HomeHearts

Update: Learning Lifestyle

HomeHearts — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:24:56 +0000

We have added an article by Dena Wood, originally published in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, to our Learning Lifestyle page.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff offers a good example of a learning lifestyle in action.

The “problem” with this method of learning is that it’s so enjoyable and painless (and even unplanned at times), that we sometimes fail to see it for what it is. This is true education: self-motivated learning with a purpose. If you can inspire curiosity in your children and perhaps point them in the right direction or make available the appropriate tools, you’ll be amazed at what can be accomplished.

Dena Wood, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Read the entire article.

Homeschool Dialogues – Free eBook

HomeHearts — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:32:35 +0000

It is that “dreary” time of year. A time that begs for inspiration and uplifting words of encouragement. This might be a good time to read Homeschool Dialogues!

Interviews remain one of the most popular features of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. TOS representatives sit down for a chat with well-known folks in the homeschooling community, and ask the questions that our readers want to have answered.

This ebook is a compilation of some of the interviews that have been published in past issues of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Enjoy these conversations with names you recognize and respect, like Josh McDowell, John MacArthur, John Taylor Gatto, Karen Andreola, “Little Bear” Wheeler, Lisa Whelchel, and more.

Homeschool Dialogues

Best of all, you can get this resource free!

Dr. Beechick on Tutoring

HomeHearts — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:21:22 +0000

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is offering a free preview of their February 2012 digital magazine which happens to include an article written by Dr. Beechick, Tutoring: The Best Teaching Method.

Tutoring is simply teaching what a child needs when he needs it. That’s an efficient teaching method. And research shows it to be absolutely the best method.

Dr. Ruth Beechick

In the article she explains how tutoring can work effectively in a homeschool environment using reading as an example. She also covers an effective way to tutor in content subjects like history using simple discussion.

This short article offers an opportunity to learn from a master. Don’t miss it!

Forsaking Our Idols

HomeHearts — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:26:55 +0000

Life is so much easier when we can fit things into nice tidy boxes. We observe other homeschool moms in action and we categorize them: soccer mom, unschooler, crunchy con, classical ed mom, …

Once we’ve gotten everybody into their nice boxes we pretty much already have an idea of which group we’d prefer to identify with based upon our impressions of the contents of each box. So we apply our sticky label and pop ourselves into our favorite box. We follow the rules and conventions we perceive necessary to fit in well. We may also judge others as to how well they are following the rules and conventions of our box. And oh how we suffer when we aren’t measuring up to the standard we have perceived! When the Holy Spirit tugs us in a different direction we resist with all our might – we want to fit in THIS box!

The world of homeschooling is really no different from the world at large. We have our “in” things and “out” things. We have the good and the bad among us. We have compassion, arrogance, servanthood, elitism and cliques. There are labels some of us would never identity ourselves with and there are others we assume more because it is what we aspire to be than what we actually are.

Few Christian homeschoolers will label themselves “unschoolers.” Isn’t an “unschooler” someone who shuns all type of authority? Do they actually do anything all day besides learn “math” by cooking? We all know that “unschooler” implies the children are training themselves, and that certainly goes against the Scriptural mandate to train our children.

“Traditional” educators operate on a rote level. The mind is being trained like Pavlov’s dog to do tricks on command. Where is the respect for the spirit of the child? And isn’t “traditional” the beast we are running from? Not many proudly wear the “traditional” label.

On the other hand, many assume the label “classical.” It sounds smarter, more learned. An interesting thing has happened to the label “classical.” Two different groups of educators are tugging and pulling over the right to be called “classical,” one group defining the term using the more modern writings of Dorothy Sayers and her three stages of learning, another group defining the term in its ancient form where one studies the “classics” in their original Greek and Latin. Classical education can look very different depending on whose prescription you are following.

Then there are “Charlotte Mason” educators. If one were to really be a “Charlotte Mason” educator, wouldn’t one have to read and implement the ideas in her six-volume series? I wonder how many “Charlotte Mason” educators have done that? Or perhaps they simply mean they read a great quantity of books or follow the very modern plan laid out for them online.

Labels are funny things. They are slippery. First, the distinctives of any particular label are not necessarily agreed upon, leaving those wearing the label at times wondering exactly what they are. Second, many times a label identifies the person applying the label more than it identifies the object the label represents: “I’m not one of those! I’m one of these.” Perhaps this identification helps relieve the understandable fears that homeschooling can generate. There is strength in numbers. Thirdly, attaching any label to oneself tends to confine one to one way of thought, one way of doing things, one approach. There is little room for maneuvering.

Each of the methods mentioned above has something to offer. What “traditional” homeschooler invests his time in ONLY textbooks and workbooks? What “classical” homeschooler doesn’t spend some time outside of Latin and Homer? What committed “unschooler” doesn’t train their children, ensuring that they have the skills they need to move forward?

We can be flexible enough to pull those things that will benefit our children out of the label box and implement them in our home.
We can be a bit harder to pin down and take advantage of the freedom that we have by not standing for one formal way of doing things.
We can move with our children’s needs rather than the prescriptions of any one particular school of thought.
Most importantly, we can follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, whether that be a trip to the world of textbooks, or an unstructured learning season.

We don’t have to fit “in” or be left “out.” We don’t have to spend a lifetime trying to be something we are not!

Still want a label? Need a word that describes exactly what it is you do all day? Try “tutoring.”

With that label, you can follow children’s interests or your interests, any curriculum with or without parent help, independent reading, or group reading with discussion. All kinds of content and methods fit under the tutoring label.

Ruth Beechick

The Book Tree

HomeHearts — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:06:27 +0000

The Book Tree: A Christian Reference for Children’s Literature
Elizabeth McCallum & Jane Scott

A mother/daughter team recommending “classic books, as well as books by Christian authors, some little-known books by great writers and poets, and a sizable collection of inspiring biographies.”

In recommending books that the authors “have especially enjoyed,” your favorites might be missing, but you’ll have an interesting place to start in your search for great literature. The authors primarily avoid abridged works, selecting works that are well-written, reader-friendly (no formal guidance necessary to understand the work), follow high ethical standards, have visual appeal and are accessible.

The books are alphabetically listed by category:

Preschool Literature
Elementary School Fiction
Middle School Fiction
Elementary and Middle School Biography
High School Fiction
High School Biography

The summaries provided are meant to convey the flavor of the selection and will assist parents in choosing literature that meets the needs of their family.

Literary affections naturally give way to literary habits. Families who love to read will find the time to read – the distractions of life are simply crowded out….Invariably, this relentless prioritizing of time leads to a necessary prioritizing of content. At some point every serious reading family comes to the realization that they will never be able to read everything they wish to…Thus, this book will most certainly appeal to that breed apart – all those who nurture literary affections.

George Grant, from the Foreword

Homeschooling for Eternity

HomeHearts — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:06:25 +0000

Homeschooling for Eternity by Skeet Savage encourages us to become intentional as homeschoolers.

This book has not been written by or about the perfect homeschooling family. Rather, it contains the simple testimony and practical advice of a veteran homeschooling single mother who successfully raised six children as she invested her life in full-time service to the Lord while trusting Him to provide for their needs and hold their family together against enormous odds. It was written for those who would like to homeschool but think they can’t, “because…” It was written for those who have homeschooled for several (even many) years, yet have somehow lost their vision and focus – maybe even having become so discouraged that they have completely forgotten why they ever thought they wanted to homeschool their children in the first place!

Skeet Savage, Homeschooling for Eternity

So what does it mean to homeschool with an eye on eternity?

To measure ourselves by God’s standards instead of each other.
To lay down fear and step out in His ways.
To break out of the bondage of the world’s ways and provide our children with His perfect provision.
To be committed to the Biblical model of discipleship and move away from the world’s ideas of education.
To develop faithful servants for the Lord moving forward in His wisdom.
To draw near to God and rely less on human affirmation.
To lay down our lives and speak love in truth.
To follow God’s order for the home with wholehearted submission.
To diligently seek Him and let Him order our steps.
To trust the Word of God and keep the hearts of our children.
To really know our children and lead them as we closely follow Christ.
To rely on a “God-inspired, God-motivated, God-driven, God-directed and God-blessed” homeschooling environment that brings glory to Him.
To make sure our academic goals are “Biblically defined and supported, and Spiritually inspired.”
To take only His burden upon ourselves rather than becoming encumbered with too many pulls from too many directions.
To put the home back in homeschool and be home-focused as we train our children, while reaching outward with Christ’s love to others.
To listen to the Lord and remove from ourselves those things that would displease Him.
To act in the power of God in humility.
To provide our children with a real-life education that accepts “to live is to learn.”
To live and walk in conviction and obedience.
To trust the Lord for the outcome.

Homeschooling for Etermity is homeschooling from the eyes of a true veteran who has walked the walk and is taking the time to teach those following behind – something rare and very needed. Skeet Savage, publisher of Home School Digest, can address your fear, concerns, needs, and burdens because she has been there and can draw on her own experiences raising and homeschooing six children as a single mother. Socialization? It’s in there. Overwhelmed? It’s in there. Problems with the authorities? Yep. Fears? Trials? Alone? Weak? Financial issues? All covered.

As I looked at my own fully-grown and mature children, I smiled inwardly as I recalled my own deep feelings of inadequacy, as the young mother of those wee toddlers so many years ago. How often I had looked at them then and wondered if I could really count on the promise of Proverbs 22:6 – especially knowing how often I, myself, failed to reach the mark of God’s standard. As I pondered these things, the years seemed to pass before me as if on a screen – just as clearly as if it were only yesterday – and I absolutely marveled at the goodness and faithfulness of our God for all that He has brought us through and accomplished in our lives (1 Kings 8:56)!

Skeet Savage, Homeschooling for Eternity

Homeschooling for Eternity can be purchased directly from Wisdom’s Gate.

Update: A Road Map

HomeHearts — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:37:26 +0000

We have added the Core Knowledge Sequence: Content and Skill Guidelines for Grades K–8 to our roadmap page. This homeschool-friendly scope and sequence has recently been made available as a free download.

The Way That Seems Right to Man

HomeHearts — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:56:18 +0000

There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

Proverbs 16:25

When God says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed,” do we believe Him? Or do we follow the wisdom of man believing instead that our children need the companionship of age-mates and the formation by peers to become properly “socialized”?

When God says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it,” do we believe Him? Or do we take a more hands-off approach following worldly wisdom which suggests that children need to “find their own way.” Do we freely and willingly abdicate our training responsibilities to others – perhaps even others who will not train them in the way they should go?

When God says, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord,” do we believe Him? Or do we expect too much too soon from our children, instead of blessing them with the same grace we live in as brothers and sisters in Christ? Do we neglect to bring them up to follow the training of the Lord, to hear His counsel – straight from His Word?

When God says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things,” do we believe Him? Or do we put things before our children and ourselves that could not be considered noble, just, pure or lovely?

When God says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus,” do we believe Him? Or do we bounce from option to option trying to find the right answer on our own, forfeiting our peace?

The homeschool community is blessed with godly pioneers, in our century and those past. While we draw on their experiences we still need to bring everything into the light of God’s Word as Bereans, rightly dividing the truth. As we utilize the help and advice of others, we must always seek the advice of the real expert. In every area – homeschooling, parenting or just life – there is a way that seems right to man, but the answers we seek can be found in His Word.

Commit your works to the LORD
And your plans will be established.

Proverbs 16:3

Books Children Love

HomeHearts — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:07:39 +0000

Books Children Love: A Guide to the Best Children’s Literature by Elizabeth Wilson was written within a Charlotte Mason, living-book philosophy – that children need to be provided with “excellently written, interest-holding books on as wide a range of topics as possible” as part of the most “effective form of education.”

And variety is what you’ll find in Books Children Love. Books are arranged by subject and listed in alphabetical order by author. A sampling of subjects include animals, art, architecture, biography, holidays, crafts and hobbies, drama, history, geography, humor, language, all types of literature, mathematics, music, nature, science, physical education and study skills. Age-appropriate gradings are included.

Warm and detailed descriptions help us easily determine whether or not a book will be a good fit for our family. The titles chosen, each having been read by the author, must catch and hold the reader’s interest, be of high literary quality, and represent a “wide range of people in varying circumstances.” The author has not included books that “reflect a perverse view of human life, that exploit deviant behavior, or that undermine or attack basic Judeo-Christian moral and ethical values.”

Originally published in 1987 and updated in 2002, Books Children Love has remained a well-loved guide for a reason.

The Race is Theirs

HomeHearts — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:48:37 +0000

Running is for loners. An advocate may recruit you, a good mentor may help you train, kind sponsors may purchase the equipment you need and cover your expenses, and enthusiastic people may cheer you from the sidelines. But in the end, the race is yours alone.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

1 Corinthians 9:24

So it is with our children. We can present them with the gospel, train them in the way they should go, equip them with Scripture, a Christian family and opportunities for growth, and encourage them in the faith. But in the end, the race is theirs. And the race is theirs alone.

Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27

I might have a running partner, but even he will not know the strength of the breath, the determination of the will, the power of the struggle, the pain of the fight or the depth of joy in the victory. Yes, running is for loners.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

Our role then, is to train, encourage, equip, and PRAY so that our children can “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares” them, and “run with endurance the race that is set before” them.

The race is theirs.

I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7