What’s the “matter”?

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What’s the matter, homeschooling mother?  Are you like me?  Does the thought of teaching science to your children scare you?  The sciences in general have a reputation of being an almost out-of-reach specialty that is only for a few people.  So it’s understandably if words and phrases like: physics, atoms, electrons, extranuclear region, berkelium, gravitational force, electromagnetic spectrum, and the laws of thermodynamics concern you some.

Maybe you love teaching science.  Maybe you excel in it, therefore so do your children.  But, for the rest of us what do we do?  The reality is that science does not have to be hard.  After all, true science is simply getting to know God and understanding and appreciating His power and greatness.  What Christian mother doesn’t want to teach that to her children?

Not too long ago, I received the Christian Kids Explore Physics book from Bright Ideas Press to review with my children.  The book contains 30 weekly lessons with step by step lesson activities, coloring pages, fun experiments, Review It questions, and unit quizzes.

The children and I have both really enjoyed studying physics.  The scientific terminology is explained in simple, easy to understand terms.  For example:

Physics – The study of matter and energy in great detail

Matter – Things that we can see or touch, have weight, and take up space

Energy – The capacity to do work

Because of the simplicity of each lesson all my children, regardless of age, can grasp the scientific facts with confidence and assurance.  However, there is enough information in each lesson for continued learning if you choose.  That is one of the reasons I like this curriculum.  It is easily adapted.  Another reason I like this curriculum is because of the authors statements in the introduction.

“The important thing to keep in mind is that God is at the center of everything – including the study of physics.”

Last week while learning about the lithium atom we made atomic cookies.  All you need are three protons, four neutrons, and three electrons.  Amazingly enough, cookie dough and M&M’s work wonderfully well! 

 

Andrew’s lithium adom model wasn’t edible but he still had fun making it.

You can purchase Christian Kids Explore Physics for $34.95 for their website.  To see what others are saying about Bright Ideas Press and their products click here.

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received the Christian Kids Explore Pysics in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

Tempus Fugit

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I have never met a person who at the end of their life said, “I sure wish I had not wasted my life by spending so much time with my family.”  Sadly, when I speak with people the antithesis is always voiced.  With regret in their voices I hear phrases like,

  • “I’ve spent my entire life focusing on my work.  Now that work is gone so is my family.” 
  • “I’ve neglected my wife and children all these years.”
  • “We never did make time for that family vacation.”
  • “I was always too busy to tell my parents just how much I loved them, now it’s too late.”
  • “Life was hectic.  I never took the time to stop and talk with my children.  Now they won’t talk to me.”

Tempus Fugit.  In Latin it means, time flies.  Oh, how true it is.  Just yesterday I was holding my beloved’s hand and saying, “I do and I will till death do us part.”  Now, nearly 18 years and three children later I ask myself, where has the time gone? It seems as though just yesterday I was holding my first born in my arms, singing sweet songs, and rocking him to sleep.  Now, 14 years later and towering at 6 feet tall, he could rock me.  Where did the time go?  Just yesterday I was opening that first box of homeschool books as we began our journey to home educate our children.  Now, the path is well worn and I’m looking back over years of discipleship with my children.  There are just a few years left.  Again, where has the time gone?  And I know in my heart that years from now I will be looking back at even this season in my life and asking the all too familiar question of where did the time go?

The Lord answers our question.  In Psalms we are told why time files so quickly.  “My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass,” Psalm 102:11.  Life is short.  Therefore, I should be as the Psalmist and “remember how short my time is,”(Psalm 89:47).  In the book of James we are reminded again just how short life is.  “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away, (James 4:14).

When my children were younger, I would teach them during science about the three stages of water – liquid, solid, and gas.  We would put a cup of water in the freezer so it could freeze then we would put a cup of water on the stove to watch it evaporate.  As we watched the steam rise one reoccurring thought was that it vanishes so quickly.  And while that is true, when steam (vapour) is channeled properly it can be put to great work.  Consider the steam engine.    Steam engines were the first widespread engine type to be used.  They were the foundation of the industrial revolution.  They powered all early locomotives, steam boats, and factories.  Even today we see that steam is one of the most widely used commodities for conveying heat energy.  Because water is plentiful and inexpensive, steam is efficient and economic to generate. 

Now consider this.  Our lives are but a vapor.  They appear for a little while and then vanish away.  Therefore, our lives can be wasted and allowed to drift aimlessly like a vapor in the air until they are gone or, if allowed to, they can be channeled properly by the Holy Spirit and accomplish great things for God while here on earth.  

So, in reply to tempus fugit I will say to the Lord as the Psalmist did to, “teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom,” Psalm 90:12.  In answer to the question of where time has gone, I will say that it’s gone to afternoons of walking hand in hand with my husband.  It’s gone to playing a board game with my children.  It’s gone to holding my children on my lap and reading story after story.  It’s gone to baking cookies with my daughter to take to a lonely widow.  It’s gone to hours and hours of teaching my children math, science, and history.  It’s gone to daily Bible instruction as we all learn together the ways of God more perfectly.  It’s gone to smiling, laughing, and giggling with my family.  It’s gone to singing old hymns around the piano.  And so much more.

But, time has also been given to days of sadness, frustration, anger, and worry.  Time has gone to fighting and an unforgiving heart.  Time has been wasted on frivolous actions that will never matter in eternity.  Time has been given over to selfishness more times than I care to count.  Time has been wasted.  Life is short and we cannot afford to waste our life.  Lord, help me to invest my life in those things that are eternal, like my relationship with You and with others.  Help me to apply my heart to wisdom and teach me to number my days.

Corps of Re-Discovery

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What do you get when you take two adventurous boys, some paint, knives, guns, flashlights, and industrious imaginations?  If you were here at our house you would get an ambush.  As I write this, my boys are laying in wait for their father to come home.  I am not sure what they will do with him when they catch him but nonetheless he will receive a surprise attack.

We encourage our children to be imaginative.  When my boys play together it fosters a healthy relationship between brothers.  It also builds into them a spirited desire to be men.  It is because when they play they are winning wars, saving princesses, fighting enemies, rescuing the helpless, doing mighty deeds, and becoming heroes.  In addition, allowing my children to have active imaginations makes it a lot easier in teaching history.  For example, when my boys pretend to be frontiersmen, the account of Lewis and Clark turns from boring historical facts into real, authentic stories lived out in their minds.   This is why I am excited about my discovery of The Corps of Re-Discovery. 

The Corps of Discovery was the name Thomas Jefferson gave to Lewis and Clark’s party as he commissioned them to find an east-west water passage to the Pacific Ocean over 200 years ago.  The Corps of Re-Discovery is the name of a home-based family business who wants to help inspire imaginations and create memories.  They offer project kits to enrich studies of American Indians, Frontiersmen and Pioneer Americans so children can “re-discover” America. 

I was given an opportunity to review one of their products, a frontiersmen coin pouch.  Unfortunately, I was only given one to review.  Therefore, we had to come up with a creative solution to “who gets the pouch.”  Aaron decided that if he could make it then Andrew could take it.  The kit was easy to understand and simple to complete, taking just a few minutes.  In fact, after starting it Aaron went ahead and let his younger brother finish it.  Priced at just $4.95 it was not only fun but economical. When a child makes his own toy from the past he easily becomes excited about this era of American History.

When you visit their website you will see that they have everything an American Indian needs from throwing tomahawks, to arrow kits, to moccasin kits.  Perhaps your children like to pretend to be pioneers or colonials.  They will enjoy a quill feather pen kit, a weaving loom, or a cornhusk doll kit.  In addition to the coin pouch, your frontiersmen might enjoy the powder horn or a coonskin hat.  However your children like to play they will find something they love at The Corps of Re-Discovery.   Below is a picture of Andrew and his new coin pouch.

  

Click here to see what others are saying about The Corps of Re-Discovery project kits.

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received the coin pouch free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

A Sure Foundation

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Did you ever sing as a child the song about the wise man and the foolish man?  I love that song.  “The wise man built his house upon the rocks and the rains came tumbling down…..”  While the song is catchy and fun to sing, there is more to it than that.  It teaches a profound truth of building upon a sure foundation.  For every believer that sure foundation is Jesus Christ and Him alone.  Many try to build their life upon sandy foundations.  But sadly, it is to their detriment.

When it comes to teaching my children, I must remember to build upon that same sure foundation.  That is one of the reasons I love homeschooling.  I am able to choose curriculum that builds upon Truth.  When I was given the opportunity to review a writing curriculum by Rebecca Celsor, from The Write Foundation, my curiosity was stirred.  

Rebecca began her career in the public school system teaching language arts.  After several years she took her experience and began to apply it to those students who she had the most vested interest in – her own children.  This was the beginning of her homeschooling journey with her three children.  Her journey continued as she began to teach other children creative writing in Christian co-op classes.  As she developed her own curriculum she realized that when it comes to writing, failure is almost always because the basics have NOT been learned.  The Write Foundation takes students back to the basics and lays the foundation needed for success. 

There are three levels in The Write Foundation curriculum.

Level One – Sentence to Paragraph Writing (ages 11-13)

Level Two – Paragraph Writing (ages 12-15)

Level Three – Essay Writing (ages 14-17)

I choose to review Level One with my children.  The goal of level one is for students to become well thought-out and organized writers.  Each lesson can be used for reluctant and average writers building confidence in them.  But it is also creative enough to be used for children who excel in writing.  Below is a description of Level One from their website.

  • Lesson plans formatted in an easy-to-follow system 
  • Reinforces the construction of a basic sentence 
  • Improves sentence structure with basic grammar and figures of speech 
  • Teaches the organizational process of  brainstorming, outlining, rough draft and editing. 
  • Quickly develops more interesting, informative sentences 
  • Steps to writing the basic paragraph 
  • Progress to writing two-paragraph papers 
  • Guidelines, checklists and correct structure 
  • Creative poetry writing 
  • 30 lessons with lesson plans for either a one- or two-year format

The entire Sentence to Paragraph Writing Curriculum for teacher and student includes a Spiral-bound Teacher Instruction Manuals with Lesson Plans, One set notebook-ready printed Worksheets (200 single-sided pages), One CD with additional resources.  The curriculum is $100.  The website does offer options for ordering the manuals, worksheets and CD individually as well. 

 I have modified this curriculum somewhat to fit our needs (isn’t that another beauty of homeschooling?) but overall we have all enjoyed the simple, easy to understand lessons.  We will continue to use this in our home throughout the semester.   

To learn more about The Write Foundation visit their website.  You can click here to see what others are saying about this product.

 

“He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock,” Luke 6:48.

 

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received The Write Foundation Level One free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

A Light in the Darkness

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 A couple of weeks ago we were having some car trouble. Our suburban was running rough. Since our suburban is paid for we are very careful to keep the maintenance up. Let me correct that statement. My husband is very careful to keep the maintenance up. This thing is old. With over 250 thousand miles on it we are convinced that it is held together by angel dust. (But don’t get me wrong, we’re thankful to have this paid for vehicle and we give God all glory.)

So back to a few weeks ago…Because the suburban was running rough Dana spent a day working on it. At first he thought it was bad gas we picked up in Arkansas but after giving it gas treatment and running most of it out he figured it must be something else. He then replaced several parts. Forgive me if I get these wrong but I think he replaced a fuel filter, some kind of cap, and then cleaned the spark plugs. He probably did some other stuff because it took him most of the day. But at the end of the day there was no improvement and he was rather frustrated.

We had cottage prayer meeting that night. (Do any of you know what that is? I learned a couple of years ago.) While there my husband was sharing with the men his car troubles. A few of them went to look at it and right away they figured out the problem. You see, it was dark outside. Therefore, it was very easy to spot the short in the spark plug wires. They could see the flash of light that only the darkness could expose. So, the next day Dana took the spark plug wires (that thankfully have a life-time warranty) and in a matter of minutes replaced them with new ones. The suburban was as good as new! Okay, as good as new as a truck of its caliber could be.

There is a deep spiritual truth here that I learned one week later. It was during our revival services. The preacher preached from Isaiah 50. “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” There are times in every Christian’s life of ordained darkness. These are times that we are walking with the Lord in obedience. We fear Him with a filial fear. Yet God in His perfect sovereignty chooses to conceal His light for a time. WHY? We ask. It is because there are some things that can only be learned in the dark! Think back to some of the darkest times in your life. Most believers will say looking back that those were times of unyielding spiritual growth. While the darkness is painful and hard, spiritually it can be the most profitable.

Perhaps you are going through that ordained darkness even now. You are in the will of God. You are serving Him. You are living in obedience. You fear Him in reverence but there is no light. What do you do? The scriptures say “let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” We LEARN to trust Him. We LEAN upon Him. We LEAVE it with Him. It is simple, just hard. The following verse also gives a warning to those during this time. “Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow,” (Isa 50:11). Often during these times we want to light our own fire and walk in it. After all, no Christian likes the dark times. But God warns us. Do not walk in your own light. Learn to trust Him. Lean upon Him and patiently leave it with Him.

I pray that if you are going through a dark time in your life that you will be blessed by God’s Words. Trust in Him, dear child. He loves you with an everlasting love!

The Cinderbubba Film

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Our family was recently invited to “star” in a movie!

Okay, maybe not star in it but we have been privileged to play a small role in the upcoming “Cinderbubba” film. The re-telling of a classic tale – Southern Style – is really the only way to describe “Cinderbubba”. It is Cinderella with a Christian twist and set in south Mississippi. It is written by our good friend Joseph Harris.  He is an author, minister, college professor, and magician.   If you are from the south or just a southerner at heart you will want to get a hold of his book. Susan Wolf at GCACEF (Gulf Coast Association of Christian Entertainers and Filmmakers) is producing the movie. It has been a pleasure getting to know her. 

We filmed all day on Saturday.

Jonathan, Matthew, and Aaron….Can you guess what these three have in common?

True Cowboys…Andrew and Joseph

Filming “fairy godbubba”  in the squash patch

Aaron helping out

Andrew is “hanging out” waiting on his moment to shine.

Lunch Break!

Prince Charming Farmer King’s son with all his gals!

The Cowboy Scene

“Annabelle Gilliams” on stage

“Flora Mae” and “Maize Belle”

“Cowlick” and his purty rooster

“Cinderbubba”

After a long day of filming we headed to CiCi’s for some tasty pizza and good fellowship.

Student Planners

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Moms, how are you coming on your organizational skills this year? 

I’m going to admit right now that I have not always been the most organized person.  But over the years and with much prodding from my dear husband, I have become much more organized in all that I do (from running the house, to my writing, to teaching the children and everything in between).

So this year I started off with great expectations.  At the beginning of the school year I had everything scheduled and organized.  Of course, I must give credit where credit is due and The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner sure has helped in this area.  So I’m off to a good start.  Now comes the challenge of imparting to my children the same organizational skills.  After all, it is important for children to be structured.  It’s important for them to have order.  And as they get older it is even more important that they learn the self discipline it takes to keep them organized.

There are two things I have learned to help my own children with these skills.  First, I have to emulate the behavior for them.  After all, when it comes to children, more is caught than taught.   Secondly, I must provide for them good resources and tools to use.  For example, if I want to teach my children to be early risers then I myself must be an early riser.  Secondly, I should invest in an alarm clock for them (giving them the proper tool). 

To teach my children to be organized I first must be.  Then I need to give them the proper tools or resources.  This is where the Schoolhouse Student Planner comes in.  I received the Middle School (7-8 grade) planner from TOS in exchange for an honest review.  It is 278 pages of informative articles, helpful calendars, valuable forms, and so much more.  In fact, there really is too much to list but below are a few examples.

  • To-do lists (today, tomorrow, next week . . .)
  • Audio/Visual log
  • Log sheet
  • Marking period planners
  • Wish list (stuff to buy later)
  • Science lab sheets (use to gather all the supplies and record the experiment too)
  • General book reports
  • Early elementary book reports (with room for pictures!)
  • Chore charts (includes tasks and pictures for primary and secondary grades)
  • Loaned and borrowed lists (no more lost books, CDs, DVDs . . .)
  • Important phone numbers and contacts (never forget a phone number again)
  • Address book (from A–Z)
  • Family tree
  • Community service record (college and scholarship applications may require this information)
  • Dates to remember (birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, important events)
  • Website login/password reference (handy!)

In addition, there are those much-needed, must-know lists for those hard to remember facts and figures:

  • Thirteen colonies
  • Multiplication table
  • Branches of government
  • Planets
  • Measurement conversions
  • Elements
  • Capitals of states or countries
  • Timelines
  • Kitchen and measurement conversions
  • And more!

The student planners complement the Schoolhouse Planners in a very nice way but can also stand alone.   At just $19 they are affordable as well.   I must say that our family is well on our way to having a smooth, well-run household and a very productive year!   Visit the store to learn more information.

Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. (Psa 25:4)

 

Faith! Living Out the Word book give-a-way

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You could summarize the book of James in one word, “FAITH”.  Just what does it mean to have faith?  Every day you demonstrate great faith.  Even now, wherever you are sitting you have placed faith in your chair to hold you up.  Chances are you sat down without a bit of fear or worry that you would be held up.  You are relaxed and confident in the ability of your seat.  We demonstrate faith when we ride in an elevator, when we get in a car, when we fly in a plane.  We demonstrate faith in our doctors and the medicines they give us.  We even demonstrate faith in our own bodies when we first place our feet on the floor each morning to take a walk.  We demonstrate faith in restaurants when we eat food someone else has prepared. We demonstrate faith in our husbands, in our children, in our friends and family. If you pay attention you will find yourself demonstrating great faith throughout any given day.  Faith means to believe in something or to have trust.  But, what does it mean to have faith in God?  Is it enough to just say, “I believe in God.”?  No, for we learn in the book of James that even the devils believe and they tremble.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  And in verse six it tells us that, “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  Jesus spoke of faith often.  He spoke of those with little faith and those who had great faith.  He said that it was because of their faith that many were healed, that they were made whole, and that they were saved.  Faith moves mountains.  In the book of James we will learn that faith endures trials, faith understands temptations, faith gives us wisdom to pass the tests given, faith obeys the Word, faith produces doers, faith harbors no prejudice, faith displays itself in works, faith controls the tongue, faith acts wisely and faith gives us the ability to resist the devil and draw nigh to God.  

So, what exactly is faith?  My husband often gives a very simple and easy definition of what faith is.  It is simply having confidence in the trustworthiness of God.   In other words, faith is having complete assurance that God will do what He says He will do.  So the only way to build our faith is to know God and His Word.  It is through His Word that we learn of His trustworthiness and through His Spirit working in our lives that our confidence is built. 

So pull out your Bible and dive into the precious Word, verse by verse and line by line.  There is no better way to know Him and by doing so your faith will be strengthened more and more. 

I will choose a winner (US Resident only) and mail out Living Out the Word, Faith.  A verse by verse study for women through James on Monday, November 8th.   You can take a look inside the book here at Amazon.com.

Mandatory to Enter: Leave a comment with your favorite verse from James. 

Additional entries:  TOS Crew members, Subscribe to this blog (rss or email), spread the word about this giveaway (blog, facebook, emails, etc) and leave link in comments.

Encouragement

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There is something about a good story that makes spiritual truths more comprehensible. When a story touches our heart the impact of its validity is long lasting. Christ, himself, taught in parables. Think about the principle behind the golden rule. What story comes to mind? Perhaps it is that of the Good Samaritan. It is because we relate to stories. Stories inspire us. They encourage us.

I was given the opportunity to review The One Year Book of Encouragement through Tyndale House Publishers. The book, written by Harold Myra, is broken into 365 days. It is filled with stories from various Christian men and women throughout history. Written in an easy to read format, the stories are short and conclude with a prayer and Scripture verse. This offers an appeal for busy readers. The stories are full of inspiration and share insight from men like John Wesley, Oswald Chambers, Billy Graham, Martin Luther and many more.

I am not personally one to read devotionals. I have always believed that the best source for wisdom and inspiration is the Bible itself. I still and always will stand on that statement. And while this book should never be used to replace the study of God’s Word it could be a nice supplement. It is encouraging, being true to its name. So, for a story book I would recommend it. For a devotional, pick up your Bible. You’ll never go wrong there.

Disclosure: I was given The One Year Book of Encouragement from Tyndale House in exchange for an honest product review.

Teaching the Word of God

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Nothing is more calming to my soul than picking up God’s Word and reading from the Psalms.  Perhaps it is because there is such transparency with the Psalmists.  As we read, we get a glimpse of heartache, troubles, sorrows, fear, worry and doubt.  But, in contrast we also see complete faith, hope, love, joy, and delight.  My heart is pointed to my Creator, Rock, Salvation, Strong Tower, Deliverer, Refuge, Preserver, Shield and Strength every time I read the Word of God.  My mind is transformed by the power of His Words, and I am strengthened through them.

I believe that giving my children a love for the Word of God is one of the most wonderful gifts I could ever give them.  We encourage Bible memorization within the family, their father and I read the Bible to them and we persuade each of them to read on their own as well.  Dana is currently teaching Bible Catechisms each morning after breakfast to the children. 

We use the Bible in all of their studies.  It is the most precious book we have.  It is the inerrant (incapable of mistakes), inspired (God breathed), all sufficient (completely adequate), Word of God.  In other words, the Bible is all we need and we cannot know it or study it enough.

Recently I was given a pre-inductive study of the Psalms, Young Hearts Longing For God, from Soli Deo Gloria Resources.  It is a 30 lesson workbook geared for children in 4th through 8th grade.  Each lesson takes the student through one Psalm per week.  It encourages daily reading of the Psalm creating repetition (which helps in memorization).  The student is given questions to answer as well as thoughts and prompts for journal writing.  The workbook is $16.00 or you can download immediately an ebook for $14.50 from their website.  (When you go to the site be sure and check out the free resources available.)

Abigail, my 6th grade daughter has been going through the study and has enjoyed it very much.  The only fault I found was that it was only available in NIV.  Since we are a KJV only family I had to print off the psalms myself in King James.  This was not too much of a problem in that I simply put the KJV pages in her notebook.

Soli Deo Gloria (Latin for To God Alone the Glory) has many resources and their goal is to assist the parents in teaching for God’s glory alone.  Below is an excerpt from their website.

 Why do we educate our children?

  • If we educate our children so that they will be intelligent and successful – we may be seeking THEIR glory.
  • If we educate our children so that they will impress our family, friends and neighbors – we may be seeing OUR OWN glory.
  • If we educate our children so that they can pour forth facts and figures accurately – we may be seeking the glory of KNOWLEDGE (and knowledge puffs up).
  • But if we educate our children so that they have a big view of God, are aware of their individuals giftings and seek to use them for the advancement of God’s Kingdom around the world and in eternity – then we are seeking GOD’S glory.

                                            

I must say that is a wonderful reason to educate our children!   Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth. (Psa 57:11)

To learn what others are saying about Young Hearts Longing for God click here.

 

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received Young Hearts Longing for God free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.