Stress.  Why are we stressed?

I don’t like it and I don’t want it.

There.

I have had so many women, homeschooling and not, talk about this subject over the years, that I am compelled to discuss it in a little more depth.

We are all attempting to do something (raise a family) that has become more difficult (than it was 200 years ago) because of our indoctrination into the modern culture.  We have many more things pulling on us today, taking our attention away from the child or the home or the husband.  No big surprise there.

It Creeps Up

Aside from major life stresses such as change of work, a move, a death, a divorce – the biggies; we’ve got to remember that the “seemingly” smaller stresses can affect us in profound ways too.  In fact, maybe more so, because they can insidiously creep up on us completely unnoticed.

Why Are We Stressed?

Three biggies come to my mind:

#1 – We are attending to details that maintain our convenience-oriented lifestyles i.e. having to fix any number of modern devices – dishwasher, car, bike, lamp switch, fan, faucet……

When we buy something now, one of my first thoughts is  ”does this item have the potential to break and then require fixing and will it be worth that hassle?”

#2 – We endure the rat race to “get the stuff” we think we have to have (nice house, nice cars, nice furniture, nice clothes, nice measuring cups, nice underwear, etc……….)  OR  we endure it to get out of debt from “getting the stuff.”

I love the line “We spend the first half of our life accumulating things and the last half of our life getting rid of them.”

#3 – Or we are being tempted by the myriad of activities AWAY from the home because we want to make sure little Johnny has an opportunity to try everything so we can see what he is good at…… even though he is only 6.  Ugh.  I’m worn out.

I Want To Talk About #3

We think “I want to be a good parent.”  We think “I don’t want my children to miss out on any opportunities.  I want to expose them to many areas so we can see where their talents lie.”

Whoa.  Hold On.  This is the beginning of the problem.

Society is doing another number on us here, Ladies.

And here it is:

If we don’t get our child involved in lots of outside activities

(or even just a few,) we will

MISS

what they were put on earth to do.

This is a lie.

Little thoughts and messages like these are dropped into our minds (from what WE allow in, through our eyes and our ears) and WE decide whether or not they will take root.  Can we push them away?  Or do they stay and build into something bigger?

Our Homes Become Chaotic

These ideas begin to create chaos in our lives, so that we have disharmony in our home, so that we REALLY don’t have time for the important things.  In fact, we don’t even really know what the important things are anymore, because we have been so brainwashed into thinking it’s whatever the news, the celebrities or the stores say is hip, cool and a must-have or a must-do.

And we don’t notice it until it has gotten a stronghold in our homes.  And marriages are falling apart.  And children are depressed, or on ADHD drugs,  or looking for love in all the wrong places.

Here is the spiritual basis of this issue

The devil (evil) wants to destroy the family because the family is the foundation of society.  And if he can destroy us there, he can take over the world.  The only way we can change that is to resist the temptations he puts out there. Resist what the culture tries to talk us in to.  Pray.  Ask God to convict us about how we are to proceed.  Keep our families together.  I mean daily.  If we are running all over the place, when do we have time to sow the seeds of wisdom, right-living, character and work-ethic into our children. It has to be done every day, day after day, continuously.  Don’t count on anyone else doing it.  They won’t and they aren’t meant to.

So What Do We Do As A Family

Slow down.  Cook together.  Eat together.  Read to each other.  Play music together.  Do plays.  Make movies.  Teach character and morality,  how to get along with each other, or how to be a wife or a husband.  Yes, teach them these things when they are 7 years old.  How to respect each other’s position in the family.  How to appreciate each other’s gifts.  Things like that.  Here is the nugget:

You Child’s Gift WILL Shine

But this will require patience on your part.  And I know.  You are listening to a mom who put her first child in Suzuki violin lessons, kindermusik and gymnastics class 4 MONTHS BEFORE SHE TURNED 2 YEARS OLD and all at the same time!  That’s an older mama for you.  Thinking “I waited this long, I’m going to do everything perfect.”  Yikes.  Can we please redefine “perfect?”

Let Me Give You A Good Illustration

My oldest is only 13 now, so I don’t really have a fully grown adult to prove my point. This is just my very serious hunch after seeing it work in many other families.  But let me tell you about someone who does have the fruit of this kind of plan. My best friend and I went to a retreat for mom’s last year.  It was put on by Above Rubies.  Maybe you have heard of them.  (You can go to aboverubies.org and sign up for their free newsletter.  Every time mine arrives in the mail, I pour over it from front to back.)

Anyway, Nancy Campbell (the keynote speaker at these retreats,) the mother of 6 productive members of society and grandmother of many, told a story of how they moved to Nashville, TN when their daughters were in their late teens or early 20′s.  Literally on a street corner during some kind of music festival someone was passing around a guitar as different people would play and sing something.

Their Turn

When the guitar reached the two daughters, they played and sang a duet.  Well, somebody heard them and said you have to meet so-and-so.  They end up in the office of a hi-powered music agent.  He says, ok play the song.  They do.  He says, Hold on.  He goes to get his boss.  Ok, play the song again.  They do.  Then they invite them to sing at the Grand Ole Opry and sign a record deal.  The funny part was, the girls said “Oh I don’t know if we can be at the Grand Ole Opry that night.  We’ll have to ask our Dad.”

But Here Was The Kicker

Those girls never had one music lesson.  Not one voice lesson.  No piano.   No guitar.  That gift was in those girls and it was going to come out come hell or high water. Now they have a number of CD’s available (that I highly recommend).  I have heard them live at these retreats and I’m here to tell you, they have serious talent.

It’s Time To Say NO

So, I’m not telling you to take your children out of the activities you have them involved in.  But I am saying, whether you are homeschooling or not, if you feel stressed out i.e. not enough time as a family; not enough relaxed dinners every week together at the table; not enough energy to mentally and emotionally be available for your husband and your children;

It is time to say NO to a few things.

Take stock.

What is really, really important?

Warning!

PLEASE don’t think these are reasons to have less children.  Children are the ultimate blessing.  I’ve said it before.  If we work hard, we will turn out the most delightful people we will ever want to be around.  It’s the “stuff” that has to go by the wayside.  And that “stuff” includes the “running around.”   Are you missing more than a couple of dinners per week together with your family all sitting down, facing each other, relaxing, communicating?  That connection time daily is crucial.  And it is so easy to let it go by the way-side.  Not making a decision on how our days are going to be ordered will allow the chaos and ultimately the disintegration of the family to ensue.

Here It Is In A Nutshell

God gave your child gifts.  He gave them a purpose in the world.  Those gifts will make themselves known regardless of how many T-ball games you go to or don’t go to.  So, this is my final word:

DO LESS!

Don’t be hard on yourselves.  One step at a time.

Breathe through your mouth.

What do you think of this?  Am I way off base?  Do you have great ideas to inspire us?  Let me know!

God Bless You and Your Families!

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Hello!  This is Emma.  Mom has been very busy lately, so here’s something to read.  For writing class I had to rewrite that old fable, “The Farmer and his Sons”.  Here is the finished product.  Hope you like it.

Fruit of Their Labor

Old Jethro, the farmer, was surprisingly stricken by a bad case of colon cancer. He knew he was about to die, so he considered how his two sons, Jake and Bill would provide for the rest of the family, because the two of them were notoriously lazy. They were farmers at heart, but Jethro was sure they would be careless in tending the land. Then in a burst of inspiration he devised a plan which would show his sons the rewards of labor.

He immediately called them to his bedside and gasped, “Jacob, William there is a great treasure hidden in the fields. Please, grant my dying wish. Make sure the farm continues to prosper.” And with a final breath, he died. After the funeral, the boys rushed home, grabbed their shovels and greedily dig over every square inch of the fields. They were extremely frustrated to find no treasure. After calming themselves down, they decided that they might as well sow the corn. After doing so, they trudged home. No treasure for them. However, because of their thorough ‘plowing’, the field yielded an extraordinarily abundant crop, and the family survived comfortably. As Jethro looked down from heaven he could easily tell his plan was a success. His sons had realized that the real treasure was the fruit of their labor.

If you like it, please comment on it.  I want to be certain Mom didn’t just say it’s good because she’s my mom.

Live long and prosper!

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I can not believe my oldest is ready for Algebra. This is Saxon Algebra 1/2. The class before highschool Algebra 1. We love Saxon for Emma. Here is a link to a post I did that goes a little more in depth on Saxon Math and why we like it.

And here is Singapore Math. I like this for the earlier grades like 1st to 3rd. Meg and Henry are using these books. Here is a link for more on Singapore.

Now this is a bit scary. It is a writing program called Excellence in Writing. It is the writing program I have heard talked about for many years and the one the older mentor moms seem to always refer. It appears overwhelming when you read about it, but all these older or more experienced moms say it is absolutely worth it. So I dove in and bought the first piece of it.

I haven’t really looked at it much. My plan is to get Emma going on it this fall, but it is entirely possible that I will toss it aside if it does not work for us.  I am hoping that doesn’t happen, but I have done this enough to know that forcing something that isn’t flowing, will be miserable for all involved.  Maybe it needs to wait a year or two or maybe it won’t work at all.  Ok.   I am now going to be positive :)

Oh, and it has DVD’s you watch, a binder and all kinds of other stuff.

I’m really excited about this. A Thomas Jefferson Education. I’d seen this website and loved it and then saw these books also at the Excellence in Writing booth. These are right up my alley!

And these next books, The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black, are wonderful for upper elementary and probably into middle school. Here are a few reviews I found :

“Chuck Black is a word crafter who is able to weave Kingdom principles into the fabric of one’s moral imagination. The characters he has created and the passions they exude, will motivate readers to follow their examples, which have now been etched into their awakened conscience.”

– Mark Hamby, Founder and President of Cornerstone Family Ministries and Lamplighter Publishing

“A Pilgrim’s Progress for the Xbox generation! That’s what Chuck Black has achieved in his Kingdom Series. It’s an allegory of the whole Bible told in the medieval format of noble knights and scathing sword fights, quests and dragons, betrayal, and final victory by the true Prince over the Dark Knight.”

-Dave Jackson, author of the Trailblazer novels

Written by a homeschool dad of 6 children and former F-16 fighter pilot.  We met him at the conference with his children.  He was hip and cool for sure!

They also come in CD’s with great music and sound effects. There are several more series’. We started with this one. These are highly recommended by us and all of our friends.

I found these little diddies for a dollar, brought them home and had them laminated at Staples for Meg and Henry. I thought they were a great reference tool. I got them at Rainbow Resource.com.  Another favorite booth!

And I had to have this. This is Michael Pearl’s Bible in comic book form, NOW in color.

This is a GREAT way for children to get into the Bible, but their main purpose was to create the Bible in a form that could be brought into foreign countries that do not allow Bibles. There are many countries in this category and now these “Bibles” are being brought in and many people are learning what they would never otherwise have learned. No Greater Joy is the website and these people have been a favorite of mine for many years.

And here is a novel written by Debi Pearl, Michael’s wife. She wrote the Helpmeet book that I so often talk about. That so helped get me where I am now as a wife. I figured I had to buy her novel. It is still on my “to read” stack though. Some day :)

Here are Emma’s treats to herself.  She LOVES to make things.

And this is what Meg bought.  Oh my.  Ink.  This has a similar effect on me as the children’s paint in the cupboard that was stealing my peace.  (I eventually threw it out and decided that is why we go to Leonardo’s.  Our local Art and Science museum.)  I’m much happier now.  But it is sweet that she wanted these and I’m working on my patience with these old fashioned tools she chose.

And finally, here are the 2 coonskin hats that we brought the boys, from one of my other favorite booths, Vision Forum. They are all about men being men and women being women. Well, we got them home, opened them up to give to the boys and they were in pieces that have to be sewn together. Oh boy. Guess I should have looked at the tag closer.

Ahhhh. It says Coon Tail Hat KIT. KIT. The key word. Ok. Sounds like a project for Emma while we read books together in the winter. We will save that.

And that’s it for this year.

It’s been a busy spring and summer, with lots going on. Hoping to have a moment to write about it. God Bless You!

Love,
Allison

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I Am Not A Crafty Person

In fact, doing messy crafts with my children is honestly one of my least favorite things to do.  This is why I love taking them to our local Art and Science Museum so they can craft until their hearts are content.  BUT, if the end result is something useful as opposed to some kind of macaroni picture that is supposed to hang on the fridge, then sometimes I can be persuaded.

Here Was My Motivation

Meg and I found this recipe for Rose Almond Soap and unbelievably, I had almost everything necessary to make it.  I thought “This is something we can actually use,” and I loved the name. So. I was motivated. Life is so much better when Mom is motivated :)

I was on my way to the health food store anyway, so I could easily add Geranium Essential Oil to the list.  I know you are thinking “You had rosewater on hand?”  Well, I bought it probably over 2 years ago when I had some bright idea to make something, then never did.  Seems it sat there forever waiting for this moment.

Ingredients

Rose petals – 2 T

Almonds – 2 T

Soap - 2   4 oz bars (something plain like Ivory or Castille) or 8 oz of soap flakes (which I don’t think exist anymore – I looked and asked and couldn’t find any)

Rose water – 1/2 cup

You can make rosewater by taking 1 firmly  packed cup of rose petals.  Pour 2 cups of boiling water over it.  Cover and let steep until cool.  Drain.

Geranium Essential Oil – 9 drops       Anything would work.  I just like the sound of  ”Geranium.”

Boiling Water – 2/3 cup

Recipe

Put your rose petals on a cookie sheet and dry them. Ours were somewhat dry to begin with, drooping off their stems several weeks after Valentine’s Day.

I dried the yellow ones too, but only used the red for this recipe.

We have a warming rack above our stove so I put them under the heat lamps until they were crisp. You could put them in a dehydrator or in the oven on the lowest setting.

After they crisp up, crush them. The mortar and pestle worked well. But crushing with your fingers is definitely just as good.

Next, the almonds.

I used the coffee bean grinder to grind them up.

And then grate the soap. You can also use a food processor with the grate blade.

Now mix together the soap flakes, crushed rose petals and boiling water in a bowl til smooth.  If the soap starts to solidify, place the bowl over near-boiling water.  Mine did not even come close to solidifying while we were stirring.

Be thrilled that you are finally doing a craft with your precious child that you will get to enjoy!

Add the ground almonds.

And now the rosewater, (I’m thinking you could add plain water if you didn’t want to go to the trouble of getting or making rosewater.)

and the geranium essential oil (or whichever oil your heart desires.)

Mix it up good.

Next is the part you will be very happy your children get to do and not you. Separate the goop into 6 sections and mold each section into a ball.

Lay each ball on wax paper.

Take another sheet of wax paper and flatten them out a bit.

About this much.  Blurry, but I wanted you to see this.

You can also take a cookie cutter and make a shape like Meg did.

Then let them dry out a day or two or three on the counter.  Turn them over and let the underneath side dry too.  They really look different after they dry.

In fact, they kind of match the counter now.

I’ve enjoyed using this soap and it is a great gift.

This recipe came from this book that I found at our last homeschool convention.  It has become one of my favorite books to have in the kitchen.

Have fun with this!  God Bless You!

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The 3 books.  Textbook, Tests and Worksheets, Solutions Manual.

Hey there Mamas.  Wanna talk math?

Oh, well.  Let’s do it anyway : )  This will just take a minute.

Consistency?  Hmmm.  Not really.

As I have mentioned before, I have tried many, many different curriculum over the last 9 years.  And the only thing I have remained consistent on is the last 3 years of math we have used for our 12-year-old dear daughter.  (Of course, that could change next year:)

She is currently using Saxon Math 7/6.  After trying out K12.com, Alpha Omega Life Pacs, Singapore Math, Horizons, and bean-counting (we may have done 1/2 those books each year if we were doing well:), she started using Saxon 5/4 , then moved on to 6/5, and now is using 7/6.

Bor…..ing……(Yawn)

Why did we switch around so much during those first few years?  It was mostly me.  They bored me.  And I thought if they bored me, they probably bored her.  Also, I think it was the “workbook” thing.  Oh they were nice and colorful and got great reviews, but I suppose it was the “sitting-and-filling-out-workbooks” part.  Ugh.  Can’t we go outside or bake cookies or measure how tall we are or……I kept thinking “surely there is a better way.”

But back then…

…I was not as secure as I am now about how to do math with the younger ones.  I thought I had to buy a formal curriculum and have her fill in all the blanks.  And for some moms, this is great, but I am slowly moving into the idea that it is not necessary until they reach the 4th-5th grade arena. (Heck, maybe even later)   See my post here on the experiment I’m doing in math for my 8-year-old dear daughter who DOES NOT LIKE MATH. By the way, I think it is going well.

Now you may think Saxon looks boring, (Actually, I think it does) but now that Emma is older, it doesn’t seem to be an issue.  (And can I just say once more – that is for her.  For her particular personality.  For  her purpose in the world.

What do they really need at a young age?

Part of my personal math theory has evolved into the idea that a child could learn the basic math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), however you want to teach them – easily with no curriculum at all – And then, for instance, if you want to use Saxon, you would go into book 5/4.

5/4 means 4th or 5th grade.  6/5 means 5th or 6th grade.  7/6 means 6th or 7th grade and it goes on up.  Why do they say 5/4 instead of 4/5?  I’ve heard the reason and I really can’t explain it.  Something like “average 4th grader, or slower 5th grader.”  But that still doesn’t make sense to me.  Oh well.

Ok…..on to Saxon

I’m not going to explain how Saxon is written or what techniques they use.  You can read about that in many other places.  I just want to tell you why I like it, at this point in time.

I love Saxon FOR EMMA mostly because…

…she is very self-motivated AND she does it on her own fine without me.   She “gets” math.   If I had to have serious oversight, I’m not sure if I would like Saxon as well.

Here are the specifics:

For each daily assignment, there is a section for your child to read first.  Ok, that’s nice.  An explanation of what is to come.

Next, there are 25-30 questions to answer.

A spiral notebook for this is perfect and you can use the textbooks again for your next child if you want to, give them away, or sell them on Ebay.

I’m really not concerned about what her assignment pages look like.  Though I have tried to get her to circle her answers, so it is clear where her answer is.

If you think your child is doing great, you might be able to do every other problem.  I like for Emma to do them all.  It doesn’t seem to be a strain for her.

Now this next part is my favorite!

To the left of each problem, it shows the child exactly where a sample of that kind of problem was discussed in a previous chapter.   So if the child can’t remember how to do that problem, she/he simply looks back to that spot in the book for an example.  It is a WONDERFUL way to teach a child the ability to research and the fact that “Yes, you can find it on your own.  You don’t always have to ask me, though I am here if you still have a question.”

See the little number right below “the problem number?”

Here is my other favorite part!

I LOVE that I am not supposed to grade every lesson!  Ugh!  When I hear other moms talk about grading math lessons everyday, I just cringe and am thankful I don’t have to do that.  (I know, one of these days I might have to)  I only grade the tests which come every 5 lessons.  That is where we see if she is “getting it.”  Saxon designed it this way.

I probably should have put a picture in here where she got an A+/100.  She gets lots of them :)

Ok, you want my true confession right now?  The last time I graded her test, I had to grade about 5 tests in a row, because I hadn’t checked in that long.  (Heavy sigh – well, we had some other big “life issues” going on – it happens:)  But truthfully, I knew she was doing fine.  She would have told me, if she was not.

This little page here is the most important page for mom.

There are also lots of drill sheets.  More than enough.  We did alot of these in 5/4, but haven’t done so many since then.  She doesn’t seem to need them as much now.

Is Skipping Parts OK?

It turns out that 6/5 is mostly a review of 5/4, so I had her just do all the tests.  There were a few new concepts and when we came to those, she did the lessons, learned them, and moved on.  So she got through 6/5 quite quickly.

DVD Tutorials

In addition, you can buy DVD’s that give you a live person instructing your student for each and every lesson.  We bought one, looked at it a few times and have never used it again.  It just doesn’t work for her.  She prefers to read the book.  But for a student who likes that, it might be a good thing.

The Right Fit

I do not in any way anticipate that this will work for my other children.  It might, but I think that math is definitely an area that we have to really find the right fit for each child.  It’s not the same with other subjects.

And One More Thing

Can I remind everyone that if mama doesn’t like it – that goes for almost all curriculum a homeschool mama is going to teach – then it just ain’t gonna work.  You better love the look of it, if you are planning on buying it and teaching it.  And one more thing mom….We have all spent too much money on curriculum that we didn’t like and so we didn’t use.  Don’t be too hard on yourself when this happens, because it inevitably will.

Life of Fred

One last thing about a totally different math curriculum.  (See, it’s all about consistency :) I am intrigued by  Life of Fred.  I glanced at it at the last homeschool convention and I am thinking about buying it this May when we go again.  Your child would not start these books until they know their math facts – they say around 5th grade, depending on the child.  But it looks fascinating.  Check out that link and read about the author and his theories about math.

Ok, on to more important things.

Godspeed Ladies!

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We have been homeschooling for about 9 years.  What that means is when our first daughter (now 12) was 3, I was researching and buying curriculum.  Now today, I would just tell a mama that had a 3 year old to relax,  have fun and read about other homeschoolers in your spare time.  Don’t get spastic about it, though honestly, when anyone is pondering this route, the idea of homeschooling is so antithetical to our culture today, that it is hard not to obsess, in the beginning, about bucking the system.

One of my favorite pictures of our big 3 back in 2003.  They were 5, 2, and about 6 months.  This is about as early as my digital photos go, so I couldn’t easily find a 3 year old pic of Emma.  Technology.  Wow!

But take it from a research-driven, type-A, past-life (before babies) TV producer mama, that has been around the block:  The only thing you need to do in the beginning is read to them, train them to obey, and be a cheerful mama.

Ok, let’s get to the main point

I have looked at and used LOTS of curriculum.  I have tried new things out every year on each child.  The only thing we have remained consistent on is the Math we are using for Emma, our 12 year old.  (Which is pretty funny, because finding math that we all like seems to have been one of the most difficult things in the curriculum arena.)  She is currently using Saxon Math 7/6.  She started using Saxon 5/4, then 6/5.  I’ve got another post in the works about why I like that Math for her.

So We Made The Purchase

This year, encouraged by my good friend, Jennifer, we both bought Sonlight 3&4 Core.  This link goes directly to the specific package we bought.

Here is the screenshot from this part on their website.  I will discuss that price further down this post.

It was just something about “the schedule”

Jen and I have discussed curriculum over and over all of these 9 years.  A few times we have used similar things and other times we have not.  One year about 4-5 years ago she bought Sonlight and used it.  For just that one year.  I did not.  Since then, she has always reminisced about how that was her best year homeschooling.  She said it was just something about the “schedule” they gave you.  And as any experienced homeschool mom knows, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE SCHEDULE.  (Not just for school, but for your entire day!)

Finally I checked into it,

and this year…..it spoke to me.  It said, “Yes, this is what you want to buy.”  Actually, that would be God speaking to me.  Sorry about that Father.

And we have loved it!  Here are the 4 reason why:

1)  It covers History, Geography, Literature, Poetry, Music & Bible

It is literature-based, meaning you are not memorizing facts and dates, but reading good books and biographies to learn.  Learning that way sticks.  The other way, the way our schools usually do it, doesn’t.

2)  I can teach to all 3 of my big children at the same time.

12, 8, and 6.   They all love it and they are all learning.  The idea here is to teach to the level of your oldest child and the younger ones will pick up on things and be that much further ahead in their own process.  They say this particular package is for 9-12 year olds or 4-7th grades.  The 2 hours we spend on this in the afternoon while Luke, 3, is taking a nap, is one of my favorite parts of the day.   I’m telling you, this special daily time will be a great memory for these children as they grow up.

3)  The schedule.

It really is an awesome thing.

This is a 5-day weekly schedule.  They make a 4-day for certain packages, but you get more for your money if you buy the 5-day and then just write what day it is above at the top of the page.  As you can see, for whatever good reason :), we had some skipped days in there.

It’s all about checking things off the list.  Am I right?  Yes, I know I am!

So this schedule is pretty self-explanatory.  WE go in order of how it is written here.  Starting with the Bible reading.  The amount they give you to read is really the right amount for these aged children.  An entire chapter can be too much to digest.  This amount, usually one section which might be 1/3 or 1/2 of a chapter, gives you an opportunity to really delve into and talk about a subject.

That next part, the American Indian Prayer guide is like a paragraph or two of a little prayer you all say together regarding Native Americans coming to know Jesus.

Then you listen to one song on the CD that puts scripture to music.  It’s very well done.

Here is Emma putting the CD in for us to listen to.

Then you read some history (always facinating), listen to another song (patriotic, since we are studying American History), discuss what they read on their own, and then…..the best part:  the chapter book that you read to them.  Oh my, these are some good books and we all look forward to that last part the most.

One of my biggest memory of all 12 years of my schooling was in 5th and 6th grade.  Mrs. Shades was our teacher and after lunch she always read a great book to us.  The ones I remember most were the story of Eddie Rickenbacker and A Wrinkle In Time.

So back to the schedule, as you can see at the bottom of this top section of the schedule, there is room to add anything extra.  I added our science book that I read to them as time permits.

This is a great science book from Apologia.com that I just discovered through Gina, another good mama friend.  It discusses science from the God perspective.  It is easy and has some easy experiments.  Here is a link if you want to check that out more.  This one is astronomy which they recommend to do first as it is the easiest, but they have many other subjects for all ages.  This is for all ages in elementary school.

And the bottom section of the schedule looks like this.  There is just enough room to add other things your children are doing outside of Sonlight.  It can sort of serve as a journal.  You can see at the very bottom I noted they cut tons of apples for homemade applesauce and made homemade laundry detergent.  I like looking back at things like that.

4)  There is almost no preparation needed on your part.

I suppose you could get crazy about it and do other prep to add to what they give you, but why?  There is enough there and the rest of the day needs to be spent on other things like work, character training, family life, domestic skills, oh and the list goes on.

The Price

This package cost about $450.

You receive the binder which contains the weekly schedule and lots of supplemental teaching materials, questions to ask your children for every chapter of every book you read to them AND every book they read on their own,

and TONS of books.

Here are some of them.

Also this package could easily take us through 2 years if we wanted or 1 year if we go at breakneck speed with no “life” interruptions (which we all know is impossible.)  So if we use it for 2 years that means $225 / year for the core price (no extras). That’s  $75 per year/per child.  That’s a heck of a deal.  Even if you do it all in one year, for me, this is a good buy.  And honestly, even if I was only teaching 1 child, I like it so much, I’d get it.  It is still a good price for a good curriculum

Extras

The Bible section IS included on the schedule, but you must buy the extra 2 books and CD separately.  You COULD just do what they call for in the bible reading OR add these extras.  We added the extras.

Some other extras I recommend are the timeline book and the stickers that you cut out and stick in the book.  The idea is to have a timeline for each child for their entire schooling years.  Only our 12 year old has one at this point.  You probably wouldn’t need one until they reach that age.

This timeline book I actually bought several years ago.  For some reason I always sort of drool over timeline books and finally I have a child old enough to use one.  Sonlight’s looks a tad different.

And a markable map.  The world map is on the other side.

Additional Subjects

We have added our own math (very minimal for the 6 & 8 year old), the science book that I periodically read to all of them during the Sonlight time, English From The Roots Up for Emma (this is easy learning of Latin and Greek words), periodic writing for Emma (reports, stories, etc – usually a page or so), and handwriting books for all 3 that they write in while I read to them.

After they finish handwriting and/or copywork while I’m reading, they then usually move on to legos, knitting, or something they can do with their hands and still listen to me.

For this year, that is our academic plan.

Let me know if you have any questions OR tips about Sonlight.  One of the best things about this is I’M learning so much too.  In this day and time, learning about American History and how we got here is vitally important so I’m glad this is our current history topic.  Seems like we studied Ancient Egypt for eons :)

God Bless You and

Keep Sowing Into Those Beautiful Children God Gave You!

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• Home Education, Interested?

I suppose since I have a 6 year old son, I am slightly tuned into the Lego world. Lego construction is most definitely his favorite activity.  He is still only marginally interested in reading, but I know something deep down is going on, some kind of brain-synapse-thing, with these legos.  That is why I put this post under “Home Education.”  Yes?

The creations he comes up with are really quite amazing.  To me of course.  Since I’m the mom.

Now let me clarify.  Henry did not put the following lego buildings together.  But….I bet he could….at some point…..someday……

Anyway, at Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City, OK CITYSCAPE has created scenes from downtown Oklahoma City and Bricktown.

Bricktown and The River

The Skirvin Hotel

They used over 1,000,000 Lego pieces, though it looks like alot more to me.

Myriad Gardens

This exhibit will be there until January 3rd, 2010.

The Ballpark

Go in the door near Pepperoni Grill restaurant, Dillards, The Apple Store (my favorite!)

Chesapeake

I actually went with my mom and didn’t have any children with me.  That figures.

The State Capitol

I hope we can get  back down there with the babes before it closes.

Oklahoma City National Memorial

It costs about $5 to go through it and the proceeds go to Educare which is a school promoting early education.  That link will tell you more about this project and about Educare.

The Entrance

It is much bigger than what I have shown you here.  In fact there are 33 separate buildings or areas to see.

Flintco

Oh, and this is at the end.

Just thought I’d let you know about this if you hadn’t seen it.

Love,

Allison

aka

The Girl

aka

Mommy

aka

The Gret (short for Margaret – my first name – husband likes to call me this.)

aka

Daughter of the Most High God

aka

Servant of Jesus the Christ (awesome sermon today Pastor Roy!)

aka

ok….sorry….getting a little carried away.  Guess it’s that Christmas thing : )

Have a Very Merry Christmas!!!

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On this wall, we have some nice white boards (dry erase markers always in a safe with a Ft. Knox lock)  Just kidding!  And on the left, that is a genealogy for Jesus.  I love charts and timelines.

Homeschoolers LOVE to see how and where other homeschoolers do school.  We want details.  EXACTLY where do your children sit (or lie!)

Where do you keep school books, what about other books, how about things for the toddlers to do while the older ones are on school tasks, how long do you do school, what time of day, and the list goes on.  Am I right, moms?  (everyone nods their head “Yes!”)  There are as many ways and places to do school, as there are homeschool mamas who think about it.

Over here, we have the world map, the number chart, another white board (I have somehow just accumulated these whiteboards over the years), my $5 garage sale chair and my $10 pawn shop CD player.  Don’t you just love a great deal?

We have had three different houses since starting to homeschool 8 years ago and I have tried to create a wonderful environment for the ‘Davis’ school in at least 3-4 different locations per house.  The basement, the kitchen, the office, the dining room, the living room, a bedroom, etc……  I might paint the room, hang things on the wall, move things around to fit this purpose.  Then…..frustration would ensue.  For some new reason, this plan was not going to work.  And we would try something different.

And in this corner we have the bookshelf (good grief, what a mess!)  This used to be in Matthew’s office, but when he moved his office home almost 2 months ago, I got to have it for the schoolroom.  (Hey, this was actually my bookcase before we got married.  It’s nice to have it back.)  The upper shelves are mine and the children each have a shelf for their things.  Notice the mess is in the lower half!

And that is my desk on the right.  I have to tell you, that belonged to my great-grandfather, a country doctor in eastern Oklahoma.  Dr. John Starr Allison.  It sat in a garage for 50 years.  14 years ago, when we got married, I asked my Dad if I could refinish it.  I kept it for a while and then one year gave it back to my Dad for his doctor’s office on Father’s Day.  After he died in 2005, I got it back.  It is very special.

Here is a little different view.  That couch belonged to my grandparents and sat in their living room the entire time I knew them (25 years or so.)  I had it recovered at the beginning of our marriage and it fits perfectly in this little nook.  Funny thing is, you would not believe how heavy that little couch is.  I guess they don’t make things like they used to.

In the middle of this schoolroom we have just the rug with nothing on it.  The dining room table, which you saw part of in the first picture, is pushed up against the wall.

After many attempts, I have finally found the answer.  That is, the answer FOR US!  It won’t necessarily be the answer for you.  Having the aged children we do (11, 8, 6, and 3) I’ve realized the schoolroom MUST, without a doubt, be next to the kitchen.  In earshot of the kitchen.  Because, inevitably, while we are doing school, someone needs to go to the kitchen OR I might ask someone to go to the kitchen for a variety of reasons.

But if I can’t hear what is happening in there, or maybe I have forgotten that someone is in there – God forbid a 6 or 3 year old!! – a disaster can so easily be peeking it’s devilish little head around the corner.  Maybe a spilled gallon of milk, maybe a box of cereal all over the floor, maybe a 3 year old climbing up on the cabinet, maybe dishtowels strung all over the floor.  You get the picture.

Or maybe my 11 or 8 year old girls are preparing something for lunch or dinner or a snack.  I need to be able to talk to them in the next room if they have questions, while doing something else in the schoolroom.  This wears me out just to say it, but my goal is, as often as possible, kill 2 birds with one stone.  So…..it’s back to the theory of Efficiency = Freedom.  As soon as we are done with the daily tasks, chores, etc – we can do lots of other fun things.  Yeah!

And here is our front hall closet that, of course, does not house coats.  We have actually never had a front hall coat closet because at all 3 houses we have lived in, I’ve changed it to a school/toy/storage shelf closet.  Much more useful.  I’m sure you think it looks empty.  That’s because I just cleaned it out and really, this is all they need for the school room.  They do have some other toys in their rooms.  I promise I’m not a mean mommy!

Now.  The other very important element of deciding on this particular room is that I had to get out of my mind that it was “supposed” to be the dining room.  Well, who said?  The architect?  The people who used to live here? (That would be my parents : )  Societal norms?  As usual, I think I will just buck the system.  We eat all our meals in another room anyway.

Normally, this formal dining room would be used for times that we had lots of company, but even for those of us who like to have lots of people over for dinner, how often is that?  And do I dedicate a whole room to that?  And forget about what we might need on a daily basis?  Honestly, before children, I loved having dinner parties with lots of people.  Now, though I still enjoy it, we usually make it much more casual.  This was a formal dining room, that back in the day, was important.  But here and now, it just ain’t so.  Someday, it might transform back.

Here is a picture of this same room when my parents lived here.  From left to right is my mom, youngest sis, her hubby, bro’s ex, bro, nephew, my dad, my other sis’s hubby.  It was very elegant and beautiful, much more so than it is now.  Oh well.  We do what we gotta do.

I do love having a paradigm shift.  It’s hard at first and we want to fight it, but after we surrender to it, the feeling of freedom is addicting.  Let’s see.  What else can I change?  (Uh oh, better not let hubby hear that.  Shifting furniture around in a room can be very distressing to him, but he is getting used to it.  I just tell him how boring his life would be without me : )

And just for a little laugh, here is the cabinet in the pantry that completely stresses me out just to look at.  In fact this picture has the same effect.

I look at it and think “I have GOT to throw all of this out now!”

Then I think, “But my poor children.  They need this to be creative.”

Then I think, “But I will be screaming at someone if it gets on something and I hate it’s not my favorite to scream.”

Then I think “Oh come on, Allison, can’t you control yourself from screaming?  If you can’t, you really need to work on that.”

So I just leave the paint there, until the next time that I open the cabinet and go through this rigamarole (sp?) once again.

In another post I will go over what kind of curriculum we are doing (that is, the formal stuff – cause ‘life is school,’ right!) and our basic schedule.  But as my friends and I joke, the schedule is very likely to change from day to day or week to week.

Thank you Father, for the blessing of this home and school.  Godspeed ladies!  It’s so nice to talk to you again.  It’s been too long!

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I Never Liked History In School

It consisted of memorizing meaningless dates and reading boring textbooks.  “Who cared,” I thought.  Nor do I remember a history teacher that brought it to life.  (Thank goodness I married a college history major)

But for a week last fall and also, this summer, my two daughters, 11 & 8, and I were blessed to learn more about how our country was founded and what freedom and liberty really mean by listening to a great orator from Oklahoma University who visited our small city.  This second session was summer camp for us, and we were all on the “edge of our seats” listening to this speaker for 5 days in a row.

So here are just a few notes that stood out to me during the last day of the lecture series given by Professor J. Rufus Fears titled “A Legacy Of Freedom.”

The Civil War

During the Civil War, General Lee (head guy leading the South) chose to lead the South because he believed that the North was oppressing his freedom by wanting to abolish slavery;  the exact freedom that his forefathers fought for in the Revolutionary War just a few generations earlier.  It was the principal of freedom that he was fighting for, not so much the ability to keep slaves.  He said to the North, “Cicero of Rome and Aristotle of Greece, Moses and St. Paul all spoke about slavery being part of life.  None of them said it was wrong.  They just told you how to handle it.  Even the Bible did not say it was wrong.”

I did not realize the motivation of the South was more about freedom and less about slavery.

But Lee lost the war.

Abraham Lincoln Was A Religious Man

He knew slavery was morally wrong.  Yes, it was written into the Constitution, but only because breaking free from England was hard enough for the 13 states to agree on.  Getting the South to also agree on abolishing slavery would have been impossible. Lincoln argued that even though slavery was in the Constitution, it was still morally wrong based on one thing Jesus said:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Even the Declaration of Independence said “All men are created equal.”  And our country was founded on Biblical principals as much as some people would like to tell you it was not.

So Lincoln Fought For The Morality Of It

His wife said he understood why the South was fighting for their freedoms in this country founded on liberty.  But this country was founded on God and morality too, and slavery was evil.   Morality and God would have to come before Freedom.  And truthfully, freedom is found within those two things.

More Men Died In The Civil War…

than any other war combined.  Finally, one day Lincoln’s son died as a boy.  And now, he knew how all the parents of those fallen soldiers felt.  Lincoln believed that God had taken his son for a reason.  He was compelled to figure out why and he pondered that reason for the 10 months before he gave the very short

Gettysburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate…we can not consecrate…we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Lincoln Believed The North Must Continue…

to fight on to victory and to end this evil, or his son and all the other sons would have died in vain.  And so they did.

Finally, one night, he went to the Ford Theater.  He had previously told his wife he’d had dreams that he would be killed.  He was shot that night.  It was Good Friday.  His wife later said that Lincoln knew he would have to atone for the deaths of all those soldiers.  What a statesman he was.

And that was the question our lecturer, Dr. Rufus Fears kept asking the class.  Do we still have statesmen today?  Or do we have politicians?  An interesting question.

Godspeed Friends!

PS Just so ya know.  Sometimes I feel as if I’m getting my real education by homeschooling.  Just a little side benefit for those of us who did not pay attention way back when.

PSS The link above for Dr. Rufus Fears will take you to his bio on The Teaching Company website.  A great resource for lecture series’ from the best professors across our country on almost any subject you can imagine.  CD’s or DVD’s.  My husband loves listening to them in the car.

PSSS For all of you in Enid, America, Dr. Fears will be coming once a month to lecture here this fall.

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I am going to do an experiment.  It is with one of my children.  Scary?  Oh, not really.  After, I guess I would say, 8 years of homeschooling, I have now seen (and read many, many testimonials) that whether you do formal, regimented school at home or not, the children are going to learn.  Period.  They are made that way, with a curiosity toward whatever direction God has planned for them. We just need to, very purposely, lead and guide them along the way.

We have definitely had a few “gap” years

In the homeschooling arena there is a term called “a gap year.”  Homeschoolers like this term.  It sort of gives us an excuse for not doing such a great job when other major life events take place and it alleviates our guilt.

Almost anyone, who has had a gap year, can tell you that during that year you are feeling guilt about being distracted and not schooling as much, but you have no choice because you have either had a new baby, adopted one, moved, changed jobs, had a death or terminal illness in the family, etc.  Yet, somehow, miraculously, after that gap year, you look at that child and she or he was about where they would have been HAD YOU BEEN SCHOOLING THEM!

I have read story after story about this and experienced it several times myself.  We have had quite a few major life events in the past few years:

• We had our 3rd baby (a boy) in March, 2003 (At that time we had 5 and 2 year old girls.)
• 2 months later, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (we live in the same town with both sets of our parents.)
• We moved to a new house and renovated it in 2004 (thinking it was our forever house.)
• Near the end of 2004, my husband moved his attorney practice from a larger law firm to his own operation.
• My father died in May of 2005.
• We moved to another new house (my parents house – the one I grew up in) and renovated it in November of 2005.  (Hopefully, that will be our last move.)
• My husband’s father had a long illness in 2006 and died that October.
• We traveled to Russia twice in 2007 bringing home our 4th child that September.
• And the first year of a new child’s life in a family can be a gap year too!

School?  What’s School?

Hmmm.  You are probably wondering if we have ever done school! : )  Yes.  Sometimes, very sporadically.  But my point is, they learn.  And the bigger point is, they are intimately involved in the major changes that happen in their families’ lives.  I think being near their grandfathers during those terminal illnesses was much more important for their character and compassion than math facts.

How Important Is Academics?

My husband and I both come from very academically-oriented families.  My father and my husband’s mother were medical doctors.  One of my grandfathers had a PHD and one was an MD, as were two great-grandfathers.  And my husband is an attorney with a Masters in Public Administration.  We do believe that certain academics will be important for our children.

BUT…

We will continue to say that academics is a far 2nd place after teaching character and work ethic.  And that character and work ethic have to be continuously fostered, day in and day out.  I’m not saying we have perfected this AT ALL.  It is a continuous learning process for both my husband and me, figuring out which child needs what kind of guidance at what point.

Unfortunately,

schools put academics and sports first for the major part of a child’s day.  Day in and day out.  Their hands are tied by government regulations and so they seem to have no options.  On top of that, it is really the parent’s job to teach character and work ethic, but many, maybe most, don’t do it.  And so you wind up with the state of our nation.  But I will stop myself from continuing down that rabbit trail right now.

Back To My Little School

The idea of unschooling is a little too radical for me.  I like to have some structure, but also be open to all possibilities and ideas, and not tied to a workbook or assignments decided on at the beginning of the year.  I start out with a plan for the year involving math, reading, writing, add some history and geography, and the rest just comes with life.  If things aren’t working for a child or for me, we change it.

The Experiment

My 2nd precious daughter is not fond of math.  She is a social butterfly.

With friends at our childrens museum.

She is smart.  She is silly. She loves to play.

She is very girly.  She loves babies and dolls.

And she is a wonderful big sis.

I love her propensities as I love each of my children’s gifts, personalities, and quirks.  She is 8 years old.  If we followed the public school age guidelines, she would be in 3rd grade, but she has a late birthday (May) so she could easily be in 2nd grade.

She was reading at 5

I did not teach her.  I read to her, she watched some wonderful reading videos about letters and phonics and somehow she figured it out.

An Aside About Reading

By the way, I am a big believer in the fact that, reading is a developmental skill, not a school subject.  We are not going to force toilet training or walking or bike riding, so forcing reading is only going to create a child who hates to read.  There are a multitude of stories of children (more boys than girls) who did not read until they were 10, 12 or 14, but when they did, they were reading at an adult level within 3 months or so.  The previous years they were probably developing skills necessary for their calling in life.

My 6 year old boy, 1st grade this year, has absolutely no interest in learning to read right now.  I know he will at some point.  I will just do fun things with him along those lines until he is inspired.

Anyway, my little girl DOES NOT like to do math

It is a struggle for her, though she does pretty well at it.  She just doesn’t like it AT ALL.  And that can make a mama frustrated when trying to teach it.  Last year for 1st grade math, we did Alpha Omega Life Pacs and then switched over to Singapore Math.  (I really like Singapore.)  So this year we would normally progress to 2nd grade math with her.

But.  Here Is My New Idea.

I think it is very exciting.  If you are, at all, in a similar situation, you must read this article.  (The link is below this excerpt.)  Here are the first couple of paragraphs to whet your appetite.  It is the most profound school-type article I have ever read in all my years of homeschooling.  It started in 1929.

STORY OF AN EXPERIMENT

In the spring of 1929 the late Frank D. Boynton, superintendent of schools at Ithaca, New York, and president of the Department of Superintendence, sent to a number of his friends and brother superintendents an article on a modern public-school program. His thesis was that we are constantly being asked to add new subjects to the curriculum [safety instruction, health instruction, thrift instruction, and the like], but that no one ever suggests that we eliminate anything. His paper closed with a challenge which seemed to say, “I defy you to show me how we can cut out any of this material.” One thinks, of course, of McAndrew’s famous simile that the American elementary school curriculum is like the attic of the Jones’ house. The Joneses moved into this house fifty years ago and have never thrown anything away.

I waited a month and then I wrote Boynton an eight-page letter, telling him what, in my opinion, could be eliminated from our present curriculum. I quote two paragraphs:

“In the first place, it seems to me that we waste much time in the elementary schools, wrestling with stuff that ought to be omitted or postponed until the children are in need of studying it. If I had my way, I would omit arithmetic from the first six grades. I would allow the children to practice making change with imitation money, if you wish, but outside of making change, where does an eleven-year-old child ever have to use arithmetic?”

“I feel that it is all nonsense to take eight years to get children through the ordinary arithmetic assignment of the elementary schools. What possible needs has a ten-year-old child for a knowledge of long division? The whole subject of arithmetic could be postponed until the seventh year of school, and it could be mastered in two years’ study by any normal child.”

Having written the letter, I decided that if this was my real belief, then I was falling down on the job if I failed to put it into practice. At this time I had been superintendent in Manchester for five years, and I had already been greatly criticized because I had dropped practically all of the arithmetic out of the curriculum for the first two grades and the lower half of the third. In 1924 the enrollment in the first grade was 20 percent greater than the enrollment in the second, because, roughly, one-fifth of the children could not meet the arithmetic requirements for promotion into the second grade and so were forced to repeat the year. By 1929 the enrollment of the first grade was no greater than that of the third.

Meanwhile, I was distressed at the inability of the average child in our grades to use the English language. If the children had original ideas, they were very helpless about translating them into English which could be understood. I went into a certain eighth-grade room one day and was accompanied by a stenographer who took down, verbatim, the answers given me by the children. I was trying to get the children to tell me, in their own words, that if you have two fractions with the same numerator, the one with the smaller denominator is the larger. I quote typical answers……

Click here to read the rest of the article.

What follows in that article is his fascinating experiment.  He develops a plan for math for elementary school that is specific verbal discussions, here and there, throughout the day.  Not a formal subject.  He gives a plan for what to do at each grade level in elementary school.

So, I am going to follow his plan this year with my 8 year old girl and probably my 6 year old boy too.  I will let you know how it goes.  I predict it will be completely successful.  And my thoughts for anyone else out there with these types of problems?  The atmosphere of your home is of utmost importance.  If you or your children are stressed out about school and it shows, do less.  As a good friend of mine says, “More is not always better.  It is just more.”

Have A Great School Year and Godspeed!

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You might like one of these posts too.

• What We Bought At The HomeSchool Conference 2010
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• Notes For The History Challenged
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