I have a complimentary ticket to Heart of the Matter Online Homeschool Refresher Conference on February 22-25, 2010.
Are your feet dragging? Do you need a little pick-me-up? Winter is wrapping up and we are anxious for spring — for green, for sunshine, for life, for a little oomph in our homeschool day. It’s easy to get bogged down and for things to turn hum-drum.
A Woman Inspired and Heart of the Matter Online are excited to bring you a Homeschool Refresher conference that is sure to give you a boost. This conference will feature some speakers chosen specifically for their ability to revive, rejuvenate, and renew the hearts and minds of their audience. You are sure to walk away motivated and inspired to achieve great things! To be entered to win the tickets, just comment on this blog post and tell me your favorite part about homeschooling in the Spring. We will choose a winner on Sunday!. Good luck!
Listen. Learn. Discern. Get guidance. Sounds great! Now if we could just teach our children to have a quiet time and devotional with the word of God, they could listen, learn, discern, and get guidance too!
Proverbs 1:5
Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.
Sometimes kids will gobble it up, and love reading the Word. Other times… not so much. Same kid, just different stages. It doesn’t mean they have made a long term commitment to fighting you on devotions. In general it just means their brain is focused on other things.
There are two things that can help you train a child to have devotions. First, demonstrate a devotional lifestyle, but having a quiet time yourself. Show your children that real adults really read their Bible on a day-to-day basis, and that will become normal behavior for them.
We read it together, and discussed the scriptures we read. I called it “cozy couch time” because I wanted it to be a warm, friendly, non-schoolish environment. My goal was for them to love scripture. Like teaching them to love reading, I thought the best way would be to get cozy with the book.
Later in high school, I bought them each their own devotional. Rather than commentaries, I really liked The One Year Bible NIV
Each day it provides a section from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. It was a good fit for me, because sometimes I get bogged down in some sections (Lamentations and Revelation come to mind…..) and having a mix of Old, New, and Wisdom books really helped me have something each day that would spark my interest and keep me excited about devotions.
The words “teenage” and “rebellion” may seem like they go hand in hand, but it hasn’t always been that way. In the past, getting older meant a child was becoming an adult. Look at their behavior that you call “rebellion” and ask yourself some questions. Is this behavior really my child simply becoming an adult? Because sometimes what we label as rebellion may simply be the child making a decision for themselves.
One thing that may help (MAY help, mind you!) is to think about the choices that other adults make. If your child makes a decision that you don’t agree with, but it’s a decision that other adults make all the time, maybe it isn’t rebellion at all! Maybe it is simply your child becoming an adult! For example, their choice in clothing, or how they style their hair. Their choices may not be your choices. But are those choices OK? If another adult made that choice, would be really be upset or confused? Because if not, perhaps it’s an OK choice for your child to make.
Here is a picture of one of my children’s favorite “rebellions” – facial hair!
Some parents allow their children many choices in their homeschool. Instead of telling them when each thing must be done, they just tell them WHAT things must be done. “Finish these ten things before 5:00″ for example – leaving them to decide when they want to do each item. Some children would prefer to get up at 5:00 and be done by noon! Is that wrong? Or just a choice they make? What if it’s on the other side? What if they get up at noon, and don’t finish their schoolwork until 5:00? IS that wrong, or just a choice?
Frankly, in my home, I truly did make them finish their work by 4:00. I know that it MAY have been a fine choice for them to make, but it didn’t work well with our family. I needed my husband to “play the heavy” in some areas, so they had to be done before he got home, in order for him to work his magic and make sure it was all done each day. We had sports in the afternoons, and I really don’t do well after dinner. Having them turn in assignments during my own times of fatigue would have been horrendous! So make sure that you decide what works for you family, more than anything!
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Those of you who follow along on my blog have seen photos of our “Pemberly Ball.” My son is Presidents of the Pemberly Society – the Jane Austen Club at Seattle Pacific University. He organized a Regency Era Ball this month. Since posting about the ball, many people have written to me asking where the girls got their lovely gowns. Being the mother of boys, I must say that I don’t have a clue! But I do know where to find the answers – the Vice Chair of the Pemberly Society. Sandra gave us some suggestions earlier about where to BUY these gowns, but recently she shared with me how to MAKE the gowns. So if you are itching to do some Home Economics, let me share what Sandra gave me:
The best online resource I’ve found for making dresses is Jessamyn’s Regency Costume Companion at http://www.songsmyth.com/costumerscompanion.html . From there you can find links to everything you would need including patterns and textiles. The best shop in the Puget Sound area to go for supplies is Nancy’s Sewing Basket in Queen Anne. One of the ladies who works there is the official costumer for the Jane Austen Society of Puget Sound, and she not only has some of the best dress patterns for Regency gowns, but she also carries the kind of Indian muslin fabric popular during that era (this is different from the modern fabric known as muslin. It’s much more sheer).
Although don’t know much about gowns and sewing muslin, I do know a LOT about Facebook. When I saw the “Austenbook” version of Facebook, I knew I had to share it with you. If you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice, this is the Cliff’s notes version in Facebook. Hilarious!
Here is on the Pemberly Ball, here they are for your convenience. Just think of this as a unit study of Jane Austen. You have history, literature, home economics (with includes math, of course). Have fun!
If you are considering a “Pemberly Ball” for your own homeschool literary studies, you might be interested in how to find the costumes! Here is the email from my son’s Pemberly Society Vice-President, describing the process.
Have fun!
Hello everyone,
Although costumes for the Pemberley ball are not required, I’m sure some of you would like to come in one anyway and are wondering how to put one together on a student’s budget. As someone who has bought, constructed, and altered several Regency costumes before (five ladies’ gowns, and two gentlemen’s including our illustrious president, to be precise), I’d like to give you some tips for putting together a fabulous look without using up your life savings.
For the ladies, really all you need is the gown. That’s all anyone will see. A basic starting point for that can be found courtesy of the Jane Austen Centre here. If you want to buy your own, my best suggestion to you is to look on E-bay. One particularly reasonable vendor is Wendy’s Doll closet: most dresses run between $40-80. They ship very quickly, usually within a week, and are of excellent quality even though the pictures online are not particularly impressive. The only drawback is that are completely unadorned, but all they really need is a sash, which you don’t even have to sew on, and that only costs a few dollars for ribbon. If you’re more ambitious you can also add beading and trim to suit your fancy. The Jane Austen Centre also has a good guide for hairdos here. Really, all you have to do is put your hair up in a bun. If you want to leave out your bangs, be sure to part them down the center if you really want to be period-correct.
For you gentlemen, there are two really good guides for MacGuyver-ing a look together from secondhand items. They can be found here and here. There are also good instructions for tying a cravat here. Do this so that you will not face the scorn of Sir Percy Blakney, the Scarlet Pimpernel, “Odd’s Fish, m’dear! The man can’t even tie his own cravat!” Remember that most tasteful cravats in Jane Austen’s time were white.For those of you looking for a tailcoat and a waistcoat, I got tailcoats for two of my gentlemen friends from an E-bay vendor called Monkeysuits. In both cases I was able to get them used tailcoats in their exact sizes and in excellent condition for only $20, and waistcoats run about $10, and recieved both items within three days of ordering them. For the waistcoats, the higher they button, the more period-correct they will look. One last word about tailcoats: darker colors were more fashionable for that time period, so given the choice between black or gray, the two most common colors you can find, go with the black. For pants, long pants will work in a pinch, but if you want to go for knee breeches, a good trick is to get a pair of women’s capris or petal-pushers as long as they’re relatively plain and not denim. Then you just stick a pair of white knee socks with them, and you’re done.
Well, that’s about it. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop me a line.
Take care and God bless,
Sandra
Vice-President
The Pemberley Society
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Have you ever considered the “down side” of a literature based education? What happens if you end up with children who truly LOVE quality literature? What will happen if they grow up and crave Austen, Steinbeck, Dickens, and more? We have been dealing with the problem of literature-love in our own family. The evidence is clear to everyone!
My son Alex LOVES all literature, but especially Jane Austen. We believe he may have been born in the wrong century. When he got to college, the first thing he did was develop a Jane Austen Club on campus. The “Pemberly Society” has an annual ball. Many who attend dress in time-period costume. They serve food from the era of Jane Austen, and decorate in period decor. They have English Country dance music, with a caller, just like in the Austen movies. In the hallway, Alex and his club arranged to have demonstration boards representing different aspects of the time period. They explained the food, the clothing, and the gender rolls of the Austen time period. It was a fabulous event!
See what can happen when your kids grow up to love literature? Look out!
Alex introduced the students who helped him organize the event.
Matt and I were only taking tickets, so I am not in “period dress.”
A gaggle of Austen-ites.
So how did they learn all those fine manners? Read about it here!Also, check out our favorite literature-based curriculum: Sonlight.
Teenagers are hard. They can often be unmotivated, self-centered, messy, and tired. As a nurse, I know that some of that is because of their age. Did you know that the average teen needs 8-10 hours of sleep each night? And yet they tend to be completely resistant to sleep.
There’s a problem in those two facts!
But as much trouble as they are, having them at home can be a huge help. At home they can get the sleep they need while at the same time attend school regularly. If they were in public school, what time would they need to get up to meet the school bus? And what time would they finally finish their homework? So yes, homeschooling can help even with the most basic needs of teenagers.
Being unmotivated is a major issue that ALL parents of teenagers face from time to time. If your child was in school, their lack of motivation and self-centeredness might not be any different that it is now. The major difference would be that while homeschooling, they have YOU. They have a parent, a loving adult, to shape and mold their behavior in the midst of their teenage issues. They get feedback from a parent who encourages them to not be self-centered, who expresses concern about motivation. What you don’t want is for the child to be surrounded by other children who feel the same way, and reinforce bad habits and behavior. Imagine how it would be if they had no one to lovingly encourage them and become mature.
I guess I have focused too much on the differences between public and homeschool in the contrasts here. I apologize, because I really do try to avoid comparisons between school situations. But teenagers are hard, and it might not be any better under any other circumstances. In fact, homeschooling may be the best possible situation to handle these issues.
Best of luck with your teens! Be strong, be patient. Remember your five-year plan; strive to be a loving family in the end, when they are adults!
Just remember in the midst of conflict that “this too shall pass.” Oftentime something miraculous happens when they turn 20. Hang on! You will make it!
A client called for a consultation, asking me about scholarships, and taking a “Gap Year” before college. After we spoke, I emailed her some additional resources. Maybe it will be a perfect fit for your family too! Here is the reading and resource materials for you to enjoy.
Gap year definition: Taking a year off is becoming more common, viewed more favorably, seen as benefit by some. Students are still considered freshman unless they take a college course of any kind. Some colleges defer enrollment, which means the student is accepted and then waits a year to actually attend. Other schools do not defer enrollment.
“Princeton’s president, Shirley Tilghman, said in an interview that such a program would give students a more international perspective, add to their maturity and give them a break from academic pressures.”
Our professor friend invited us to a lecture on economics at a downtown Seattle public policy Think Tank. He said that Alex would love the lecture given by one of the architects of Reagonomics. “I don’t know why I never thought of it before, but Alex would just love Discovery Institute. I guess I just didn’t think of it until I saw the lecture on economics.” My husband took Alex to the event, and we didn’t know what to expect. When he came home, the first thing he said was, “They offered Alex a job!”
Apparently, Alex was enraptured during the lecture, and when it was time for questions he spoke right up. He asked something about how Reagonomics was derived from the teachings of Jean Baptiste Say, or something like that. The President of the company was so impressed with just the question that Alex asked, that he invited him to come and work as an intern there. Shocked, my husband informed him, “He’s only fourteen!” The President responded, “We don’t discriminate based on age.”
I wondered what this organization was all about. Alex informed me that a lobbyist tries to influence public policy by convincing politicians. A think tank tries to influence public policy by convincing the public. They publish books and write articles for magazines and newspapers, to influence public opinion. I asked my husband what sort of crowd is attracted to a lecture at a “think tank” and he replied that he and his son were the youngest two people in the crowd. My husband is a professional engineer, and a manager at Boeing, but he told me he felt like the “least smart” person in the room!
For the last month of summer, we worked to prepare Alex for his new job. I was completely unprepared for putting my 14year old into the work force. We had to buy him a cell phone, and professional attire. He started working in September, his first week of 9th grade. At first they had him doing office work: filing, mailing, checking the website, and answering the phone. Later they gave him writing assignments. After working there for just 6 months, he had his article on Social Security published in the Seattle newspaper.
Alex worked for one day a week in an office building in downtown Seattle. He wore a suit, carried a brief case, and was treated like a peer by the other employees. It would have been completely impossible for him to have that experience if we had not homeschooled. Public schools simply don’t let students “skip school” every Wednesday, you know? Instead of sitting behind a desk, he was doing real work. And homeschooling gave us the freedom to do it!
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I’m thankful that my kids go to a Christian College. I loved hearing about their stories from Seattle Pacific University!
I love the Christian College “Roomies” tradition. My son Alex has gone on group dates with his floor – they call these events “Roomies” and it’s sort of like a dance, only no dancing and no dating. One “Roomies” they went ice skating, then to “Bubble Tea” and then to see the city lights from the local park. The second Roomies they bought a White Elephant Gift (Tillamook Yogurt and Cabbage – don’t ask!) and then they made gingerbread houses as a group, and exchanged gifts. I love hearing about good, clean fun.
I love the Christian College “No Shave November” tradition. Because college age men notoriously “forget” to shave, they decided to just call it a holiday on campus. For the entire month of November, many of the men simply don’t even intend to shave at all. My sons came home unusually hairy, and I found it hilarious! I love it that their rebellion has caused facial hair, rather than something horrendous. They recently confessed that next month is called “Decembeard” and the month after that is “Januhairy.” I may be doomed to a life with hairy sons. Here is a photo of Kevin and Alex and their pet beards (aren’t they adorably handsome?)
I love the Christian College giving Thanksgiving homework. The “Thanksgiving Extra Credit Assignment” was to “Be thankful in all that you do.” In addition, they could either bring a gift or homemade dish to the Thanksgiving meal, or they could perform a chore for the hostess of the meal – like wash ALL the dishes. In order to receive credit, they must send a photo of them smiling while doing the chore, and bring a note from the hostess expressing their thanks for the task. If a student wasn’t going to someone’s home for Thanksgiving, they had the option of serving at a food bank. Kevin was strangely happy to wash the dishes. His apartment doesn’t have a dishwasher. For him, just having the plates and glasses and silverware washed in the dishwasher was a huge treat. Here is a photo of Kevin washing the dishes from Thanksgiving.
It is wonderful to see our children thriving in college and loving the Lord! We are so thankful and so blessed!
What are you thankful for? Please let us know. We’d love to share your joy!
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