
The Little Boy will be attending his first overnight camp this summer. That is going to be a wonderful adventure for him. He is not one to be away from home a lot and is usually hesitant to do things with other children whom he does not know very well. Going to camp will promote new friendships and exploring activities he may not have tried otherwise.
The Young Lady has already had some wonderful new experiences. I am intrigued with her bravery. She certainly proves herself to be very strong-willed. Her summertime is usually booked up with equestrian activities, which is a very good thing for her. Not only does she have a drive and passion for all things equine, she has a goal of a life-long career working with horses. She is well on her way, too. I often write about all the things there are to learn on a farm and I stand behind that. The more she and the Little Boy work around the farm, the more well-rounded they become. There is nothing like a farm to teach children the value of hard work.
We have had some very nasty weather and the Little Boy loves learning about science and weather. He still checks the weather report daily and updates his weather chart. He has been fascinated by the severe weather in the United States lately, as well as the thunderstorms we have been having in our own state. He wants to know the cause of weather events and really likes learning about the water cycle that God has insititued to replenish the earth's supply.
We are coming up on the one-year anniversary of the accident that changed our family's life last summer. This summer will undoubtedly be a better one for us, but we will surely be discussing the amazing ability of the body to heal. That accident has given us a year-long lesson on biology and anatomy, only now it's not as scary as it was in months past.
So, everything from having the right amount of money and getting back correct change at the ice cream truck, to executing equestrian abilities and sportsmanship in the horse show ring gives the children fantastic learning lessons all summer long. They may not realize it, but I do. ;)

Misguided

I saw on the news this morning that there is a family in Canada who has chosen to keep the gender of their baby a secret. The baby is a few months old and it was reported that only six people in the world know the gender of this child. The controversial part of this is that this baby's parents have decided that they would like to allow their child the freedom to eventually make its own choice as to what sex it would like to be.
I am appalled. However, that is my opinion.
Here is God's. At 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10, the apostle Paul wrote under divine inspiration to the congregation in Corinth: "Do you not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God's kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men, nor thieves, nor greedy persons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit God's kingdom."
My spiritual conscience tells me that this is a situation of an innocent child being kept for unnatural purposes. I form that opinion based on the fact that God created a man and then made a "helper as a complement of him," a woman. (Genesis 2:20) God did not ask Adam if he wanted to be male. He likewise gave no choice in the matter to Eve.
It is a natural occurrence based on chromosomes whether we are born male or female. This amazing procedure of reproduction was instituted by God. The moment we are conceived the Bible tells us at Psalm 139:16 that God sees "the embryo" of us, "and in [his] book all its parts were down in writing." God has such a loving interest in each and every one of us that he records who we are from the moment we begin forming. To afford a child the choice of potentially going against the gender it was created to be is a gross unnappreciation of the wonderful works of God in the fear-inspiring way we are wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
Why would loving parents place such a monumental decision on their young child? This child is going to have to "pick" an identity as a toddler, really. There is a reason we don't receive certain privelages as citizens until we reach a specific age. We simply are not mature enough to make relatively well informed choices until we are grown. Are these parents prepared for the possibility of raising a very confused member of society?
I also find this to be an act of greed on the part of the parents. What if this child is humiliated because its parents have put this burden on him or her? They have not gotten a measure of noteriety at their child's expense.
There are ways to provide our children freedom to make choices for themselves while we "keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:10)
What does this example teach people? What's next?
What I love about homeschooling is that we are free to look to God's Word for the principals we need in order to make good decisions and to base our education on what we know about our Creator. This world is beyond corupt. "All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16) I am grateful to be able to assist my children in looking to our Grand Creator for guidance and direction amidst this very misguided world.

Mom As Teacher

As a parent, you have some pretty high expectations for your children. You want the best for them. You want them to be challenged. You want to see them conquer challenges successfully.
When you take responsibility for providing your children their education, you realize that their degree of intelligence directly reflects your ability to teach them. Perhaps you push them a little too hard, knowing there are those who continually seek to criticize your decision to educate your children at home. Should measuring up to other people's expectations affect the way your children are taught, though?
I learned something from my dog trainer that has weighed heavily on my mind. She said that it is important not to let your puppy fail. If your puppy will only hold a sit for 15 seconds, keep the hold at 12 seconds and release him. Don't let him fail.
Why am I associating this concept with homeschooling? Because of the enormous amount of desire parents have to see their children perform above and beyond and excel in everything. We parents naturally feel disappointed when our children do not live up to the standards we expect of them. Most of the time, we tend to reprimand for substandard performance and neglect to praise them for what they are achieving. And, we set a mark for them that we only become satisfied when they reach.
As parents and more importantly as homeschooling parents, we should not let our children fail.
Homeschooling is a wonderful provision which allows parents to take control of tailoring our children's education to be specific to them. Therefore, our children need only measure up to their own potential. When we try to force our children to go beyond their potential, we make them feel like they have failed. Homeschooling is not about failure.
Sometimes children need a creative approach to learning. This is a great way for parents to use some imagination. Instead of pushing a subject until our children become frustrated and upset that they just can not understand it, take the opportunity to explore fun ways to reinforce the main idea behind the lesson. Use our world! When we have practical, hands-on examples, things become clearer and easier to make sense out of.
So, push your children to reach their potential. Recognize that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Build upon, praise, and encourage strengths. Find creative ways to work with weaknesses while praising good efforts. Don't let your children feel as though they have failed.

Agricultural Education

There is so much to learn on a farm. Not only will children be able to appreciate how animals grow, they have the opportunity to learn about conservation, geography, business, and health.



Children have the chance to develop confidence and responsibility while doing chores at a farm. This work teaches them the value of being good, productive citizens. They learn that animals have needs and those which live on a farm rely on people to meet their needs. By working on a farm, children get to experience the hard work and dedication involved in maintaining a farm. On the business end, they realize that the farmer must make money to keep the farm running and they learn the different ways the farm brings money in.
An important lesson learned on a farm is safety. A farm poses several dangers and practicing good safety precautions is essential to the well-being of both people and animals on the farm. In addition to safety, children learn how important it is to be in good physical shape in order to handle the variety of duties there are to fulfill. A history discussion comes about when modern conveniences show the children how the physical work around a farm has changed throughout the years.
Children can learn about why animals have to eat the feed they are fed, what happens if an animal eats too much, and can get a real life sense of just how much an animal has to eat in a day in order to be healthy.
Farm chores a fantastic way to incoporate physical activity into the children's day, and presents an amazing wealth of opportunities to learn. 8)

Going a Different Route

I have to say that I really enjoyed the ease of having the Little Boy's curriculum all planned out for me through the Calvert School program. However, this program is not working well for him and it's not the approach I wanted to take for educating my children at home. We gave it a try and Calvert School certainly does offer a magnificent curriculum and support system, but I am planning a different route for the Little Boy's fifth grade education.
I still want to have him enrolled in a program that offers some organization with regard to basic academic curriculum. I also like the idea of being able to keep records through an online system offered by certain programs.
The biggest change I am looking to make going forward is reintegrating spirituality. When Suaemoc did not follow a structured program, we focused a great deal on spirituality. That aspect was extremely enjoyable for me and the children. Neither of the children's programs offer any spirituality in their education and sometimes even deviates from what we know of our Creator.
The Young Lady will continue with The American Academy because I chose that program for her based on its electives and career focus. She will earn an accredited high school diploma through American and I like that the course has a level of difficulty that provides a challenging curriculum for her.
The Little Boy, though, will be switching over to Pear Blossom School in the fall. One area I have been trying to work on with the Little Boy is doing his own research. Pear Blossom promotes self-directed learning and making use of technology to enhance learning options, including internet research, computer aided instruction, multimedia presentation, and communicating with others. Pear Blossom also encourages being responsible, active citizens demonstrating involvement in the local community. In higher grades, Pear Blossom will afford the Little Boy the opportunity to get credits from his participation in the Theocratic Ministry School and in field service. Being graded by submitting his assignments and receiving a transcript from Pear Blossom School is another perk to enrollment. Calvert School offers the same, though the service is not included in his general enrollment in their program and costs extra. Based on the extra cost for that service through Calvert, I opted out this year.
In the younger grades I was against the traditional grading system. I believe that both children are at a point where they understand the importance of achieving high standards and are able to accept that grades received reflect their effort. What's nice about education at home is that they don't have anyone else to compete with. Neither one of them need feel bad about receiving a "lower grade" on an assignment. Rather, they may simply see these as opportunities to increase their efforts. 8)

Iowa eagles about to hatch!

Watch: Iowa eagles about to hatch - CTnow This is an amazing live stream of baby eaglets about to hatch. We've been watching the momma eagle sit on her eggs and continually prep her nest for the arrival of her babies. Every so often, the daddy eagle flies into the nest, bearing gifts of nest materials for momma to use. There are three eggs that momma eagle is sitting on and the video is being shot in a resolution high enough that the cracks in the eggs will be visible. Really, this is a fascinating thing to witness! 8)

❀◕‿◕❀ April Showers ❀◕‿◕❀

Suaemoc survived New England's winter of 2011! 8D Spring's rejuevenation inspires new ideas and creativity. It also brings forth the opportunity for outdoor exploration again and doing fun springtime projects. 8)
As with last year, a foal is on its way at the farm, expected to arrive before the end of April. The mare, named "Stormy", is getting settled into the birthing stall. After the winter we had, "Stormy's" foal should be named something like, "Surviving the Storms", "After the Storms", or maybe "Too Many Storms!" ;P In any event, the birth of a horse never gets old and is an especially grand learning experience for the Young Lady with her equine career goals. We appreciate the opportunities like this which don't come to a public school classroom.
The experience of birthing a foal is in line with how Suaemoc is embracing life and loss, as our hamster fell asleep in death over the winter. Our respect for God's creatures caused us to want to place her in a small box in our freezer until she could be properly buried. This, too, brought forth the Little Boy's curiousity to learn how the freezer keeps things from going bad for a while. He conducted some experiments on mold growth and learned about the factors necessary for molds to grow. He has now become a little obsessed with expiration dates and keeping things fresh. ;)
The children are being encouraged to take initiative and venure outside of their comfort zones. As always, we're keeping focused on valuing morals and responsibility. Striving to strengthen our convictions to uphold high standards for ourselves is also driving us to take advantage of the nicer weather and take part in cleaning up our neighborhood. Hopefully, we'll have an impact on others. It's important to take care of our community in whatever ways we can and the children are learning that it just takes one person to begin a chain of making a difference. 8)
This year, we've seen the brain's and body's incredible power to heal, giving a hard lesson in determination. As we enter springtime, renewal and revitalization sprouts forth, and no matter how many changing seasons we see in our lifetime there's always going to be amazing wonderment to behold and learn from.

Home's Still Cool In 2011

I wish there were fun gadgets when I was a child to use with my schooling and make learning that much more interesting and accessible. The Young Lady and the Little Boy have such a wealth of information right at their fingertips all the time. I'll admit that I often become jealous and begin to flip through the courses offered online in the mailings we receive from local colleges. When knowledge is so readily available, who wouldn't be excited about taking it all in?
I honestly feel that Suaemoc offers so much more to my children that sending them off to a public institution because of technology. In a public school environment, you don't see the children making complete use of what's available to them through these amazing mediums. As homeschooled youths, a question gets asked and it opens up the opportunity for exploration. The children have fun trying to find their answers and many times it leads to more questions, more answers, and an inspiring growth of creativity. When learning isn't confined, children flourish.
Tell me you wouldn't have been more inclined to read "The Scarlet Letter" if you could lay in a comfortable place with your Kindle! The Young Lady and the Little Boy don't have one, but if I had the money it would be a serious consideration to add this device to our homeschooling materials. One bonus would be availability, since the Young Lady and I have been to the local library on several occasions to try to get a book that's required for her course and it's never there.
Am I saying it's necessary to have the latest and greatest in order to successfully homeschool? Not at all! Simply having internet access opens up endless possibilities in learning. Something as simple as this wasn't even available to me as a student.
God has given us these amazing brains which are just hungry for information. Technology empowers us to feed our brains with so much! Yes, there are places we don't want to go to, but a properly trained conscious, along with the loving, watchful eye of "mom", will enable our course to keep clear of the ditches. This is why I happily allow the children to explore and encourage them to "look it up" when they wonder. Every "why" can lead to a fascinating adventure in education! 8)

The Golden Girls

The children and I have been loving our new DVD set! I was surprised that my kids laugh along with me. Are we learning anything while enjoying the witty antics of Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia? ;) Well ~ the Young Lady says it's funny to see how things were in the eighties. The Girls often make mention of people the kids never heard of, so questions get asked when the Mayor of Palm Springs is made fun of. ;P Hey ~ Dorothy's an English teacher! 8D Above all else, nothing beats a good family laugh. ♥

SAHM - An Endangered Species?

It seems to me that being a "stay-at-home mom" is becoming quite the faux pas. More people are demonstrating prejudice against those of us who absorb ourselves in our families.
Homemaking could arguably be the most important volunteer occupation for the benefit of society. Yes, occupation.
The definition of "occupation" is that which takes up one's time. For those who do not agree that homemakers are occupied, I challenge the role reversal. Your boss is your family and they expect peak performance. Throw in the aspect of homeschooling and there's an even greater intolerance of error.
Some sign up for the assignment. Others find themselves thrown into it. Either way, the heart and soul that gets poured into the role of stay-at-home/homeschooling mom is unsurpassesd by anything else. A role that requires twenty-four/seven, three hundred sixty-five days per year committment. A role that is built on and dependant on love to sustain it.
The pride in homemaking is realized through the products created. A well-loved and cared for family who trusts the matriarch to deliver the best advice, provide the warmest comfort, and show the greatest understanding. A home the entire family can be proud of. Children who get complimented on their use of manners, outstanding behavior, love for God, and respect for others. A husband who doesn't have to worry about the well-oiled machine running at home while he labors at his full time job to provide monetarily for his family. The solice of knowing in your heart that your loved ones are receiving your very best.
Not to say that mothers who work outside the home don't love their families. I just want to point out that homemaking is a career, too. It's nothing to scoff at. It's an intense labor of love to keep things within the family operating. It's an immense responsibility to be in charge of molding your children's futures through their education and well-being. Its only pay is its many rewards, which are sometimes only recognized by the one who's working so hard toward their achievement. Like secular bosses, the family vocalizes the wrongs and often forgets to praise the rights.
Don't shy away from a career at home if it's in your heart to do so. Don't mock another's choice to be CEO of their family.
Thank a stay-at-home mom for volunteering to put her all into raising the next generation.

Paper Snowflakes ~ A Learning Experience! :)

Every December 1st, Suaemoc decorates for the winter season with snowflakes and snowmen in the windows and in the yard. One of our favorite activities to prepare for decorating is making paper snowflakes. :)
Is it possible to incorporate learning into this fun wintertime craft?
Absolutely! ;)
There are cool scientific things to know about snowflakes. There are factors which influence the shape and size of a snowflake. You can discuss geography by talking about the coldest places on earth. Explore why we should care about snow types through an investigation why avalanches happen. Discuss the 7 main classifications of snow crystals, then when it snows you can collect snowflakes on a sheet of paper. Before they melt, look at the crystals under a microscope or powerful magnifying glass to try to find all 7 basic snowflake shapes. Explore how plant and leaf development resembles snowflake formation and reflect on the magnificence of the One who created all these things. :) Research the chemistry of falling snow.
Enjoy fascinating high-resolution images of snowflakes while exploring the wonders of such beautiful precipitation. :)
For more creative snowflake making ideas and learning resources, visit http://www.papersnowflakes.com/. Happy learning! :D

*~MoVeMeNT~*

One of the five themes of geography is movement. The Little Boy is learning about moving from place to place and the movement of goods, sounds, and ideas.

To help him use grid coordinates in locating specific places or determine relative location, I created 'Suaemoc "Rows and Columns"' for him to play. This is a hands-on way for the Little Boy to understand how a grid is used to organize space.

I affixed a small baggie to hold the star markers I made for the game. An alternative to game place could be to use jelly beans, popcorn, or fruit snacks. You call out a set of coordinates and have the child put the edible marker in the appropriate space. Once the child has a full row or column, the grid markers get to be eaten. :)
You can also integrate mathematics to take the game further by listing correct answers with corresponding coordinates. Plan out the coordinates to make a shape. Ask the child what shape has been created by the correct answers on the grid. :) Really, the possiblities are endless as to how you can creatively use this game in your home classroom! ;)

Christian Education

The apostles Peter and John are described as "unlettered and ordinary" in Acts 4:13, yet they were able to understand and express deep spiritual concepts. Solomon was the wisest man on earth before Jesus. In the book of Ecclesiastes 12:13, Solomon was inspired to write that the "whole obligation of man" is to "fear the true God and keep his commandments." If we need to learn to fear God, we need to be taught how to do so.
Education is described, in part, as the process by which people acquire habits, values, and attitudes. Is secular schooling where we want our children to learn these things? If we believe that "all Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight" (2 Tim. 3:16), then we should want to look to God's Word. Consider the example of Timothy. 2 Timothy 3:14, 15 brings out that Timothy's mother and grandmother educated him from infancy. As far back as Timothy could remember, his mother and grandmother were instilling spirituality into the heart of young Timothy, which yielded Timothy's enduring strong faith.
Since parents are the primary influence on children's eagerness to learn, we parents must be aware of the example being set for our children. Are we showing a genuine interest in their education? Are we displaying a positive attitude toward knowledge and learning? Quite importantly, do our children see us studying?
Jesus was the most educated person ever to walk the earth. (John 7:16-18) He understood the purpose of education and, while he could have sought prominence for himself in a secular career, Jesus only looked to glorify his Father. As Christians who recognize the commission to give glory to God, we seek balance in education so that our children's conduct and diligence brings praise to our Heavenly Father. (Matt. 5:16)
Learning to read well affects the ability to use God's Word. Since the Bible has the power to change lives, we would want to, not only know how to read the Bible effectively ourselves, but teach our children to read the Bible in a way that provides the full impact of its messages. However, mental, moral, and spiritual development has no comparison in level of importance. (Ps. 119:9-12) This practical training for daily life is something unattainable through secular education. Divine education has a guaranteed benefit, highlighted at Isaiah 54:13, that when divine education is applied, the resulting blessing is peace. This peace refers to the health, prosperity, and overall welfare of an individual.
Spiritual education teaches children how their character can make them stand out, and how to make good decisions as they plan their course in life. (Pr. 2:10, 11) It instills discernment, which enables children to look past what can be seen and identify potential hidden dangers. More importantly, Revelation 20:12 assures the future of divine education. The first and third scrolls opened during Christ's Millennial Reign will contain instructions for living during that Kingdom rule, for what will be the greatest educational endeavor.
As we hold true to the importance of spiritual upbringing, we should be sure to instill regular use of every available resource to complete our's and our children's Christian assignment of praising God.

NoVeMBeR

This year is going by so fast! The Young Lady has been working very hard on her freshman year assignments in both English and Earth Systems and has both subjects nearly completed. We are new to the high school homeschool scene, so we are unsure of when the next subjects will become available for her to begin, but she has definitely found her course to be a challenge thus far. It's good for her. I did choose the two most involved courses to start her off with, too, so the remainder of ninth grade should be a breeze for her.
The Little Boy's love of science is really flourishing. We recently added a sixty-nine piece microscope set to Suaemoc. He loves it!

I think Daddy's just as "into it" as the Little Boy is. :P They have been looking at slides of different animal fibers, textiles, and a fly wing. The camel fibers look really neat, and now the Little Boy's interested in finding out why they are the way they are. (Bubbled.) It is exciting to see him so interested in exploring his world. :)
Suaemoc is also experimenting with brewing our own root beer. The Little Boy is much more excited about this adventure than the Young Lady, but surely she will enjoy the end result just as much. ;) We are only in the beginning phase of the process - the very beginning, in fact. We have cleaned and sterilized our bottles and are letting them air dry. The entire brewing process should take about two weeks. In the interim, the children will brainstorm a name for our root beer and design the bottle labels for Suaemoc's creation. :)

Mandala

The Young Lady has do complete three parts of an assignment on the novel, Homecoming, by Cynthia Voigt.

This is the third part of her assignment. I thought it was extremely creative. :)

(Though she was initially inclined to write about why she would not do an assignment involving something that's used in acts of worship. ;) )

Unconventional Wisdom

It is a bit of a challenge, as a homeschooling mom, to desire the use of a more unconventional approach to educating my children when there is a lot of pressure to follow the institutionalized standard.
Understandably, the Young Lady must meet the criteria necessary in order to earn a high school diploma. I like The American Academy program we chose for her. She is required to complete some complex tasks and is being instructed at a more difficult level than the other courses we considered. As a mother, I feel good about this challenging program.
I am impressed with the Calvert School choice for the Little Boy, as well. There are wonderful supplemental activites online which are fun for him to work on. He enjoys the incorporation of experiments for each Science lesson, and applying his imagination to the writing assignments. He seems inspired, which makes me very happy.
My concern does not lie with the children's courses. It has to do with the freedom we should have, as a homeschooling family, to really utilize the world as our classroom and embrace every day experiences as the learning opportunities they are.
The idea that school must be done from 8:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. in a structured way, using instruction by textbook, completing assignments, testing, and grading, goes against the value of home-based education. When the children are at the farm they're taking in a wealth of information that cannot be obtained in an institutionalized environment. The same is true for shopping, attending medical appointments, and other routine activities. Such exposures create backgrounds of real-world intelligence and practical applications, with natural opportunities to demonstrate the text-book information they've learned. It makes education fun, and when learning is enjoyable it leaves a better impression. Practical and personal application of information opens the mind to store the information more effectively. Having real-life chances to put education to use enables deeper understanding and appreciation of why it is necessary to have certain knowledge.
I am thrilled to be a homeschooling mom. The Young Lady and Little Boy are both well-rounded children with good morals and a foundation of spirituality. I would not want it any other way. :)