Just to remind everyone that my Homeschool Superheroes Week interview will be broadcast tomorrow at 3-6 PM Eastern Time. It is NOT a 3 hour interview, that is just the time that it will be available to listen to for free! My topic is “Strategies for Homeschool Success.”
Sign up now and you will be sent log-in instructions via email. Listening to all the interviews is free during the times noted. After the free peiriod they will be available for sale, so definitely listen while they are free.
I am considering continuing with Abeka and Apologia for science for my high schooler. Do you think this curriculum is strong enough to prepare him for college? Thank you for your opinion
~ Theresa on Facebook
Theresa,
I recommend that you keep using whatever has worked for you in the past. Kids will learn more when they understand what is being taught then they will if the curriculum is “perfect” but makes no sense to them. So if those things are working, keep using them.
On the other hand, I think Apologia science is the BEST college prep science because it prepared my engineering son AND my non-science kid well enough to ace college science. I can’t speak highly enough about Apologia. I even recommend it to my non-Christian clients, because I think the science is SO strong
Oops. I got distracted. I was having my morning quiet time, when suddenly the dog needed to go out. There are some things that just can’t wait. But 15 minutes later I realize I’m sitting in front of Facebook, and I never finished my quiet time. I know many of you can relate. Ironically, I was reading this passage in Mark;
Mark 14:37-41
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.
Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Apparently Jesus’ disciples also fell into temptation, became lazy, and didn’t do what was expected. It happens to me fairly often, even though I’m a hard-working person with good intentions and follow-through. Nobody would accuse me of being inattentive. When I look back on my day, and can see what I have accomplished, I rarely make a note of the 10 minutes wasted here or there. Or the hour spent “relaxing” before I do anything truly productive.
Does that ever happen to you? I know some parents get distracted by facebook, twitter, farmville, homeschool catalogs, crafts, novels, recipes, yardwork….. What distracts you? Do you get distracted even though you know you should be doing something else?
OK, now let’s take a step back. Does that distraction ever happen in one of your children? Is your child the “Peter” that can’t pay attention to Jesus even for a single hour?
All have sinned and fallen short at times. When your child is distracted and doesn’t work hard at their math assignment, or forgets to complete an essay, or daydreams during their studying, they are NOT alone. It doesn’t mean they are bad children who shouldn’t be homeschooling and would function better in a school setting. It doesn’t mean they have character issues any more than you and I have character issues. It simply means they need help focusing. Our job is to help them focus, and teach them how to recognize when they are being distracted so we can help them find strategies to get focus again. And yet we shouldn’t expect them to be MORE focused than we are. Yes, school is important and they should focus 100% of the time, but our job at home is ALSO important and WE should focus 100% of the time. But we fail. So do our kids. Give them a break, just as you give yourself a break. They aren’t bad, lazy, incapable, failing students – they are human. Keep trying. That’s what adults do; we keep trying. So keep trying with your teens.
“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” is such a familiar hymn. Here is a Youtube playing the version by David Crowder Band
But have you listened to the words? What in the world is an Ebenezer???? I’m afraid I missed that lesson in Sunday School. Completely stuck, I resorted to the one way I knew to find the answer; Google.
I found out the word comes from the scripture in 1 Samuel 7:12
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.”
An Ebenezer is a “stone of help,” or a reminder of God’s very real help. An Ebenezer can be nearly anything that reminds us of God’s presence and help.
This reminds me of a few things:
The Bible is a great book of literature that can be studied in depth for wonderful content. Even public schools may have classes on “Bible asLiterature”
Research skills are important, and the easiest way to research things like this is to do a quick online search, “What is an Ebenezer?” Teaching computer skills matters.
God can help us with anything. Where do you get your help from? What do you look at and say, “You know, so far it hasn’t been so bad! God has helped us so far, so maybe he’ll keep helping us!” That’s YOUR Ebenezer.
It may sound a bit funky to us in the 21st century, but Ebenezer would be a cool name for a child, wouldn’t it? How great to name your child a reminder of God’s help.
The doctors on the show recommended the book as a common sense way to eat healthy food inexpensively. I just thought Clara was adorable! She also had a video filled with more recipes and her stories from the depression. Check it out! Great Depression Cooking with Clara.
Read to what others are saying about The HomeScholar Gold Care Club!
Another Christmas morning and here I sit again at my PC waiting for the kids to get up. The fact that they are 22 and 20 does not change anything on Christmas morning. In my mind they are still 6 and 4 and probably haven’t slept much all night with the excitement. This year there are no big sleds or bicycles under the tree – their tastes now are for smaller/electronic toys and (miracle of miracles – clothes). It will, no doubt, be a wonderful morning with my parents stopping by for brunch and to open presents once again.
Once again…. How many more of these Christmas mornings will we have. Kevin is engaged to the lively and lovely Liz and Alex is quite “involved” with the delightful Cara. Both are graduating in June and then will be off to the races. Try as I might, I can’t deny that this will be the last Christmas morning where they will emerge (eventually) from their beds and come and look at what Santa has brought.
My mom and dad are also aging (who knew that would happen….) How many more Christmas mornings will we have to share Eggs Benedict, laughter and stories. God only knows the answer. All I know is that life is amazing and passes amazingly fast. Do not fail to grasp and appreciate the one-of-a-kind wonder of EACH Christmas morning. Your kids will grow and (if you are as lucky as us) go off to school and start on a life of their own. They will always in some way be your babies, but they won’t be kids anymore.
So today, slow down…Don’t rush through the gifts, the breakfast, the visits, the laughter. Soak it in and enjoy. Take lots of photos and give lots of hugs. You can’t slow time, but you can make certain moments timeless.
We had such an AMAZING response to our blog contest. As you might recall, our contest question was:
“How will creating an AMAZING transcript
help my child achieve their dreams?”
We had over 60 responses and they ranged from over-the-top creative to matter-of-fact statements. All were heartfelt and sincere. After much deliberation (and some debate) we are giving the prize to Morgan! Her entry was a heartfelt request for a Christmas present for her mother, Ellen. Morgan wins the 4-Step Total Transcript Solution. Here is what Morgan wrote:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Binz:
My desire is to have a career that not only meets my needs, but also the needs of others. Because my future success is based on my education, attending college is important to me. I feel that God is calling me to make a difference by pursuing my dream of becoming a pediatrician. A well-written transcript will be a determining factor of whether or not I can achieve my goal. This being the first time that my mom has ever sent a child to college, I am sure this tool would be just what she needs to make what may seem like a daunting task a positive experience. (I would like to give her this for Christmas.)
Morgan (submitted through my mother’s e-mail with my dad’s help)
Congratulations to Morgan and her mother Ellen, and a HEARTY thank you to ALL who participated. It was a ton of FUN!!!
Launch is tomorrow!!! Also, now is your last chance to sign up for our free webinar called “Credits and Grades and Transcripts, Oh My!!” Register here. Plus, be ready at 12:00 Noon Pacific Time tomorrow for our launch and your chance to win our early responder bonuses! Read more here!
Shopping on Amazon.com today? Two of my videos are available through Amazon now, so you can add that to your shopping cart right next to your Wii Fit and Watches!
The first video, Preparing to Homeschool High School, will help parents who are just beginning to homeschool high school. It’s most helpful for beginners, or parents who feel unsure and really want some encouragement.
Can I ask a favor? If you have previously purchased these products, would you be willing to stop by Amazon and write a review please? I would love some positive feedback for others to see! Thanks so much!
Enter our Total Transcript Solution Giveaway by posting a comment on last Monday’s blog post.
“Doing” homeschool is more important than “planning” homeschool.
I’m a bit of a planner by nature. I *love* to plan. Implementing…. not so much. But it’s the real DOING of homeschooling that is the crucial part. You can plan all day long, but if you don’t actually do the work, it won’t matter. It reminds me of the Parable of the Two Sons.
Matthew 21:28-32
The Parable of the Two Sons
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
” ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
There are some homeschoolers who feel called by God to homeschool, and are dragged kicking and screaming into this lifestyle screaming like the first son, “Noooooooo!!!” If they do the work of homeschooling, they will be successful.
Other parents are called to homeschooling and respond by saying, “Sure! No problem!” They may plan and plan, purchase curriculum, and pay for supplemental experiences. But if they get too distracted by their busy lives, and don’t actually do the work of homeschooling, then they aren’t really doing what the Father wanted them to do. If you plan and plan, but then never actually do, then you have missed the mark.
Doing is more important than planning. It’s not easier and it’s not more fun – at least not for me! But it’s absolutely the most important part.
Remember, if you feel overwhelmed with the “doing” part, you may be attempting too much.
If you enjoy this blog, please take a moment and nominate me for a 2009 Homeschool Blog Award. That would be really great! Thanks.
Someone asked me this week for some tips for beginners. “What will help?” is such a broad question! Here are my suggestions.
First, you can work together with your kids, either by grouping them together in close age groups, or by studying the same content but at different levels. In other words, you can use Sonlight Curriculum and group them together, younger kids doing world history for elementary school, and older kids doing world history for junior high and high school. Although some curricula say they are multi-age, there are no LAWS about age and curriculum, so really ANY curricula is multi-age. The only things you really need to keep separate are:
math
spelling, vocabulary, etc.
expectations.
You can give your kids the same assignment and expect your older child to produce a 1 page paper, your elementary student a paragraph, and your youngest may copy a sentence about the topic. See how that works?
My second tip is my most favorite. I love to recommend the book “Managers of Their Homes” by Teri Maxwell. It made a HUGE difference in my life and homeschool. In fact, that book is the reason why I have been (mostly) consistent with my quiet time, because she really focuses on putting God first and everything else will fall into place. She is not as academic as I am, but I found that to be a nice balance, because I tend to do too much at time.
Finally, for beginners I often recommend Sonlight curriculum. Check it out, and see if it would be a good fit for your children. Because it comes with a nice schedule, it’s perfect for beginners who don’t have a real sense of “how much and how”. The easiest starting place might be Sonlight Core 100.
Have fun learning how to love learning!
Check out my profile on The Old Schoolhouse’s Speakers Bureau, and then ask you conference coordinator to invite me to come speak to your conference in 2010!
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Christianbook.com Curriculum Page
