tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226190381614964322024-03-12T21:45:40.840-07:00Colleen's QuestWelcome to my world! Where I love my husband, 2 kids, homemaking and homeschooling, church and Jesus!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-86368212065100530322016-06-30T08:09:00.002-07:002016-06-30T08:09:51.941-07:00The Homeschool Hike: Grand Canyon EditionThe Grand Canyon looms large on many a bucket-list. We’ve scratched it off now, but felt like we almost <i>kicked </i>the bucket while doing it!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lf6zSvpc04o/V3Uy3cNRzYI/AAAAAAAAAMk/W56ewTfWfTcb2nlIo4bk4WXtrwDLVYgeQCK4B/s1600/P1010911%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lf6zSvpc04o/V3Uy3cNRzYI/AAAAAAAAAMk/W56ewTfWfTcb2nlIo4bk4WXtrwDLVYgeQCK4B/s200/P1010911%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grand Canyon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As a family, we like to travel and our flexible homeschool schedule (and a generous mother-in-law) has helped us take many adventures. We have stood atop the Great Wall in China, climbed the gazillion stairs at St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Vatican, and dipped our toes in Israel’s Jordan River. Each trip has had its challenges -- new types of adventures or language barriers -- but I knew right up-front that this newest one was going to be perhaps the most difficult of all. My husband the Eagle Scout spewed optimism; I had my doubts.<br />
<br />
Our homeschool journey started pretty much the same way. My husband heard about it, thought it was a great idea, and never wavered. I read <i>The How and Why of Homeschooling</i> by Ray E. Ballmann, whole-heartedly agreeing with the “why” but overwhelmed by the “how.” I resisted. But, at Holly’s private-school kindergarten interview, God stabbed me in the heart with His plan and I gave in.<br />
<br />
We left the Grand Canyon decision to the National Park system. I had read that 30,000 people apply annually for the mandatory back-country camping permit and only one-third gets in. I was pretty sure we wouldn’t get in. But, the park called my bluff, giving us an immediate acceptance. We went into over-drive trying to figure out all we needed to do to get ready in a short amount of time. A lot hinged on weather conditions which were surprisingly unpredictable. Before this, I always thought “desert” would be easy -- dry and hot. I learned a life lesson. I made sure the kids had both snow pants and swimsuits; we purchased hiking sticks and searched for the lightest tent, a lantern, and butane stoves. My husband researched and we came up with our itinerary. We flew out the last week of April.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jeYK9kx6Y4o/V3UwZKXYKlI/AAAAAAAAALo/mD0HECtLWKEw9tBSWPnMwTiC6duZpe71wCK4B/s1600/P1010978%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a>Once we decided to homeschool, I did a lot of research. My daughter was attending kindergarten while I read <i>The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling</i> by Debra Bell and <i>Homeschooling: A Patchwork of Days</i> by Nancy Lande. Knowing how my daughter was enjoying school, we started on a public relations drive as well. We pulled Holly out at Christmas time and, thankfully, the school gave us all her leftover <i>A Beka</i> curriculum which turned out to be the perfect starting point for us.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I382i9vP8ic/V3Uv_SxEAzI/AAAAAAAAALg/WW_MBFJwWgcgm8XF6NyH71CrrfNuAbAkwCK4B/s1600/P1010920%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I382i9vP8ic/V3Uv_SxEAzI/AAAAAAAAALg/WW_MBFJwWgcgm8XF6NyH71CrrfNuAbAkwCK4B/s200/P1010920%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overview of Bright Angel Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The starting point for our Grand Canyon hike was a day at the South Rim trail on the bus loop. We didn’t know if it would snow that day, but we had prepared just in case. As the sun cleared the sky a bit, we were able to look down on the path we would be taking, noting how steep it would be and locating what seemed like a tiny oasis of trees that would be our camping spot. Our plan was to hike five miles down, camp at Indian Gardens, hike another ten miles to Phantom Ranch and back, camp again at Indian Garden, and then, on the third day, hike the last five miles out. Getting that overview was a great idea. We gained some confidence laced with a healthy dose of fear.<br />
<br />
Reading books had given me some insight into the path ahead for homeschooling, but even better was talking with other moms who had gone down this road already. I am thankful even for those moms who were only a few steps ahead who gave great advice like:<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NUJMoi7WlSQ/V3Ux2L5s-jI/AAAAAAAAAMc/ColldmCrqb8sgn1ff9pVLljjcNFQZ9CTwCK4B/s1600/P1010873%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NUJMoi7WlSQ/V3Ux2L5s-jI/AAAAAAAAAMc/ColldmCrqb8sgn1ff9pVLljjcNFQZ9CTwCK4B/s200/P1010873%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unexpectedly Heavy Snow at the Top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Wear your PJs, have fun, and take breaks when you want.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Do a lot of read-alouds.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Don’t try to do public school at home; treat homeschooling more like a tutoring situation.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Make your own decisions about what is important to teach.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Academics are less important than teaching God’s principles and showing love.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Do what is right for your family.<br />
<br />
But, some parts of the path were hidden. We didn’t know our son, Elijah, would get in a Dyslexia Rut for a while and take longer to get back on track. We didn’t know the truth that not all curricula works for all kids; some work better than others and some would be better jettisoned over the side. Fear and worry are heavy like the tent and poles; we must get rid of them and keep marching.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jeYK9kx6Y4o/V3UwZKXYKlI/AAAAAAAAALo/mD0HECtLWKEw9tBSWPnMwTiC6duZpe71wCK4B/s1600/P1010978%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jeYK9kx6Y4o/V3UwZKXYKlI/AAAAAAAAALo/mD0HECtLWKEw9tBSWPnMwTiC6duZpe71wCK4B/s200/P1010978%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a load off at the Resthouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Trust me, once we started hiking Bright Angel Trail, I would have loved to have thrown my backpack into the grand Grand Canyon and listen to it thud at the bottom! But, since that is probably a federal offense, we were obliged to carry them all the way down and all the way back out. They were so heavy! On the way down, they were somewhat troublesome, but gravity and the encouraging words of other hikers helped pull us along. A five mile walk in flatlander Florida would have been a hot and sweaty 2½ hours without any problems. We know because we trained that way. But, in Arizona, with almost a mile change in elevation, my legs got wobbly and I was glad for each stop. Rest-houses are available at the 1½ and 3 mile markers. No water was available at this time of year, but decent toilets and a shady spot to eat were very welcome. The wind blew our sweaty shirts dry in no time.<br />
<br />
There are rest stops in homeschooling too. Usually, each summer we stop and re-evaluate and then again over the winter break. Our support group and our state convention give us refreshment and encouragement. We think and we pray. Are we going to continue? What are our options? Why are we doing this in the first place? We are called back and calmed by the words of Jesus:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30</i></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XIJzzrq6bzo/V3UwzLihhEI/AAAAAAAAAL8/FiMVlbMrg-4c4dkVLdDBY6ezXjF8n5M4ACK4B/s1600/P1010991%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XIJzzrq6bzo/V3UwzLihhEI/AAAAAAAAAL8/FiMVlbMrg-4c4dkVLdDBY6ezXjF8n5M4ACK4B/s200/P1010991%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting up camp at Indian Gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As we strode into our campground, there was some relief knowing the walk was over for a bit. But, there was fear too. The first day was five miles, the next would be ten. I have to be honest, I had to make a hard decision. I decided not to do the second day’s hike. I stayed in camp while my husband and kids continued on. In one way, it felt like a failure. But, in another, I knew great peace that I had made the right decision. I needed to be at my best for the final hike out. As the park puts it: “Hiking in is optional, hiking out is mandatory.”<br />
<br />
How can I relate that to homeschooling? Well, over the years, we’ve had to make lots of decisions. We’ve decided to stay in and not bail out, decided on starting or stopping curriculum, decided to listen to nay-sayers – or not. Our methods for teaching have changed. When my son wanted to study physics, I decided to “stay in camp” and my husband took him down that particular path – a path I had no desire to go down. Other times, we have relied on co-ops, or intensives, or self-study to keep the kids on track without dragging us parents down.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PuDKoZovuSs/V3UxDdCOm0I/AAAAAAAAAME/OIVtoIaxUbQLhDruvceZBqi-aEJwj108wCK4B/s1600/P1020028%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PuDKoZovuSs/V3UxDdCOm0I/AAAAAAAAAME/OIVtoIaxUbQLhDruvceZBqi-aEJwj108wCK4B/s200/P1020028%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the trail to Phantom Ranch - <br />at the bottom of the Grand Canyon!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Letting my kids go off without me – even though they are at or nearing adulthood, and even though their dad was with them – wasn’t easy. The Grand Canyon is a life or death situation. There are dangerous animals (not that we encountered any, by God’s grace) out there. There is also the danger of spraining an ankle or getting another injury that would make it harder or impossible to hike out. Seeing my crew hike back into camp, a prayerful eight hours later, filled me with great joy. My husband made it! My kids had successfully met the challenge!<br />
<br />
This feeling comes and goes during different phases of homeschooling. It comes when you see your child acting more and more grown up, taking on new challenges like dance, Sea Cadets, a job, a CLEP exam or college courses. We moms fear, but we also rejoice!<br />
<br />
The night before the hike out, it began to rain. In the tent, huddled and freezing even in long johns and sleeping bag, I worried about it. How could we pack and carry out wet things? But, as a native Floridian, I didn’t understand something about the desert. By the time we woke up, the ground was dry. D-R-Y. The tent dried easily with just a little poking to make the water run. Our camp packed up easily, if not lightly, and we started moving out of our comfort zone.<br />
<br />
Few things take you out of your comfort zone more than kids starting their high school years. You have fear and doubt your abilities to teach “higher” subjects. But, we forget the nature of homeschooling when we do that. We forget that:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The kids have made it to high school! They can read and write and problem-solve. They should be able to do a lot of learning on their own and the parents become facilitators more than teachers.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>You have been re-learning with your kids for a while now and you can do this too (if needed)!<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>And there are options like tutors, co-ops, and online programs that can come to your rescue.<br />
<br />
I was looking for a rescue on that final hiking day, for sure. Even my intrepid husband urged, “If you see the Park Ranger, see if they can helicopter us out. We’ll pay!” But, the rule at the Grand Canyon is: you go out the way you came in. We were stuck. The steep change in elevation made me short of breath almost immediately. Remember, we were going back up almost a mile! My pack felt impossibly heavier than it had on the way down and the weight was not well-distributed. Eventually, the sleeping bag got unstrapped and my husband, then my son, and then my daughter lugged it up for me. My hiking pole helped me keep my balance on the uneven natural steps as we weaved around switchbacks, stepped over rocks, and avoided fresh mule poop. Hours stretched into forever. Then, at the 3-mile rest-house (going in reverse order now), the rain whooshed down. We huddled in the open-air shelter house with a dozen or so strangers. We felt God’s provision on the one hand as the rain didn’t last long and it came when we had cover. But, we also feared lest it start again or rain harder. We covered wet shirts with soggy sweaters and then ponchos which resulted in a sweltering sauna effect.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-59UECbbRFhs/V3UxTq66yyI/AAAAAAAAAMM/0IUGUuBvnQwNkRz2wwdKk4fGyPHlZzo6wCK4B/s1600/P1020082%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-59UECbbRFhs/V3UxTq66yyI/AAAAAAAAAMM/0IUGUuBvnQwNkRz2wwdKk4fGyPHlZzo6wCK4B/s200/P1020082%2B%2528Custom%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready for the final hike OUT!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With 30+ pounds on my back, each step was an accomplishment. Sometimes, there were only a few minutes between breaks. We had to sit and take the loads off. Why did we bring so much stuff? The wonder of it all was how the family pulled together as a team. Elijah, reminded me to sing praise songs to God to keep my mind off the hard labor. He repeatedly helped us all pull off or put back on loaded backpacks. Holly kept marching, offering help wherever needed and dragging my sleeping bag with her. Neither complained or whined. We all knew that this was something that HAD to be done. We had to GET OUT and best by nightfall.<br />
<br />
Those last five miles took TEN hours! On the way, we not only got rain but momentary tastes of hail, sleet, and snow flurries. We heard rumors of a blizzard at the top of the trail. The track became slippery with mud – just what you want as you climb up a sheer precipice. We feared the coming darkness. But, we kept going. One more step, one more switchback, one more rest.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q45loeMBA5Q/V3Uz7lJTNNI/AAAAAAAAAMs/01FEneuq9qM5zYob9yGz6P2ynLGdNbzbACK4B/s1600/After%2Bwe%2Bhiked%2Bout.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q45loeMBA5Q/V3Uz7lJTNNI/AAAAAAAAAMs/01FEneuq9qM5zYob9yGz6P2ynLGdNbzbACK4B/s200/After%2Bwe%2Bhiked%2Bout.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On our homeschool trek, I’ve thought about stopping once or twice. But, I know, for us, we had a mandate from God to “train up our children.” There really was no stopping halfway. So, even when it was tough, seemingly impossible, we plodded on. Twelve and a half years later, my daughter graduated with honors. One more year and my son will join her on the other side. Our journey will be over. We’ll look back at the grand vista that was the homeschool years and be glad that we did it. And we’ll be pleased by how we became a team. And we’ll be amazed at what God has accomplished.<br />
<br />
After all that, my family has decided that our best words of advice about the Grand Canyon are: “Rim Trail!” You can see all you need to see from the top! But, our advice for homeschooling? Take it all the way!Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-31978008827498897392016-01-19T08:07:00.003-08:002016-01-19T08:28:59.660-08:00The *Updated* New Year<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #bb2188; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<a href="http://colleensquest-flberrys.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-year-cometh.html" style="color: #8766dd; text-decoration: none;">A New Year Cometh</a></h3>
<div class="post-header" style="background-color: white; color: #bb2188; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 10.8px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em;">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3554801712710146318" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 470px;">
<br />
<i><span style="color: #bb2188;">This article originally appeared in the </span><u style="color: #bb2188;">Pitter Patter</u><span style="color: #bb2188;"> newsletter of my MOPS group in January 2000. We were facing a new year, a new decade, a new millennium. </span><span style="color: #f1c232;">A few things have changed over the the last 11 years, so I have updated a few spots in [brackets] and in </span><span style="color: #f1c232;">color</span><span style="color: #bb2188;">. </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">{Oh boy, now it is 2015 - and times - they are a-changin' again. I'll note the newest additions in other other {brackets} and another new color.}</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #bb2188;">It is strange to think that not only were we raised in a different century from our children, but a different millennium. And certainly this is a different “age.”<i> </i></span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>{My kids told me this weekend that they are striving to reach the ages of 104 and 102 so that they can live in 3 different centuries. I think maybe Jesus will come to get us before then, but otherwise, I hope they do it!}</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #bb2188;">The age of technology is upon us. My three year old has already mastered her “preschool” computer program. She can click her way through the screens as well as mom. Mom never touched a computer before junior high and then it was the one computer in the whole school for “kid use” – a TRS-80. It worked off of cassette tapes somehow. Sounds like ancient history. </span><span style="color: #f1c232;">[Okay, so this really is ancient history, my now-teenagers are playing games over the internet with friends in other neighborhoods, took their driving test online, use Google instead of a dictionary or an encyclopedia, and rapidly assimilate new physics apps on the iPad.] </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i> {Sometimes I wish we had never introduced the computer, my son has to fight the addiction and, probably, so do I. We've got iPads and smartphones and Kindle and GPS and all that jazz. In our plans for heading to the Grand Canyon, my husband said we could bring the iPad so we can identify the stars. I say, "No way! No electronic devices in the canyon! Let's enjoy God's creation the way He intended!" I really hope I get my way!}</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #bb2188;">In the “good old days” my brother and I spent Saturday mornings glued to the TV set with such questionable fare as Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and Pepe LePew. They [child psychologists and parents] worried at the time about us not understanding why the coyote did not get hurt when he fell into the canyon. My children are not allowed to watch Saturday morning cartoons due to violence, bad language, bad attitudes, poor adult role models, and new age doctrines that are not hidden, but openly displayed. And forget regular daytime/ nighttime TV too. The coarse humor, overt sexual relations, and the “selling” of the homosexual lifestyle have made this hobby a thing of the past for my family.</span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> [The main TV show my children have grown up with is </span><i style="color: #f1c232;"><u>Extreme Makeover: Home Edition</u></i><span style="color: #f1c232;"> which is now about to go off the air! We were pretty good about keeping TV limited to that one hour a week, with "safe" videos thrown in here and there. With some new digital TV stations, this year my kids have branched out to Batman (Adam West), Get Smart and Hogan's Heroes. It has been fun watching them get a kick out of all the oldie goldies.] </span><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> {TV is only getting worse, and we don't even own cable! I'm seeing commercials for explicit homosexual movies, cursing is at an all-time high and many things are just not safe. I am so glad that TV has always been restricted in our house! There is only one TV and it is plain view. We sometimes enjoy the new movies when the newness has worn off and we can stream them through VidAngel which bleeps out curse words, gore and even (at times) immodesty. But, even at ages 19 and 17, our kids still love the oldies and I'm grateful!}</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #bb2188;">School was a safe place for children to go and learn when I was growing up. Our children will find that a laughable statement. A teacher could hug you and love you like a surrogate parent. Now they are afraid to brush against a child for fear of lawsuits. </span><span style="color: #f1c232;"> [This year alone, I have heard of 8 kids hit by cars at their bus stops, 2 bus drivers who went to battle with students on their buses, a bus driver that wouldn't let a parent board, teachers and principal who fell into the pits of pornography, sexual abuse, and cheating with and for their students. Bullying continues to sky-rocket even with all this "tolerance training." We opted instead for the last 10 years to homeschool. Our homeschool isn't perfect: we are behind in some things. But, my children know the Lord, they tend toward kind and respectful, and we know each other.]</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i> {The last two years have seen the rise of Common Core in the classroom, as well as indoctrination into Islam, many more teachers-turned-criminals, and more removal of God, even from football games. In the meantime, our homeschool has churned out its first graduate; Holly walked across the stage with honors at the 2015 FPEA ceremony. She has collected 27 college credits and is working on 6 more without leaving the house, saving us about a ton of money. Elijah is starting to receive his first wave of college letters (thanks PSAT)! Homeschool continues to be a blessing. Strange to think it will be ending so soon -- graduation seemed so far away when I originally wrote this article.}</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;">[I wrote this article BEFORE the events of 9/11...just think of how that one event affected our lives. Airport security; field trip tours to the dairy, the newspaper, and other interesting places; bag checks at theme parks, and so much more!] </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>{Now, ISIS is threatening lives right here in America and the presidential race (Trump v. them all) is the most heated I've known. The economy changes up and down.} </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #bb2188;">Doctors used to know you and your family and your history. </span><span style="color: #f1c232;">[Uh, let me know if you can find one of those near me.]</span><i><span style="color: #bb2188;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">{Oh my, my oldest is now an adult and needs to find an "adult" doctor soon. Thankfully, we're all pretty healthy and haven't had to worry about it. My son recently visited the asthma doctor and we were chastised for not coming in for 2 1/2 years. But, he has been symptom free for over 3 years! He only went because we want a "just in case" rescue inhaler for the Grand Canyon trip.} </span></span></i><span style="color: #bb2188; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4;">Restaurant and grocery store employees used to be friendly and competent. </span><span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"> [Not to be rude, but if the power goes out, nobody knows what to do. There is no way for a cashier to tally up your groceries (they are not visibly marked anymore) even if she is able to do the math. I have noticed with the recent recession that workers are tending to be happier in having a job and working harder to keep them.]</span><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> {I've seen a pleasant upswing here. I think employees are more friendly. I think the economy downturn has made people more grateful just to have a job and their service is better because of it.}</span></i></span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3554801712710146318" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 470px;">
<br />
<span style="color: #bb2188;">This new society begs the question, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” The answer, however old-fashioned, is still “By keeping it according to Thy word.” (Psalm 119:9)</span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3554801712710146318" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 470px;">
<span style="color: #bb2188;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3554801712710146318" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 470px;">
<i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">{I've been teaching 5th to 8th grade Sunday school classes off and on since I was 17 years old. The last 2 years, I have seen a huge swing downward in the number of kids who know their Bible. The noteable exceptions are usually homeschoolers. Kids who go to public school often have no idea what I'm talking about or only have a little bit of knowledge in this area. They are kept so busy that they feel too tied up or stressed to even read for pleasure, let alone read God's Word. This is a sad state of affairs. If they way to keep pure is keeping it according to God's Word, and they don't know the Word...}</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #bb2188;">How can we best help our children in the New Millennium? By teaching them God’s Word from the Bible and giving them God’s standards for living. Maybe they won’t fit in with their generation. I pray they will not.</span></div>
Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-54726503231376559182015-02-07T13:45:00.002-08:002015-02-07T13:45:25.479-08:00Just Say No<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One of the greatest gifts a man can give his wife is the freedom to say, "No." I probably don't mean what you think I mean! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When my two children were preschool age, beyond caring for them, I was coordinating our very active local MOPS group and writing curriculum for our church's preschool Sunday school. But, I still wasn't as busy as a particular friend of mine. Her husband took an amazing stance that I will never forget. He declared the "year of the no." He let his wife know that if she signed up for one more thing during that year, he would personally call whoever was in charge and disentangle her. That would have been embarrassing, to say the least. But, it was just what my friend needed to hear!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He wasn't trying to deny her a "fulfilling life" and she was grateful, not resentful. His position made it easy for her to do what she really wanted to do. He was trying to preserve her sanity -- and his own, I'm sure! She was able to do the minimum of "outside" things that year. In exchange, she got her home and family back in order. In a later season, she was back "out there" again, but she had been rejuvenated by then. His firm words afforded her the "permission" she needed to say "no" and focus on her own children, her own husband, her own home, and even her own needs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stay-at-home moms often feel compelled to help out because nobody else can. They jump in to run vacation Bible schools, or fund-raisers for the PTA, or homeschool co-ops, or every other event that comes along. That is all fine and commendable, as long as your own home isn't falling apart in the meantime. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Look around you. How does your house look? Not just today (which may be an "off day") but on a regular basis? Is it warm and inviting? Can you have friends over and be hospitable? How well are your children behaved? Do they need a few "talking-to's?" Do they need training for chores? Have they had your undivided attention much lately? You can't give them guidance if you are running here and there and everywhere doing for everyone else.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It has often been said that our first ministry begins at home. That's why 1 Timothy 3:4-5 requires of church leaders, among other things, that they be "<span class="text 1Tim-3-4" id="en-NKJV-29736" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">one who rules his own house well, having <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">his </span>children in submission with all reverence </span><span class="text 1Tim-3-5" id="en-NKJV-29737" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">(for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)." God wants us to work from the inside out. Take care of our spouse and children, then comes our extended family and neighbors. Of course, part of training our children will be to show them how we take care of those others, but first they must also be cared for.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It wasn't so long ago that, whenever I baked cookies or bought goodies, my children would mutter, "Don't get excited, they aren't for us." They just knew they would be for my Sunday school class, or a friend that just had a baby, or some gathering of moms. It had become a habit in our home that I was always doing for "others." It took me a while to "get that," but I finally did. I've been able to say, "I made these just for you." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Titus 2:4-5 says that we should "a<span class="text Titus-2-4" id="en-NKJV-29913" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">dmonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, </span><span class="text Titus-2-5" id="en-NKJV-29914" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">to be</i> discreet, chaste, <b>homemakers</b>, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." [bolding, mine]</span></span><br />
<span class="text Titus-2-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text Titus-2-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How can we be homemakers if we are never home? I'm not judging single moms or those who must work to make a paycheck. But, for those of us who actually chosen homemaking, are we doing it? And, if we aren't, is is because we have over-committed ourselves outside the home?</span></span><br />
<span class="text Titus-2-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text Titus-2-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was talking with a good friend yesterday who has four children, one of them only four months old. She was wondering aloud how she was going to accomplish a huge fund-raising task for a wonderful organization. I said something to the effect of, "Just say no." Her response? "Can I do that?" </span></span><br />
<span class="text Titus-2-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text Titus-2-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">YES! There are seasons for everything. Young mom, there will come a day when you have more time and energy at your disposal. It is okay, and even recommended, that you be home, be with your children, spend time with your husband. Get your foundations firm. Do those things that God calls you to do and let the rest fall away until a better time comes along.</span></span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-17054515306998328372014-09-29T13:16:00.004-07:002014-09-29T13:17:33.590-07:00Red Alert!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Battle Stations.</span></b> That is what my 7th grade girls' class is studying this month. We've been talking about the wiles of the devil and how he tries to influence us for evil. We've talked a bit about temptations and how to fight them off -- just submit to God and resist the devil and he must flee! (James 4:7) We've talked about how we fight in a spiritual battle rather than a physical one. But, just like a physical battle, we don't go in without armor or weapons. God has given us everything we need to defeat the enemy and the end comes in the book of Revelation/our future!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm grateful to have been able to team up with one of the boys' Ranger commanders who is teaching the girls about archery as our unit project. He asked us this week to find a verse in the Bible that has to do with archery or bows and arrows. I found mine easily as it happens to be one of my favorite sets of verses:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Psalm 127</b></i></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="chapter-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unless the <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> builds the house,</span></span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They labor in vain who build it;</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="color: #e06666;"><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unless the <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> guards the city,</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The watchman stays awake in vain.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="color: #e06666;"><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="color: #e06666;"><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To sit up late,</span></span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><i><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">To eat the bread of sorrows;</span></span></i></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"></span></i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">For</span> so He gives His beloved sleep.</span></span></i></span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;">
</span><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">The fruit of the womb <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">is</span> a reward.</span></span></span></i></div>
</span><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">So <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">are</span> the children of one’s youth.</span></span></span></i></div>
</span><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">They shall not be ashamed,</span></span></span></span></i></div>
</span><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.</span></span></span></span></i></div>
</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span class="text Ps-127-2" id="en-NKJV-16124" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">It is</span> vain for you to rise up early,</span></i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Behold, children </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">are</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">a heritage from the</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 24px;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">,</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,</span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Happy </span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;">is</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">the man who has his quiver full of them...</span></span></i></div>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These verses tell me that I don't have to be in control of the battle. This battle belongs to God. In fact, if I <i>don't </i>let Him be the builder and the guard, then all my efforts will be for nothing. I can't live this life in my own strength; I must depend on Him. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These aren't easy words for me. I tend to be control-freaky. I like to make the decisions and carry out the plan. But, if it is my decision and my plan -- even if it all works out -- these verses tell me that it has no value in God's kingdom. Why? Because I didn't rely on Him, my faith wasn't strengthened, I have no testimony, and only my will was done.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All the things I try to do in my own strength are vain and useless. God can provide all I need even while I'm sleeping, these verses say. I can just sleep, and He can get the job done!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What a relief!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The last part compares children with arrows in the hand of a warrior. I have two arrows. I want them to be straight and not vary from the path that God has for them. But, sometimes, they (like me) are a bit crooked. In the spiritual realm, they have to be whittled, or stretched, or smoothed or whatever you might do to arrows. In the physical realm, they must be fed, and cared for, and talked to, and taught, and loved, and prepared. At times, they must be punished or rewarded. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At times, we practice with these arrows. We put them in new situations to see how they fly. If they fall short of our target of expectations, we bring them back and sand them down and try again. We don't leave them in the quiver. Arrows are made to be sent out.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="text Ps-127-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="text Ps-127-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><br /></span></span></span></span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-24039633900144562172014-06-20T04:00:00.000-07:002014-06-20T04:00:04.689-07:00Investing in Your ChildrenAs people become more and more disenchanted with the public school system, we find a new breed of homeschoolers bringing their children home.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, no disrespect to them, I heartily congratulate them on caring enough to remove their loved ones from the influences of evil government, amoral and anti-religious teaching, and dangers of all kinds. But, it just seems to me that some of the flavor has gone.<br />
<br />
When I started out, the moms who surrounded me were really "into it." Some of them were using KONOS curriculum and it seemed that there were weekly dress-up parties and costume-making and acting out and adventures. Although I had a more traditional and laid-back approach to teaching, I feel like we were in full-tilt with four days a week of instruction and a fun field trip day with friends every Friday.<br />
<br />
I was in homeschooling because I wanted to be near my kids. <b>I wanted to be with them</b>. I wanted them to know they were loved and cherished. I wanted them to be influenced for Christ and His kingdom, away from worldly distractions. So many reasons. Oh, and to be educated. That was certainly on the list somewhere.<br />
<br />
But, as I run into new homeschooling moms today, there seems to be a "Yes, I really want my kids to have a good education and I don't think the school system can do that; but how can I do it without really getting involved?" They seek out only curriculum that is fully laid out and "easy." The ideal seems to be one where the kid plugs into something all day and doesn't have to ask mom any questions. Or he is dropped off to co-op classes all day, everyday of the week. (How is that different from school exactly?) And preferably, there is no grading involved or projects or anything that needs mom's time or energy.<br />
<br />
Now, I'm lazy myself. And I like using a few things that are online (but never everything). And I've been part of co-ops (nothing wrong with them). And I must admit that I like "easy-to-use" ('cause who likes "hard-to-use"?). But, when those don't work out the way I want exactly, I do need to jump in and help, tutor, or make adjustments. For instance, I sometimes sit next to my son while he is doing math on <i>ALEKS, </i>and I have a whiteboard and a dry-erase marker and I demonstrate how to do problems as he goes along. Doing the program by himself just didn't work the way I hoped (because of him, not the program). When <i>Logic of English</i> taught a few things "backwards" (for our thinking), I had to restructure, re-teach, and pray for understanding. <br />
<br />
I am almost always there, and mostly available, even though my kids are in high school. They can do a lot on their own, but we still have discussions about things. I still read to them. I still want to be near them and see how they are doing. <br />
<br />
In the school system, we'd say we don't want the child to "fall through the cracks." That can happen in homeschooling too. As educators of our own children, we have to step in when there is a question or a problem and not get freaked out that the child didn't learn the first time in the first way the material was presented. <br />
<br />
And, most importantly, if we are going to influence our children for Christ, they must see us and hear from us. We can't manage from the other room, with a phone curved over our ear, our eyes on the TV, and our hands in the dish soap at all hours. How can we use their academic education as a spring-board to learning about God and His creation if we have no idea what they've been "learning" all day?<br />
<br />
Homeschooling requires a commitment. If you aren't committed to spending some quality and quantity time with your child, then when the first road-bump hits, you'll be tempted to literally throw him back on the bus. Invest your time and energy, and I think you will more likely to be willing to stay true to the path you have chosen or to which you have been called.<br />
<br />
Now, the irony of this article will be that the moms who aren't super-involved probably won't read it and those that are will feel guilt and condemnation although they are already doing all they should. So, don't do that to yourself. Prayerfully consider whether you are investing the proper amount of time with your child and let the Holy Spirit's response be your final answer.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br /></div>
Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-30167862435170070572014-06-17T12:59:00.000-07:002014-06-19T14:07:20.265-07:00Conspiracy Theory 451So, it started because I was looking for a book at the library and couldn't find it. I wasn't even sure I wanted to re-read the thing, something that was required reading when I was in school (lo, these many years ago). But, the fact that it wasn't there, wasn't available at the library, was an irony too huge to be missed.<br />
<br />
Now, I have lamented the waning book sections at our library for years. I'm pretty sure there are more video shelves and computer space available than there is room for good ol' fashioned books. And they seem to sell off a lot of "important" books and keep a lot of nonsense. But, not to have THIS book? The ultimate irony.<br />
<br />
The book, of course, is <u>Fahrenheit 451</u>. This book is <i>about </i>censorship. It is about books and how a future culture will do away with books. In fact, it will be socially unacceptable and even illegal to read books. The fact that I couldn't find it seemed like a conspiracy was taking place.<br />
<br />
Now, it is always smart to check on conspiracy theories and, as it turns out, mine was completely fabricated by my own incompetence. I had spelled "fahrenheit" without the first "h" and thereby missed finding it by "that much." My public library is exonerated -- I can get a copy of the book quite easily. So much for irony. The real irony is that a fake conspiracy got me reading.<br />
<br />
But, I didn't know that, so I bought the book from a used bookseller and began a frenzied read to find out what I was being kept from reading. What was embedded in this book that my younger self rolled her eyes over and probably didn't notice or understand? I found a few things that were truly intriguing for me and possibly for all those in the homeschool arena.<br />
<br />
First, author Ray Bradbury did a masterful job of describing his future/our present-day life. From his 1950's college library, he predicted that everyone would be walking around with ear buds, shutting out the world around them. That TV would be prevalent everywhere (think most restaurants these days) and that their noise, color, violence and reality shows (and interactive reality shows!) would overwhelm any intelligent thought. That the people on TV would be the friends and "family" of those watching, more than people you shared a room, or even a bed with (think social media). He didn't foresee that there would be hand-held versions/smartphones, but the idea was purely there.<br />
<br />
And then, it got really interesting. As the Fire Chief (who in this culture burns the books) tries to explain to our hero, Fireman Guy Montag, why the books can't be allowed to be read anymore; he states:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"...let's take up the minorities in our civilization, shall we? Bigger the population, the more minorities. Don't step on the toes of the dog lovers, the cat lovers, doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs, Mormons, Baptists, Unitarians, second-generation Chinese, Swedes, Italians, Germans, Texans, Brooklynites, Irishmen, people from Oregon or Mexico. The people in this book, this play, this TV serial are not meant to represent any actual painters, cartographers, mechanics anywhere. The bigger your market, Montag, the less you handle controversy, remember that! All the minor minor minorities with their navels to be kept clean. Authors, full of evil thoughts, lock up your typewriters. They <i>did</i>. Magazines became a nice blend of vanilla tapioca. Books so the [cursing] snobbish critics said, were dishwater. No wonder books stopped selling, the critics said. But, the public, knowing what it wanted, spinning happily, let the comic books survive. And the 3-D sex magazines, of course. There you have it, Montag. It didn't come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Today, thanks to them, you are allowed to read comics, the good old confessions, or trade journals." </blockquote>
This is so obvious in our culture today, I probably don't need to say anything else. You can't criticize the President without being suspected of racism; you can't even think of not baking a cake for gay wedding; and standing up for life might lead to your death. Everyday, somebody is apologizing for something. Some comment that offended somebody. Because there are so many somebodies in this global world we live in. Maybe it was simpler once, when you were offensive in your small hometown, you could at least leave and start over somewhere else. Here and now, give a false or unliked tweet and you you may never have another moment free of regret or reaction. Forevermore, you will be the guy who said whatever it was you said (right or wrong).<br />
<br />
Montag questions further as to why the firemen are necessary in this dystopic future -- basically, why did the government get involved? Fire Chief Beatty answers: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"What more easily explained and natural? <b>With school turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, the word 'intellectual,' of course, became the swear word it deserved to be. </b>You always dread the unfamiliar. Surely you remember the boy in your own school class who was exceptionally 'bright,' did most of the reciting and answering while the others sat like so many leaden idols, hating him. And wasn't it this bright boy you selected for beatings and tortures after hours? Of course it was. We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone <i>made </i>equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against. So! A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it..." [bolding, mine]</blockquote>
It becomes clear that books make us think. Later it is further clarified that our own reason will help us decide if the book is teaching us something worth knowing or not. And, if not, our reason will help us to sort it out and let it go. In the meantime, the mind can hold on to that which is good in that book, or in another. But, either way, the book lead us to think.<br />
<br />
These comments made me think about our present-day schools. Are they turning out "examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators"? I'm willing to bet that the kids who are turning out that way get additional encouragement at home or from books.<br />
<br />
Common Core curriculum is doing its best to remove or change the classic literature choices for schools. Many books that were once considered classics are now frowned upon because they might offend (I'm thinking <u>Huckleberry Finn</u>, <u>Uncle Tom's Cabin</u>, and the <u>Bible</u>).<br />
<br />
There is one young girl in Montag's town who seems to still think for herself. Clarisse McClellan challenges much of Montag's ideals, shakes him out of his passive, non-thinking life. How did she maintain this culture of thinking? Beatty tells us:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"...Heredity and environment are funny things. You can't rid yourselves of all the odd ducks in just a few years. <b>The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That's why we've lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we're almost snatching them from the cradle</b>..." [bolding, mine]</blockquote>
As a homeschooler, I nearly jumped as I read this quote; did you? The world around is is trying to take our children earlier and earlier. Trying to have the most influence. Moms are encouraged to go back to work within weeks of having a baby, and preschool beckons with glittering force. Summer camps and even VBS are offered so that the little time parents do have with their kids is cut even shorter. Why? I love the acknowledgement that "the home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school."<br />
<br />
This book made me think. If you haven't read it, or it has been a long while, you might want to read it (again). Encourage your high schoolers to read it too and discuss how it is like/not like our current culture.<br />
<br />
Don't have a copy? Ahem, you can probably find it at your local library.<br />
<br />
[<i>This book is definitely upper-level and PG for some old-fashioned cuss words.</i>]Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-64714019993344566272014-04-08T13:39:00.003-07:002014-04-08T13:39:34.730-07:00Somebody Needs to Help Me<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">An incident occurred today -- one moment that will be very minor when I look back at my life, but felt major in the moment -- that took my mind hurtling back about 25 years. I was nearing graduation from college and, in fact, after reviewing my credits and things, thought I was ready to get my cap and gown. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">However, I had forgotten momentarily that my college was known by its initials, UCF, to be the place where "U Can't Finish." Even though I had begun the summer immediately after high school graduation, and taken classes consistently, even in the summers, somehow I was missing 1 credit. What? My adviser literally cursed me for being "self-advised."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had met with my college adviser in 1985 when I was first choosing classes, learning where buildings were located, and fumbling with understanding credit hours. But, after that I thought that you should be able to take the college catalog and a list of the requirements for graduation and figure them out on your own. I was not raised to rely on others when I could (or should be able to) figure things out on my own. I made lists and checked off what I needed. UCF didn't make it easy. Especially back then, they were more of a "commuter school" and had a much smaller campus, so the course offerings did not come regularly or often. There was much joy and celebration if you actually got all the classes you wanted to sign up for.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, after four and a half years and an almost complete college education, you'd think that an adult, over 21 years old for sure -- someone who is legally allowed to drink, smoke, and drive -- could work out the details. Apparently not. Out of the goodness of her heart, she let me help with some research she was doing and counted that as the credit I needed. I still have no idea what I researched or whether it was really helpful to her. But, that is what we did. And I graduated, with no cap or gown, at the end of the summer AFTER what should have been my graduating year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Because I was "self-advised," she said. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've always wondered, why would they make it so complicated that you couldn't figure it out on your own? Does it make "them" feel somehow superior? Does it increase their likelihood of you spending more money? (Probably.) But, those are questions I can't really answer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today, the memory made me sad to think, how many more times have I fallen into this trap? How many more times have situations been bigger than I thought or harder than they needed to be? But, I walked into them because I was "self-advised." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Bible has remedies for me and other self-advisers. That is, if we can make ourselves look.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span class="text Prov-24-6" id="en-NKJV-17086" style="background-color: white; position: relative;">For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span class="text Prov-24-6" style="background-color: white; position: relative;">And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.</span></i></span><br />
<span class="text Prov-24-6" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Proverbs 24:6</i></span></span><br />
<span class="text Prov-24-6" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span class="text Prov-24-6" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span class="text Prov-19-20" id="en-NKJV-16946" style="position: relative;">Listen to counsel and receive instruction,</span><br /><span class="text Prov-19-20" style="position: relative;">That you may be wise in your latter days.</span></i></span></span><br />
<span class="text Prov-24-6" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Proverbs 19:20</i></span></span><br />
<span class="text Prov-24-6" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span class="text Prov-24-6" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, </i></span></span><br />
<span class="text Prov-24-6" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>who gives generously to all without reproach, </i></span></span><br />
<span class="text Prov-24-6" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>and it will be given him.</i></span></span><br />
<span class="text Prov-24-6" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>James 1:5</i></span></span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-79141960940706512962014-03-02T14:33:00.004-08:002014-03-02T14:33:23.933-08:00Love or Laziness?<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope this doesn't come off as too judgmental. What I intend is to chastise and encourage myself along with anyone else who reads this who has been likewise guilty. I am sure I have been on multiple occasions!</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me start with my observations at the beach yesterday. It was a beautiful day, albeit a little too chilly to go in the water. My son was involved in Sea Cadet drills and had to make plenty of runs into the water and back to the sand and I did not envy him one bit. But, sitting on the beach was sweet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first "offense" that came in my line of sight was a girl and guy lazing out on their beach blanket together. After a while, the girl sat up and started fooling with her phone, as all young people must do every five minutes these days. I get it. When the young man sat up and started talking with her (for quite a long time period), her eyes never wavered from the screen. She responded with words a few times, but kept her focus intently on that electronic gizmo. I don't usually carry my phone and it really isn't a smart phone -- it doesn't do anything but bring phone calls to me, and that rarely. But, I started wondering. Have I treated my husband this way when I am reading or watching TV? The answer is, unfortunately, yes. Not always, but occasionally, I really want to do what <u>I</u> want to do. I am reminding myself here that my husband deserves my full attention. How humiliating to be given second place to an electronic device or a bunch of papers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The second offense was with these two sweet babies, maybe two years old. They were laughing and running in the little waves on the sand. They were having a blast. But, where was mom? She was a good 20 feet back. She looked at the kids from time to time; they did not have her full attention. If a wave had knocked her little ones over, that might have been it. Toddlers can easily drown in a few inches of water. I was thankful that they left shortly thereafter and I didn't have to keep worrying about them. The weekend before, we had been driving in a local neighborhood and saw a toddler playing in the street. Her parents were sitting in chairs in the driveway, probably 10 feet from the action. When they saw our car, they looked toward their toddler, hoping she would remove herself from the situation. Can you believe she didn't? And she also didn't listen to their whining, "get out of the road!" They actually had to slowly stand up and go to her and pick her up. We could tell this was a lot of trouble for them. But, thankfully, they did it. And, thankfully, we hadn't been speeding through and were able to stop for this adventure. Please, parents of little ones, watch your kids! In the water or in the parking lot, please hold their hands! Teach them not to play in the street! And don't be afraid to touch them, pick them up and move them ANYtime that you see their lives are in danger. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The third offense was again at the beach. Three little girls, aged 3 to 6, I'd guess, were walking up the dunes to the bathroom. Their mom tells them not to go so fast because she must go with them. The girl in front is yelling, "I really have to <i>go</i>!" She is doing the dance. But, mom was impaired. She wasn't able to easily walk (certainly not run) up the little hill. She was handicapped by the phone in her hand. She was reading a text or texting or something equally important. She stopped stock-still in the sand while the little girls are <i>pleading </i>with her again, "<i>Please</i>, Mommy, I gotta <i>go</i>! I can't <i>hold </i>it!" The mom responded neither in word or deed. (I notice parents don't answer their children a lot these days, but that is a different rant.) Something very fascinating must have been on that phone. Possibly kittens dancing on youtube or something like that. I am reminding myself again here to not neglect my children, especially for mundane reasons, selfish desires, and sheer laziness. I remember finding myself talking on the phone a lot when my children were younger (pre-cell-phone days) and robbing them of my attention. I made a decision back then to let the answering machine pick up if I was involved with them. I am now nearly phone-phobic because of that, but it was worth it. Now, my kids are older and can take themselves to the bathroom. But, I do remember what it was like when I was responsible for everybody's else's bladders. I didn't enjoy that job. But, the bottom line is, you have to make up your mind to this, they come first. Answer them when they ask you things, get them to the bathroom, meet their physical needs as best you can. Lay the phone down and save it for when you are alone -- when the children are sleeping, if possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am inherently lazy. It is part of my sin nature. So, I must remind myself all the time not to let my laziness influence my children's behavior (not to model too much of it) and not to allow it to affect our relationship. I will choose talking with them, listening to them, playing games with them, helping them, and caring for them as my first obligation and joy. It may not seem like a joy at the time, but the memories and character developed will be a joy later. I think I will go see what they are doing right now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Colossians 3:23-24</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="text Col-3-23" id="en-NKJV-29541" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,</span><span class="text Col-3-24" id="en-NKJV-29542" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;"> </span>knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.</span></i></span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-76851132549241127392014-02-20T09:16:00.000-08:002014-06-17T13:36:08.121-07:00Are State School Rankings Reliable? Is Common Core for the Common Good? I recently attended the opening of our state's Board of Education meeting. There was a round of applause and a back-slapping session as they discussed the fact that our state has moved in the rankings from 40-something to 6th place.<br />
<br />
Quite an achievement, right?<br />
<br />
We should be pretty happy, right?<br />
<br />
But, a few things struck me as off-kilter about it all.<br />
<br />
1. Part of the success was attributed to expanded voluntary pre-k training. Supposedly, this early training has given us a great boost. However, any research I have <i>ever </i>read on this topic says that early training makes for advanced kindergartners but, by 3rd grade, nobody can tell whether the child attended pre-k or not. It all evens out. Other studies have shown that starting a child in reading and writing later in life (age 8 or 9) will often work out just fine as well. (And some who start very early, face burn out in their teens.) As long as education is delivered "line upon line, precept upon precept" (Isaiah 28:10), children will learn. <br />
<br />
In other words, pre-k might help prepare a child for kindergarten, but that is about it. Kindergarten was initially started (as a voluntary program) to help children prepare for 1st grade. On a scarier note, "voluntary" often turns quickly to "mandatory" once we get "used to it." Neither of my parents attended kindergarten -- it didn't exist for them. I went to the first "full-day" kindergarten at my school (about 40 years ago). Now, it is hard to find a parent who doesn't believe that kindergarten really isn't "mandatory" (depending on the child's age).<br />
<br />
One of the state board members said that she was so happy dropping her children off at "baby school." I couldn't help but cringe. Babies don't need school. They need love, attention, individual care, and happy home surroundings.<br />
<br />
2. Part of the success was attributed to the increase in attendance of Advanced Placement (AP) programs state-wide, and increase in honor roll for those attending those classes. I only have anecdotal support for this, but I have been told this by more than one teenage source:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"If I get a 'D' on an AP test in class, the teacher will count it as a 'C' because this is hard material. If I make a 'C' in the class, the grade will be bumped to an 'A' on my report card because the school does not want to penalize anyone or ruin their GPA because they took a hard-level course. They don't want to discourage anyone from taking the class."</blockquote>
Only students who really perform well in class are "permitted" to take the AP exam. So, here I have a system set up where the student feels great. The majority are possibly given better grades than they deserve. The school looks great: "Look how involved our kids are in 'higher level learning.'" (I believe they also receive funding by how many kids are in AP as well.) The state looks great because only the really "smart" kids take the exam, so their scores will always look good. A very clever tautology (circular reasoning).<br />
<br />
At least one of these students that I know made an "A" in the AP class, but did not qualify to take the AP exam, let alone pass it. She could be on the AB-honor roll, but probably deserved a C or D in the class. <br />
<br />
Does this philosophy produce students who are really prepared to take college courses? That is the goal of AP courses, to prove to colleges that students are ready to handle college courses (see another view <u><a href="http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/10/16/former-college-prof-and-ap-teacher-advanced-placement-is-one-of-the-great-frauds-in-high-school-today/">here</a></u>). But, if they are not being strictly judged, isn't all the effort wasted? And aren't all the statistics tainted?<br />
<br />
3. One of the main goals of the meeting was to approve a name change for the Common Core program. If our current standards and efforts raised us from 40th place to 6th place, shouldn't we keep on doing what we've been doing? Why would we adopt new, untried, and untested methods proposed by our federal government (who, by the way, has no constitutional right to have ANYTHING to do with education)?<br />
<br />
One psychologist considers the Common Core: "psychological child abuse" (find more info <a href="http://www.flstopcccoalition.org/">here</a>). But, nobody at the DOE is listening, that is for sure. We see time after time school board meetings (in various states) where parents and teachers are not given time to speak, are yelled at, are ignored. At a recent rally, where my children and I, along with 80+ others protested, the board continued on as though no objections were raised. They voted unanimously to follow their pre-conceived notions and disregard the parents and teachers who have raised issues.<br />
<br />
According to sources, the standards our state held prior to Common Core were actually more rigorous than Common Core. If we have been successful at the local and state level, why in the world would we choose to willingly adopt the (known-for-red-tape) bureaucracy of the federal government? Part of the reason must be the federal bribe that comes with it. And maybe there is peer pressure from other states -- you know, the states that are ranked LOWER than we are. There is no other reason I can think of.<br />
<br />
As for the name change, if it bellows like a moose, let's call it a duck. Then, nobody will notice that it just doesn't fly.<br />
<br />
<br />Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-90491471737257586582013-11-27T08:31:00.000-08:002013-11-27T08:31:45.715-08:00Lessons Learned AbroadHaving grown up here in Florida, I thought that I was familiar with the homeless situation. I mean, there have been economic times here where every trip to the grocery store meant another handout in the parking lot. Although that seems to have decreased this year. But, now I have traveled to Europe.<br />
<br />
We spent several days in Athens, Greece to start off our trip. As we exited the metro station near our hotel, there was a crippled man stretched full out on the sidewalk begging for his daily bread. Someone carried him in and out everyday to do this. At every tourist stop, especially every church, there was at least one, sometimes several beggars. Some stood and gave a story about how they needed money and could we help? Others sat at the gate or doorway, silent, but eyes eloquent of need. Some were fathers, some mothers, some grandmothers, some children. Some were trying to play music for you to "earn" your charity, others just sat. One young mother cradled her toddler on her lap and wept. They all had hats or cups or hands ready to accept a penny or a euro or a bill.<br />
<br />
I learned to carry coins in my pocket -- something I don't do at home because they weigh you down -- because a coin brought even the smallest amount of relief to those haunting eyes. You knew that for one euro they could get some bread or water.<br />
<br />
We gave a little here, a little there. Not too much, we didn't have too much to spend. But, we had so much more than they did waiting for us here at home.<br />
<br />
I am thankful to live in America where opportunity is great. Where we have been blessed. Where we have more than enough. On Thanksgiving, my family will set down to a feast of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, several breads, several desserts, and more. We will have more than plenty. We will leave the table stuffed and wish we hadn't eaten so much.<br />
<br />
I don't mean to sound guilty about it. I mean only to sound grateful.<br />
<br />
The contrast is so great. Because even on a regular day -- a day where I might, without thinking, complain that "there is nothing in the house to eat" -- I have more than those street beggars. I have more than I need. And I am thankful.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-56880316985798852352013-09-30T06:51:00.000-07:002013-09-30T06:51:01.216-07:00How God Measures Us<i>This is an object lesson I used with a middle school class at church a couple of years ago.</i><br />
<br />
Need: tape measure, 10 commandments, scale<br />
<br />
Measure 3 girls...give height in inches, feet, yards.<br />
<br />
I can use this tape measure to measure how tall you are, or I can measure cloth or the room or anything else I want. I can measure you in other ways too – I can use a scale to get your weight in grams, pounds or use a big scale to weigh an elephant even in the tons!<br />
<br />
It is important to have standards of weights and measures. You’ve probably heard the story of long ago when a foot was really a foot. So, if you wanted a foot of lumber, you'd measure with your foot. What is the problem with that system? [Everybody’s foot is a different size!] So, our country set up standard measurements. A foot equals 12 inches – all the time! (Perfect for my dad! He wears size 12.) The butcher who sells you a pound of meat, always means 16 oz. The government has people who go around and make sure that the scales are accurate and conform to the standards so that no one gets cheated.<br />
<br />
But, our standards don’t work everywhere in the world. In Europe, they use the metric system. There, you wouldn’t ask for a yard of cloth, you would ask for a meter. But the meter is always a meter.<br />
<br />
Did you know that God also has a standard of measure? He doesn’t measure us according to the height of our body, but according to our moral character. He measures to see whether we are good or bad. God’s standard of measure is found in the Bible. In the Old Testament, we have the 10 Commandments. Every one in this room has broken at least one of these commandments. I know because Romans 3:23 says, “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God!” <br />
<br />
The only one who never sinned, who lived a perfect life, was Jesus Christ. He came to set a perfect example for us to imitate.<br />
<br />
God’s moral law is a perfect law. Psalms says “the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” In France, the standard may be different from here, but with God’s law, the standards are the same everywhere, all the time. It is wrong to lie and steal in France and it is wrong to lie and steal here in America – or anywhere else in the universe! It is wicked now to swear or murder and it was always wicked. It was just as wicked 3,000 years ago as it is today. God has only one standard for all people, for all time.<br />
<br />
God requires even you young ladies to be pure and holy. And He requires it of us adults too. If it is wrong for a preacher to go see a particular movie, it is also wrong for you. We will all be measured by the same standard.<br />
<br />
At the end of our lives, or when the Day of Judgement comes, God will measure each of us according to HIS standard. Not by whether you THINK you were good enough and TRIED hard, but by the absolutes of His word. If you have broken one commandment, the Bible says you have broken them all. Think about it like a set of fancy teacups and saucers. If you break one, you have broken the whole set – it cannot be perfect! So, none of us will measure up. But, God provided a way to give us the extra inches we need – thru Jesus Christ. If you give your life to Him and let Him live through you – then God measures Jesus when it is your turn! He takes our place – just like He took our place on the cross. Make sure you have a relationship with Him...keep growing in Him...that leads to measuring up and fitting thru the ONE door to Heaven. If you don’t fit, there is only one alternative – Hell, and separation from God for eternity.<br />
<br />
If I had measured you a year ago, and then again tonight, I bet I would find that you had grown some. Probably an inch or two. Just as you have been growing in height, you should also be growing in Jesus Christ and into His character. You should be making progress towards being holy. You should be lying less, stealing less, murdering less, taking God’s name in vain less, and honoring your parents more than you did last year. You should be thinking more about others than about yourself – more so than last year.<br />
<br />
You remember the story of Jesus preaching in the temple when He was 13? The Bible says there that He went home obediently with His parents and grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Stature is height...but Jesus also grew in wisdom and in favor with God and man. I hope that you are growing in wisdom and in favor with God and man. If you want to grow, you must read the Bible and pray! And don’t just read the Bible – do what it says.Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-70136253714620022452013-09-24T11:17:00.000-07:002014-03-03T08:06:27.000-08:00Vacation 101Ask a kid what he likes best about school and he’ll either say “lunch” or “vacation!” As homeschoolers, we’ve found the flexibility to do more traveling than the typical school setting might allow.<br />
<br />
Because we don’t follow the normal 180-day schedule, we can find off-season days to head to the beach or the mountains. This helps the budget quite a bit! (I have to admit here that my amazing world-traveling mother-in-law has also helped us frequently get to where we want to go!)<br />
<br />
Over the years, we panned for gold in the Yukon, we measured the great sequoia in California, we walked on that Great Wall in China, we played quoits in Williamsburg, we dipped our fingers in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans, we traveled in trains, planes, automobiles and houseboats. We are now preparing for one of the most complicated itineraries we’ve ever faced: a Mediterranean tour including stops in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Israel.<br />
<br />
Planning for vacations can be overwhelming. I can remember being overwhelmed by our first vacation with our first baby. We just wanted to spend a weekend at the beach. Is that so hard? It can be when you need a car seat, baby crib, playpen, beach umbrella, beach toys, baby food, and, oh yes, diapers!<br />
<br />
My husband and I started a pattern then that we have followed ever since:<br />
<br />
1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b><i>We make an itinerary</i></b>. I type up a “formal document” that lists the days we will be traveling in the left column, then a column with the information about where we will be staying (hotels, tents, or houses) and what we will do while there. In the third column, I track the estimated amount of time for the drive or the visit to the museum or other point of interest. In the final column, I track the prices for lodging, attractions, restaurants, etc. (The 4-column approach doesn't work on this blog-site, so I just put the hours and cost next to each event.) Here is what one day of our last vacation looked like:<br />
<br />
<b>Day Time Destination/Hrs/Cost</b><br />
SUN<br />
9/15<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 9:30a Breakfast at Hotel (FREE)<br />
Drive from Atlanta to Chattanooga, TN (1½ hr)<br />
12:00n Eat picnic lunch at Lookout Mountain?<br />
Visit Ruby Falls & Lookout Mountain (open 8a-8p daily)<br />
1720 S. Scenic Highway, Chattanooga, TN<br />
Take Guided Tour of Ruby Falls (1½ hr) ($18/pp)<br />
Wear sneakers & jacket (60-65 degrees)<br />
Stay at La Quinta Chattanooga/Hamilton Place ($69)<br />
7017 Shallowford Rd, Chattanooga, TN<br />
Conf#________ (LQ Returns #______)<br />
6:00p Eat dinner at Fazoli’s (same road/across street) ($8/pp)<br />
2332 Shallowford Village Drive, Chattanooga, TN <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<br />
My husband likes running up the expenses in column 4 and making sure he knows how much money to prepare to spend. The timelines are guesses and remain generally flexible. We keep the itinerary in a folder for that specific vacation along with any mapquest directions, hotel confirmation forms and other paperwork we need while traveling.<br />
<br />
When looking for lodging, we have a few things we generally look for:<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
a) price (of course)...I feel gypped if I spend over $100/night, and I go for lower when I can. However, you have to balance safety, comfort, and cleanliness with price. Don’t sacrifice a good night’s sleep for an extra $10.<br />
<br />
b) location...I try to find a place near an interesting activity or sight (of course).<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
Everybody does that. But, what we really love is finding places that have:<br />
<br />
c) indoor pools...if there is any boring moment, we can always swim; plus great to stretch out after a long drive!<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<br />
d) in-room mini-fridges...so helpful so we can bring supplies to make lunches to take with us whenever possible.<br />
<br />
e) free breakfast...this is a huge time/money/space saver. We don’t have to carry as much food. We can just go downstairs and not have to make breakfast or look for a restaurant. Eating out at restaurants can get really expensive!<br />
<br />
2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><i><b>We make a packing list.</b></i> I keep all of my packing lists on the computer so the next time we go on vacation, I can browse through and see what we packed before for a similar vacation. For instance, we have a favorite hotel we like to stay at when we go to the beach (Sun Viking) and every time we go there, I just modify that list for our current needs (no more diapers!) and save it with the current year in the file name.<br />
<br />
Our list of things to pack includes clothing, accessories, hygiene, medicines, games/toys, and food items as needed. I check things off as they go into the suitcase or car (or whatever). Of course, other special items like cameras, pillows, identification, money, and other things are listed as needed as well. Some vacations require more “stuff” than others. Last week, we were houseboating in Kentucky, and took along a lot of camping-type supplies (flashlights, fishing poles/bait, star and bird watching charts) that we would never consider taking on an airplane ride to New York City. Every packing list is tailored to the specific trip’s needs.<br />
<br />
3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b><i>We make a countdown.</i></b> For bigger or more exciting trips, I often print up little squares with numbers. Usually the pictures that go along with the numbers related to the trip – a cruise ship or an airplane or in the case of our upcoming Mediterranean tour, we have the Pantheon, the Parthenon, and the Colosseum included. Each day, the kids take turns pulling off one number and we get closer and closer to leaving. When I forget (or get too lazy) for this step, my (now high school aged) children remind me over and over again – so it really does help build excitement!<br />
<br />
4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b><i>We make it educational.</i></b> Now, don’t get carried away thinking that we make some huge effort or bore our kids to death on vacation. We really don’t. But, we try to find one or two things that make the brain function while we take a break from “regular school.” There are lots of ways to do this. In that first beach vacation with a preschooler, we just made an attempt to notice things. For instance, let’s talk about that salty water you just swallowed. See that horizon line? Oooh! Look at that crab! In later years, we could refer back to those things during science class – remember when...<br />
<br />
On other trips (at the initial suggestion by my MIL), we’ve collected water or sand samples. We have a whole array of little plastic bottles of water on the shelf from the Red, Dead and Mediterranean Seas, the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans. We didn’t do anything “educational” on the vacation but collect the water (the more exotic “flavors” were given to us by my traveling MIL) but later, at home, we compared salinity or color.<br />
<br />
In the Sequoia forest (at the suggestion of my BIL/SIL who live near there), we took a ball of yarn. We found the fattest tree we could and tried to hug it all around. Failing that, we used the yarn and now have a cool souvenir that reminds us exactly how big – and it is really, really big – that tree really was.<br />
<br />
Some trips were perfect for history or cultural instruction. On the drive from California to Washington, we took along little history books for each state we were driving through. My kids love to read, so it was no big deal to ask them to read those along the way and get a feel for the places and things we would see. On the trip to China, we studied up before-hand on geography, history and culture. We learned some common phrases (hello, thanks, where’s the bathroom) and customs.<br />
<br />
Everywhere we can, we make sure to visit museums, science centers, planetariums, living history centers, and zoos in various places. We’ve taken tours of government buildings, factories, historical houses, and farms. There is such a vast variety of things you can do that don’t look like “school” along the way. I tend to google “fun things to do in...” wherever we are going and I usually get more lists than I know what to do with. We don’t do everything, we can’t afford everything, and we don’t have time for everything. We pick one or two things that fit our time, our interest (or the interest we are trying to build) and our budget. We had no idea we were interested in wallabies until we met the cutest pair last week at the Creation Museum in Kentucky! We’ll be following up that trip with a trip to the library to research about how we can get our own pair! (Not likely, but fun to think about.)<br />
<br />
One of my son’s favorite trips was Patriot’s Point in South Carolina. He would not have been interested in touring a plantation at that time. He was (and is) all about the air craft carrier and submarine tours that we took there. One of my daughter’s favorite places was our Williamsburg/Yorktown/Jamestown adventure. She loved just running around on the redoubts at Yorktown, watching the glassblower and silversmith at Williamsburg, and trying to hoe the garden at the living history museum in Jamestown. We weren’t being overtly educational, but I think we all learned a lot from those trips.<br />
<br />
In the long run, our main goals are always to be together and be relaxed and have fun. Having the itinerary and the packing list help us keep organized and sane. And we also take on age-appropriate challenges of learning things like: saying common phrases in Chinese or another local language, counting foreign currency, trying out some hypotheses, reading about and absorbing the places we visited. For our next trip, we are looking forward not only to seeing the amazing architecture and bringing biblical history to life, but also trying all the flavors of gelato that we can fit in!*<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*update: Mediterranean vacation complete and both Italian and Greek gelato flavors have been evaluated. However, more tests may be needed in the future to validate our results. ;o)</span></i>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-8715342882825589062013-09-05T17:47:00.000-07:002013-09-05T17:47:04.315-07:00Keep the Faith, Baby<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ten and a half years ago when we started homeschooling, there was lots of pessimistic encouragement in the form of “It’s worth a try; you can’t mess up kindergarten.” In other words, never fear, for if (or when) you fail at this endeavor, the schools are still waiting to take your children and they could undo anything horrible that you did. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, as my youngest enters high school, I find less people with encouraging words – even those who homeschool themselves. There is this idea that high school should be hard and not only should I not be able to teach most of it, but my kids must be missing something. I’ve heard moms say, “Aren’t you freaking out? Aren’t you worried? Aren’t you afraid?” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I check in with my kids pretty regularly – I mean, I see them pretty much all day, every day, and we do talk about stuff. I ask them if they are still happy homeschooling. (They are.) In fact, they’d be highly offended if I wanted to switch venues at this point. They would think I was pretty hypocritical and wonder if I still loved them as much as I did when they were little. (I do.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Do I ever have fears and uncertainties? Of course. Who wouldn’t? We can’t know the future. We can’t know what we might have “missed,” by definition, until we run into problems. So far, we haven’t. But, I do know God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He knows the future. And He is the one who set us down this path. And I trust that He knows what He is doing, even when I don’t. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="text Prov-16-9" id="en-NKJV-16850" style="background-color: white; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>A man’s heart plans his way,</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">But the</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">directs his steps.</span> </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Proverbs 16:9</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are trying some new things this year. My kids have started earning college credits through examination. If they continue to do well, we’ll ditch more and more high school and keep on this path. I find that they are meeting the challenges that are set before them. When they hit a roadblock, we’ll stop and look for the way around or through it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don’t know about you, but I was public schooled and ran into confusing situations and roadblocks and followed divergent paths and somehow I still got into (and graduated) college (and my college was the infamous UCF which stands for “U Can’t Finish”). Amazingly, those career goals (public school teacher) that I set for myself didn’t materialize, but God had uniquely prepared me to do what my future really held: wife, mother, homeschooler. So, fear or no fear, I’ll go down this road as far as God leads and as long as He is holding my hand.</span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-70553878710394588242013-03-26T08:39:00.002-07:002013-03-26T08:39:33.818-07:00National TreasuresI just noticed my blog sitting there, so long ignored, but patiently waiting for the update on my life. How kind, sweet blog! I am back now and ready to talk!<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This month has been a whirlwind of activities (including hot air balloons and tornadoes):</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The first two weeks were dedicated to <i>finally </i>taking our family on that long-awaited trip to Washington DC. We'd been planning for over a year (maybe two) and there were a lot of things on our itinerary! We had an amazing time and got to see so many things, including:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>National Zoo (saw a panda!)</li>
<li>Pentagon (tour)</li>
<li>Bureau of Engraving and Printing (tour, but no free samples)</li>
<li>Washington Monument (inside is closed, boo hoo)</li>
<li>Smithsonial Museum of Natural History (can you say "evolution?")</li>
<li>National Archives (waited in line for over an hour!)</li>
<li>Sculpture Garden</li>
<li>Air & Space Museum on the National Mall and the Udvar Hazy off-site</li>
<li>Smithsonian Castle </li>
<li>Library of Congress (tour)</li>
<li>US Capitol Building (tour of senate and house galleries, rotunda and more)</li>
<li>The White House (no tour, boo hoo - cancelled for imaginary "snow storm")</li>
<li>Lincoln Memorial</li>
<li>Korean Memorial</li>
<li>WW2 Memorial</li>
<li>Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial</li>
<li>FDR Memorial </li>
<li>Jefferson Memorial </li>
<li>Viet Nam War Memorial (engulfed by the names)</li>
<li>Iwo Jima Memorial</li>
<li>Ford's Theater (tour)</li>
<li>Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery</li>
<li>Old Post Office (tour of clock tower)</li>
<li>and more!</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
We got lots of experience using the DC Metro. And, after a while, we figured out the Metro was using us -- we were paying an extra dollar each way for each passenger ($8, multiple times a day) just because we used a paper pass! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Along the way, we also went to the Airborne & Special Ops Museum in Ft. Bragg, NC -- very nicely done museum! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, we shared all these "national treasures" with our children (allusion to the movie is intended as we had fun locating some of the movie's events/documents) and what did they enjoy the most?</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>It snowed on us! (that <i>was</i> pretty neat)</li>
<li>Eating donuts every morning at the cheap, old motel we stayed at</li>
<li>Watching HGTV (home & garden - we don't have cable at home)</li>
<li>Visiting the Air and Space Museums (with the kind of stuff we see in Florida <i>all the time</i>!)</li>
<li>An unexpected and<i> unplanned </i>ice skating experience in an outdoor rink! and</li>
<li>Eating ravioli at a Fazoli's Restaurant on the way home (ours closed down a few years ago)!</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Go figure!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>After getting things back to normal (the laundry got done and the pets came home), my daughter and I were scheduled for a hot air balloon ride. After two cancellations for weather, we were excited (and a little scared) for our journey. More about our ride and our later brush with tornadoes in the next update!</i></div>
Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-17851115312956871962013-02-01T13:40:00.002-08:002013-02-01T13:40:53.384-08:00One Month GoneA month has passed since my New Year's resolution post. I have to say, I'm still going... My resolve, of course, was to lose weight and get healthy... <br />
<br />
I started the year off right by going through my old Weight Watcher materials and tracking what I was eating. I re-joined Weight Watchers and started attending weekly meetings.<br />
<br />
The second, third and fourth weeks of January were pretty easy. My church went on a 21 day "Daniel's Fast," which we interpret as "no meat, no wheat, no sweets." (The fast is a spiritual one -- bringing your body under subjection so that your spirit is stronger -- but it does have a physical result of weight loss as well.) Because my promises were made to God, instead of myself, I found it very easy to say "No" to temptations. Until midnight on the last night of the fast! Can you believe I stayed up to make sure I got the first nibble of chocolate in? I had tried to psyche myself up into going longer on the fast, but just couldn't do it.<br />
<br />
So, the long and the short of it -- or should I say, the fat and the thin of it? -- is that I lost 10 pounds in the month of January. This month, I'll be continuing on with the Weight Watcher's plan and trying to add more exercise into my daily routine. I've been walking a mile <i>almost </i>daily, but need now to add some more toning exercises -- abs and legs routines by Denise Austin. <br />
<br />
My goal is to lose another 8 pounds this month...<br />
<br />
How are your resolutions holding up? Are you approaching them with an "all or nothing" attitude, or are you able to take baby steps to get to your goals? Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-78198662123203493112013-01-01T09:03:00.000-08:002013-01-01T09:03:01.343-08:00Happy New Year!The ball has dropped and the new year has dawned. I'm getting older and my New Year's resolutions are sounding a bit cliche! <br />
<br />
I need to lose weight! I had some medical issues last year that kept me from exercising for a while and then habit grabbed hold when I was feeling better and I just never got back to it. So, today, I begin again! My husband and I walked a bit over a mile this morning just to get things kicked off. I'm going to make the kids go again with me this evening...and tonight I go back to Weight Watchers for the first time in a long time. <br />
<br />
Starting over is hard. I was very successful with Weight Watchers a few years ago, but when I slid, I slid big! (Pun intended.) It can feel depressing and overwhelming to go back over the same ground again, but I know I need to.<br />
<br />
There are other things on my list too, and probably more important in the grand scheme of life, but this is the one that is "weighing me down." (Too many puns?) I know that with good diet and exercise, I will have more energy to focus on and accomplish my other goals!<br />
<br />
John 3:30 says it all: <b><i>"He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease." </i></b><br />
<br />
So, here's to a Happy New Start for me...and a very blessed Happy New Year to you! Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-54775372888376339072012-11-11T14:54:00.000-08:002013-09-06T08:11:31.126-07:00All Over AgainMy daughter is in the middle of tenth grade, so we are reaching our tenth year marker for homeschooling! If I had to do it all over again, I would probably tweak a few things here and there curriculum-wise. Mostly, I would use LESS, not more. Below are my favorite choices from over the years:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Reading</span><br />
Pre-K/K - Learn to Read in 100 Easy Lessons<br />
also: read lots and lots of books! Fiction and Non-fiction!<br />
Middle/High School: BJU Literature<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Writing</span><br />
Pre-K - 4th - Handwriting Without Tears<br />
2nd - How to Write a Paragraph (workbook)<br />
3rd - 9th - Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) levels A, B, C<br />
7th - 9th - Unjournaling<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Spelling</span><br />
K - 6th - for natural spellers: Spelling Plus<br />
or: for not-so-natural spellers: Sequential Spelling<br />
also: The Logic of English (book and maybe curriculum)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Vocabulary</span><br />
7th - 12th - Wordly Wise<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Grammar</span><br />
4th - Junior Analytical Grammar<br />
7th - 11th Analytical Grammar<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">'Rithmetic</span><br />
K - 8th - A Beka Math<br />
also: Right Start Math Games<br />
9th - Teaching Textbooks Algebra<br />
10th - Teaching Textbooks Geometry<br />
also: ALEKS<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Science</span><br />
K - 2nd - A Beka Science<br />
also: Rub a Dub Dub, Science in the Tub<br />
3rd - 6th Apologia Junior series (Botany, Flying Creatures, Swimming Creatures, etc.)<br />
7th - 12th Apologia series (General, Physical, Biology, etc.)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">History</span><br />
2nd - 4th - Mystery of History I (MOH)<br />
4th - MOH II<br />
5th - MOH III<br />
7th - MOH IV<br />
8th - MOH I (again)<br />
9th - MOH II<br />
10th - MOH III<br />
11th - 12th - MOH IV<br />
supplement with library books!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Geography</span><br />
2nd - 7th grade - Maps, Charts, Graphs workbooks, levels A - H<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Foreign Language (Spanish)</span><br />
4th - La Clase Divertida 1<br />
6th - La Clase Divertida 2<br />
8th - La Clase Divertida 3<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Foreign Language (Latin)</span><br />
9th - Getting Started with Latin<br />
10th - Linney's Latin (free online)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Must-Read Read-Alouds</span><br />
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel<br />
Goodnight Moon<br />
Little House on the Prairie (series)<br />
Julie of the Wolves (trilogy)<br />
Henry Reed (series)<br />
Pippi Longstocking (series)<br />
The Chronicles of Narnia (series)<br />
Left Behind - (kids series)<br />
Left Behind - (adult series - PG)<br />
Brother Andrew<br />
The Hiding Place (PG)<br />
China Cry (PG)<br />
If I Perish<br />
The Wheel on the School<br />
Uncle Tom's Cabin<br />
The Phantom Tollbooth<br />
The Giver<br />
This Present Darkness (PG)<br />
Not a Fan<br />
So, What's the Difference?<br />
It Couldn't Just Happen<br />
Princess and the Kiss<br />
Squire and the Scroll<br />
Before You Meet Prince Charming<br />
I Kissed Dating Goodbye<br />
Chester the Crab Comix (read on their own!)<br />
Young Peacemaker ComicsColleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-66215515482095877192012-10-13T09:11:00.000-07:002012-10-13T09:11:09.233-07:00Gold Rush!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5-eIQnsE4tE/UHl2YhVDRZI/AAAAAAAAAFM/G0XrUC1yjnY/s1600/icon+-+Above+Gold.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5-eIQnsE4tE/UHl2YhVDRZI/AAAAAAAAAFM/G0XrUC1yjnY/s200/icon+-+Above+Gold.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What is valued above gold? God's Word!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/above-gold/id558078306?mt=8">Above Gold</a> is a new iPad app where you can earn gold and precious gems when you unscramble Bible verses -- the real treasure!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CsOsoJVBCwQ/UHl20hE9jII/AAAAAAAAAFc/UMxtDP_kqaM/s1600/Game.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My husband, Paul, designed and developed this new app with goal of helping you and your kids learn and meditate on God's Word. You can unlock four levels of difficulty from "easy" to "hardest"...starting with short scripture verses and moving into longer and longer ones. </span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CsOsoJVBCwQ/UHl20hE9jII/AAAAAAAAAFc/UMxtDP_kqaM/s1600/Game.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CsOsoJVBCwQ/UHl20hE9jII/AAAAAAAAAFc/UMxtDP_kqaM/s200/Game.png" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">To get the gold, you need to beat the clock to solve the puzzle. Use the golden arrows to roll the letters into the right position and create the verse. You can use hint buttons to reveal the reference, the verse or both, but it will cost you some time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">More and more loot is added to your treasure chest as you complete each puzzle. By the end, your chest is filled with coins, gems and bouncing pearls. Surveyed kids called the treasure room "a game within a game" because they loved watching the active treasure!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uFp3Y4v8Hv4/UHl3v6clh7I/AAAAAAAAAFk/zCS-hc5swO8/s1600/Treasure.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uFp3Y4v8Hv4/UHl3v6clh7I/AAAAAAAAAFk/zCS-hc5swO8/s200/Treasure.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">More important than the earthly treasure, however, is what you might gain in head and heart knowledge as you solve, read and meditate on the scripture as you go! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For only $.99, you can challenge your brain, spend time in God's Word, and get some gold! For more details about this and the other <a href="http://www.idigitalworship.com/">Digital Worship</a> apps, like Dad's Prayers (free), Heavens Above, and Bible Shuffle, <a href="http://www.idigitalworship.com/">click here</a>!</span></span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-32719509290207833042012-08-03T16:23:00.003-07:002012-08-03T17:16:48.385-07:00The Rebuttal<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I recently received an irate comment on my blog post
entitled “<a href="http://colleensquest-flberrys.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html">The Lie.</a>”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was surprised because that was a pretty early posting of
mine, quite old, from back in March of 2011.
I’m not sure how this person stumbled across it, or why it engendered
such hostile feelings, but I would like to reply to his concerns here.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here is the comment in its entirety (I fixed some
punctuation/grammar):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Why
are u spreading such lies and trying to deceive innocent minds...who ever said
that the fruit was an apple...And the human beings God created in Genesis
1:26-27 are a totally different set of people...they were created on the 6th
BEFORE Adam and Eve and sent out onto the ENTIRE EARTH to multiply and populate
it. Adam and Eve were created and placed
in the little Garden of Eden. Adam and
Eve were not smart. They didn't have any
understanding before they ate the fruit. They did not understand the concept of good
and evil. And they did become like gods.
Even God said they became like him when
he pronounced judgment on them. Stop
spreading lies and speak the truth.” --
Hasheem Six<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let’s look at it, bit by bit. (Hasheem's words will be in italics throughout.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why
are u spreading such lies and trying to deceive innocent minds?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am not aware of any lies in this post and I certainly
would not want to spread any. I pray
about my blog posts and I try not to say things that don’t line up with the
Christian scriptures. I am human, so I
am prone to error. I don’t mind error
being pointed out to me, and if you convince me, I will certainly stop. However, I did not find your arguments
convincing. Let me explain as we go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Who ever said that the fruit was an
apple?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Certainly not me. Nowhere
in my post do I see that I call the fruit eaten by Adam and Eve an apple. There is, however, a <i>picture</i> of an apple in the left hand corner just to add a little
color. No one (but God, Adam, Eve, and
the snake) knows what fruit Adam and Eve ate.
We do not now have access to the fruit of the Garden of Eden, so I cannot
give you a name or picture of that specific fruit. However, it has become quite common for
people to refer to the fruit as an “apple,” and I think most people understand that you
are using figurative language when you do so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By the way, in Wikipedia’s dictionary, they define apple as:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.5pt;">ap·ple</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">/ˈapəl/</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: .5in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 6.5in;" width="624">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 3.75pt 0in 3.75pt 0in;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Noun:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.75pt 0in 3.75pt 0in;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 0in 0in 0in 0in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;"> 1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">The round fruit of a tree of the rose family, </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;"> which typically has thin red or green skin and crisp flesh.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">An unrelated fruit that resembles this in some
way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Did <i>you</i> know the
apple was part of the rose tree family?
I surely did not. And I think the
2<sup>nd</sup> definition, “an unrelated fruit that resembles this in some way,”
could possibly be applied to the fruit in the garden. But, certainly no one should be dogmatic
about that. To my knowledge, the
scripture only tells us that it looked good to eat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And
the human beings God created in Genesis 1:26-27 are a totally different set of
people...they were created on the 6th BEFORE Adam and Eve and sent out onto the
ENTIRE EARTH to multiply and populate it.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m not sure how you arrive at this assumption,
Hasheem. If Adam and Eve are not the
progenitors of the ENTIRE human race, then why would their sin affect all of
human-kind? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but
sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had
not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of
him that was to come.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the
offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace,
which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is
the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of
many offences unto justification.<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which
receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life
by one, Jesus Christ.)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all
men unto justification of life. For as
by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one
shall many be made righteous.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound:
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:12-21)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Repeatedly, we are told in the scriptures, that sin entered
the world by ONE man. That sin was
“passed upon all men” because it passed thru the line of Adam. Our sinful nature is genetic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If not, why wouldn’t a just and righteous God look down and
say, “You know what, everyone is behaving well except for Adam and Eve.” Squish.
Squish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No, instead, sin infiltrated ALL of man. Adam’s son Seth was born in Adam’s image
(Genesis 5:3) –- a sinful man. (And yet,
his line is the line of Christ –- the one sinless Man.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If not all men sinned through their relationship with Adam
(as his children, and children’s children), then why would God destroy ALL the
earth with the flood? (See Genesis 6).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And if not all were sinners, through Adam, why did Jesus
need to come? Some of us would be okay –
part of a strain of humans that never sinned.
Right? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">For God so loved
THE WORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16</span></b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> [<i>Emphasis mine</i>.]<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What
then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and
Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, there is none
righteous, no, not one: there is none
that understands, there is none that seeks after God. Romans 3:9-11<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God… Romans 3:22-24<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you read Genesis 2 carefully, I think you will find that the
Creation history (which began in chapter 1) comes to a close around verse 3. A new history, that specifically of Adam and
Eve, begins in verse 4. It’s like giving
an overview, and then providing specific examples. History texts do that all the time. First, here is an overview of the war, now
here is a particular battle. The battle
happened within the context of the war, but we look at it individually to gain
more insight into the history. The
Garden of Eden (the creation of man & woman and the Fall) is one particular
piece within the context of the Creation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Adam and
Eve were created and placed in the little Garden of Eden . <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am happy to agree with you here, Hasheem. Genesis 2:8 totally backs you up on this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Adam
and Eve were not smart. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Oh, I have to disagree on this one. Before they ate the fruit:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he
him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:27<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Man was made in God’s image.
God is not stupid, so man was not created stupid. Animals were not created in God’s image, so
you may call them stupid if you wish (although I wouldn’t). But, not man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And
the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Adam was filled with God’s breath.
I’d really hesitate to call him stupid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And
the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and
to keep it. Genesis 2:15<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Have you ever planted a successful garden? Or tended one? I tell you, I am horrible at it. So, the fact that Adam and Eve were expected
to care for this special garden makes me think they had some good smarts on
them. Maybe you think of farming only
as working with your hands, but if you don’t use your brains, you are going to
starve. (Many of the very smart men who
founded America were farmers.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And
out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl
of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and
whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the
fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not
found an help meet for him. Genesis
2:19-20 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One of the main things that separates us from most animals and
distinguishes us as having intelligence is LANGUAGE. Humans have language. Adam and God were on SPEAKING terms. And Adam named everything. It takes creativity, imagination, and
LANGUAGE to accomplish this one task.
Adam was smart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Adam was also smart enough to see that he did not want to mate
with monkeys or rhinos or any other animal.
He needed human, womanly, companionship.
(By the way, if there were so many other humans already on the planet,
then why couldn’t they find a helpmeet for Adam? Why not set him up as “The First Bachelor”
and prance a few of the local beauties by?
Because there weren’t any!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They
didn't have any understanding before they ate the fruit. They did not understand the concept of good
and evil.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hmmm. Maybe it is
semantics. But, I think I disagree here
too. They did not have any EXPERIENCE
with evil. They knew “good” very well. They were created by a good God and placed in
a good world and in a good garden. God
had declared everything “good” in Genesis 1.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, a good God would not expect you to do something if you were
not capable of doing it, would He? I
mean, any parent knows that you can’t expect a one-year old to understand and
obey all your commands. So, you stay
close by, you monitor and you move. But,
when that child reaches age two, your expectations are higher. When you say, “No,” that little boy or girl often
knows what they are doing when they disobey.
So, you begin to expect more and possibly spank more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Christian God is a good God, by definition. He would not be a “good” God if He were to
give brain-damaged (“stupid”) people a rule that they could not possibly
understand or follow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And they
did become like gods. Even God said they became like him when he pronounced
judgment on them.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let’s see what that judgement was:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And
the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and
evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life,
and eat, and live forever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the
garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the
east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every
way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Genesis 3:22-24<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">God said that Adam had become “as one of us, to know good and
evil…” The word “as” is often translated
“like”. “Like one of us.” “Like” can mean in all ways, or in particular
ways. I am LIKE my mother in some ways,
but LIKE my father in others. Adam
became LIKE God in that he knew both good and evil. But he, obviously, was NOT GOD (in all caps)
because he did not have eternal life (he needed to eat of the Tree of Life) and
he showed his un-godlikeness by being thrown out of the Garden. If he were indeed a god, like God, there
would have been a battle here. But, he
did not have any god-like powers, except the knowledge of good and evil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stop
spreading lies and speak the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope I have convinced you that I am not lying. That the beliefs I hold are biblical. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you are interested in finding out more about creation and what
the Bible has to say, you may want to check out resources from <a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/">Answers in Genesis</a> or <a href="http://www.icr.org/">Institute for Creation Research</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope you read this knowing that there is love behind it. I’d never want to do anything to hurt you or
anyone else by my words. In fact, my
hopes are quite the opposite of that. I
pray God’s blessing over you as you read and think about these things.</span><o:p></o:p></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-78794614565220366392012-07-20T13:19:00.001-07:002012-08-03T17:17:53.940-07:00Sex & Abuse in the Schools<span style="background-color: white;">So, I wonder sometimes how crazy the world is going to get. Don't you?</span><br />
<br />
Last night I heard a news story about a teacher who is known to have abused the children in her special needs class. There were witnesses to her hitting and encouraging other children to hit a student. There was emotionally abusive language. And, I'm sure there were children who feared to go to school. Yet, the last comment made by the reporter was: "She will be reassigned in the fall." Um, what? And the parents, albeit with sadness and fear, are still sending their child off on the school bus every morning. Huh?<br />
<br />
It is the opinion of this concerned and tax-paying parent that abusive teachers should be banned from teaching. End of story. And, if that is not happening, parents need to really reconsider sending their children off to school. If they cannot homeschool or find an alternate method, they should at least be protesting and fighting a system that would allow "reassignment." <br />
<br />
When I was growing up (oh so long ago), it seemed that schools were at least trying to work in concert with parents to help PROTECT the children in their care. But, these days, I hear more about teachers molesting kids, or having affairs with kids, or selling drugs to kids than I do about scholastic achievement or Teachers of the Year. Schools aren't always [I am certainly not indicting ALL schools] protecting students' bodies. And they really aren't protecting their minds -- their innocence or their emotions.<br />
<br />
The agenda seems to have changed drastically. <span style="background-color: white;">Here is a letter I recently sent off to a local public school regarding a show they put on. You can glean the details and see what I mean!</span><span style="background-color: white;"> [<i>I have slightly changed the wording for better reading here. The attachment alluded to can be found here:</i> </span><a href="http://www.westsidestory.com/site/level2/lyrics/krupke.html">http://www.westsidestory.com/site/level2/lyrics/krupke.html</a><span style="background-color: white;"> ]</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">July 2012</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Dear Principal of a local Public High School:</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">I recently attended a performance of the choirs and string orchestra of your school. Last May, your students put on “The Show Must Go On!”</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">This was the first time I had attended a high school performance in some time. I was very surprised by what I saw. The overall focus of the show seemed not to be so much on the singing (I could tell because the kids sang very softly and did not enunciate clearly enough to be heard and understood) as on the “performing.” Much of the performing included dancing and a few costumes that I personally found overly-sensual. </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">High-schoolers are generally aged around fourteen to seventeen. At those ages, sexual behavior of any kind is illegal (not to say “immoral”). I had to wonder why sexual behavior is being promoted in high school music productions? I saw a whole group of young girls allowing a whole group of young boys the opportunity to run their hands down their arms and sides. (There is a way to give the appearance of stroking without actually stroking – it is called “acting.” These students did not learn the difference!) I saw girls jiggle their “assets.” I saw girls and boys paired off at every turn. And, even more surprisingly, I saw boys with boys and girls with girls being paired off in hugging embraces, throughout the show. I had heard that homosexuality was rampant in schools these days, but I did not realize it was being so blatantly promoted (not “tolerated” – but, “promoted”) by the administration. Homosexuality is a sexual act, just like any other sexual act. It is illegal for minors. So, I wonder why it would be encouraged as a part of your music curriculum?</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">The song choice included a number from West Side Story called “Gee, Officer Krupke.” I had to wonder, why that particular song? It does have a fun beat, but have you read the lyrics? I have enclosed a copy for you. It is disrespectful to parents (calls Dad a “bastard”) police, and all forms of authority, and uses bad language (SOB, damn, and “Krup you” is a thinly veiled “F.U.”). It seemed unnecessarily provocative. If we don’t want our children to act in these ways, I wonder why we promote them as fun in our school plays?</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">I was offended off and on throughout the entire show. I hope that you will reconsider what you allow and don’t allow on stage in future productions. I hope that you will encourage your teaching staff and your students to focus on the music and the acting, rather than the sexual agenda.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Thanks for listening.</span></span></span></span></span></span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-32606531057906902802012-07-09T17:52:00.000-07:002012-07-09T17:52:01.353-07:00Lightning Literature<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"It was better than I thought it would be." That is high praise for <a href="https://www.hewitthomeschooling.com/Senior/sLightning.aspx">Lightning Literature & Composition</a> coming from my ninth grader!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Lightning Lit</span> is a series of workbooks seeking to teach "college-level composition skills by responding to great literature." They offer <span style="background-color: white;">full-year courses for 7th and 8th grade literature (student guide, teacher guide, workbook - $20/each). They also offer the following one-semester courses for 9th through 12th grades:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">9th-12th</span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">American Lit: Early to Mid 19th Century</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">American Lit: Mid to Late 19th Century</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Speech</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">10th - 12th</span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">British Lit: <span style="background-color: white;">Early to Mid 19th Century</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">British Lit: <span style="background-color: white;">Mid to Late 19th Century</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">11th - 12th</span></u></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">British Lit: Medieval</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">American Christian Authors</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">British Christian Authors</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Shakespeare: Tragedies & Sonnets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Shakespeare: Comedies & Sonnets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">World Lit 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">World Lit 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Each of these comes with a student guide ($29.95) and a teacher's guide ($2.95). There is bundle pricing available, including the pack of all the necessary books, and also discounts for orders of five or more of one title.</span><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/Hewitt%20Homeschooling/3438LLAmericanEarly19th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/Hewitt%20Homeschooling/3438LLAmericanEarly19th.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.hewitthomeschooling.com/Home/hMain.aspx" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hewitt Homeschooling</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> provided me with a student guide and a teacher's guide for American Lit: Early to Mid 19th Century. As a former English major, I really liked the choices of literature. These are definitely "living books" (or selections). Some authors covered are: Washington Irving, Frederick Douglass, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since it is summer vacation, I have to say, we are still working through Unit 1 -- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. In the first chapter of the textbook, the author, Elizabeth Kamath gives a good one-page lead-in intro about Franklin's life and then another page on Pre-19th Century Literature in general. After reading the selection, which I downloaded as a free e-book, I asked my kids the comprehension questions. These are broken into sections of 2 to 7 questions each and go along with the section titles of the book. In retrospect, in future I will give the questions before the reading. My kids were surprised to be asked the names of Franklin's uncles and the number of his siblings and half-siblings (16).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After the comprehension questions comes the section on writing, directly related to the reading. Since the work is an autobiography, the 5-page lesson is about autobiographies and what kinds of details youo might include if you write your own. Following the lesson, there are 8 writing exercises which I thought were quite varied and appealing to students of differing interests and aptitudes. I will be having my kids write several of them -- the author suggests picking two for each selection.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">[As an interesting side-note, as I was pre-reading the selection, I came across the passage from which the IEW-style was inspired: where Ben Franklin takes an existing writing, takes notes, re-writes, etc.]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In the Introduction to this course, the author discusses how/why to read literature and poetry. She gives detailed descriptions of figurative language terms (similie, metaphor, personification) and sounds (alliteration, assonance, rhythm, etc.). She goes on to describe how to write a paper, including topic statements, brainstorming, research and outlines. These are quick but thorough passages, probably review for most students at this level. <span style="background-color: white;">The Appendix offers discussion questions and project suggestions, additional reading and schedules. The author also has suggestions for vocabulary notebooks, reading journals, and more.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Although much of this book could be self-taught, I always think that literature needs discussion, so don't leave your student entirely on their own. Discuss what they have read and what they have written. The Teacher's Guide gives grading tips and checklists for papers, schedules (finish in 1 semester or 1 year), answers to composition questions, and additional writing assignments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am excited about adding this literature course into our schedule and will plan to order more in the series! Be sure to check it out for yourself <a href="https://www.hewitthomeschooling.com/Senior/sLightning.aspx">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Disclaimer</i>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was provided a free copy of the student and teacher guide for Lightning Literature & Composition's American Lit: Early to Mid-19th Century in exchange for an honest review. You can see more reviews from the TOS Crew Members <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/785798/">here</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-40180037028535932462012-06-11T09:42:00.001-07:002012-06-13T13:17:22.532-07:00MyMathLab - More than I Need!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/Pearson/MyMathLabAlgebra1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/Pearson/MyMathLabAlgebra1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
One day, 2 sealed "secret envelopes" arrived in the mail. Inside were access codes for the parent and student kits for <b><span style="color: #134f5c;"><a href="http://www.pearsonmylab.com/">My Math Lab</a></span></b> from <span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Pearson</b></span>. Following the carefully-written instructions, I went online and registered as an educator. Smooth. Then, using the student access code, I went and set up my 9th grade daughter in the <span style="color: #0b5394;">Algebra 1</span> class. We each ended up with user names and passwords.<br />
<br />
Before I get further into this review, let me digress for just a moment. We all know that homeschooling does not always run the way we plan. Life can get in the way. Last month, I unexpectedly had to go in for surgery and then spend several weeks recovering. All that went very well (praise the Lord) but, like often happens, those last 2 or 3 weeks of school slid a bit due to doctor appointments and such. We were also in the midst of our annual homeschool convention, piano recital, dance recital practices and more. (I am so thankful for a helpful husband and children!!!) By the time we got to this review, we were supposed to be on summer vacation and it took some bribery to get as much done as we did.<br />
<br />
All that to say, I want you to know up-front that we only spent about a week with this product, a little more than a half-hour a day. I apologize to Pearson, TOS and you! And then, my attitude was one of: "Let's jump in and flail around and see what we can figure out." It wasn't very systematic and I did not seek any help. That is my normal M.O. in life and that is the process we used. Because of that, the first four days were a bit confusing, but on the fifth day, light began to dawn and we were getting the hang of things! <br />
<br />
What made it confusing for me, I think, was that it had so much to offer! That sounds crazy. But, it felt like a program that had been developed for "regular" school classrooms (30 kids in a class) and then marketed to homeschoolers. You had options to create and add your own lessons, add due dates to all the assignments, create your own assignments, quizzes, tests, and even add videos. There was a calendar to track assignments. You could keep track of a plethora of students, their progress and achievements. What I like to do with math is hand the text (or video and text) to the child, let them read the instructions, let them do the problems, and then only come to me with questions. It is more like tutoring. We do not generally do quizzes, tests, grading, etc. (Did I hear a loud gasp? I know some of you are nodding and some of you are shaking your heads. It is okay. I understand.) So, all those nifty calendars, assignment sheets and things would be wasted on me.<br />
<br />
Anyway, we spent a lot of time just trying to figure out where to start. There are letters to parents and students that say they will tell you where to start, but they were not clear and we were lost for a bit. <br />
<br />
As we finally got into the student side, we found that you go to the website, sign in, click on your math course, then click on the first lesson (called "practice units"). There, you find a "text book" page of instruction. As you read, you have tools for <span style="background-color: yellow; color: #0b5394;">highlighting </span>important sections or thumb tacking notes. The cool part about the notes was they could be added by the student or the teacher. So, you could say "This will be on the test." Or, "Honey, I just wanted to take a minute in your stressful day of studying to tell you I love you!" Or "Don't forget this rule!" Or even "After this page, go clean up your room!" (LOL) I really liked the notes, but thought they could size the thumb tack a little smaller. You have the option of showing/hiding the notes as you read. <br />
<br />
My daughter, Holly, preferred the text over the video - but that's her learning style. She felt that some of the questions were hard at first, but most of the confusion seemed to be in how it was all being scored. Once she figured that out, things felt more simple and she was getting in the groove. <br />
<br />
Along the left side of the "textbook page" are listed the objectives for the lesson. At the top left, you can choose to watch a video with an instructor explaining (using a white board) the lesson you just read. You can watch the whole lesson, or you can watch individual sections by clicking the video icon by each objective. The teacher was nice and perky -- okay, she made me think of a kindergarten teacher -- but she was clear and understandable. (Holly did not find her overly perky like I did.) The videos were nice and clear but sometimes we ran into trouble if we tried to fast forward a bit, the sound would sort of double up on itself or the video didn't seem to change at all. No trouble if you watch from beginning to end.<br />
<br />
There is a nice and clearly presented video showing you how to answer questions -- they have a special way of filling in fractions or square roots or other special situations. What we found most confusing at first was just where to start, but we figured it out, so let me share! I'll focus on lesson 1.4. The video for that lesson was 24 minutes. You can close-caption the video in English or Spanish and then play it with or without sound. So, first you read the text and/or watch the video lesson. You get a point for watching the video. My daughter, of course, found the <span style="color: #990000;">loophole </span>in that you get the point for just clicking on the video. If you close it down 2 seconds later, you still get the point as though you watched the whole thing!<br />
<br />
Then you move to the practice questions. For this lesson, it said there were 37 questions -- even though there were only 35. (It could be that they meant points, because you get points for videos and such so that might change the number.) You can see your percent correct and the number you have completed so far as you go along. In the question box, there is a clearly worded question or equation to solve. Below the line, there is space for you to fill in the answer. The big reminder is that if you use fractions, always simplify first or you will get it wrong! I thought the question/answers were very well done.<br />
<br />
So, you work the problem and fill in the answer for number one. You can click "Check Answer" to get immediate feedback. The responses are many and nicely varied, including: "good job", "well done," "fantastic," and "nice work!" If you get it right, you get a point and can move on. If you get it wrong, you can re-do the same problem right then. The feedback for a wrong answer is also somewhat varied, but says something like "Sorry! Your answer is incorrect." Then there is a reminder rule given of how to solve the problem. I purposely put in a wrong answer at one point (okay, I really got it wrong!) to see the response. The response was a repetition of the rule for the lesson in using exponents, but did not address what I messed up which was the decimal point. <br />
<br />
If you feel you need continued practice, you can then select "Choose Similar Example" and work another problem of the same type. If you are confused, you can click on "Help Me Solve" for a detailed explanation. Or choose "View Example" or "Text" or "Ask Teacher" or "Print." We only tried the first two options. If she needs to ask the teacher, I am standing right next to her.<br />
<br />
During the 35+ problems for this lesson, I found it odd that two were repeats. I don't know if this was done on purpose, or if there is a random list of examples, or if there was a glitch. Either way, those 2 were really easy because Holly just looked at the scratch paper where she had worked them the first time! <br />
<br />
You <b><span style="color: #38761d;">must get a 90%</span></b> on each lesson in order to pass onto the next lesson. I think this is where some major confusion came in during the first couple of days. We are used to texts -- and even video instruction -- where you can flip the pages or move around at your own leisure and decision and look at other areas of the "book." This program appears to be locked down (at least, I did not find a way to unlock it). When you finish the first 8 practice units, you then can take a quiz. When you pass the quiz, you can take the test, and so on. You cannot go ahead or skip around. I do like that you have to get 90% -- working toward mastery. <br />
<br />
There were 113 assignments for <span style="color: #0b5394;">Algebra I</span>, including homework, quizzes, tests and final exams. Again, you can add more assignments, tests, quizzes, etc. at will. I could be wrong, but I thought that most homeschoolers would not use that feature very much -- unless they were previously public school teachers. I guess I can only really say that <u>I</u> would not use it.<br />
<br />
After you complete your practice "homework," you can view a chart of your results for the week. You can see the number you got correct for each lesson, your score, the time spent and the date/time you completed it. The teacher, from his/her vantage point, has access to all this information as well. So, if you have specific due dates, you can make sure they were met. And, of course, the computer grades everything for you. (That is nice.)<br />
<br />
So, again, I thought the registration process was easy. I thought the video for "how to answer" was well done. And the lesson text and videos were well done. I liked the ability to highlight or add notes to the text, but I thought otherwise there were too many bells and whistles that most homeschoolers would find superfluous -- and that meant there were a lot of confusing things to wade through in order to find the meat of the product. The instructions for what to do (how to get started) were not intuitively obvious and could be made much simpler. Once you get in there, the math seems to be solid and understandable. I would prefer more flexibility in reading/looking ahead or even trying ahead.<br />
<br />
Pearson sells <a href="http://www.pearsonmylab.com/">My Math Lab</a> parent access for $30 and the student access for $49.97. You do need both according to the instruction folder. You receive access for eighteen months. You <u>do</u> need separate student access kits for every course. Other courses offered by Pearson are: Developmental Math, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Trigonometry, Business Math, Statistics, Computer Math, and others. Pearson has other labs besides math -- social studies, reading, and more -- be sure and check those out too!<br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #bf9000;">Disclaimer:</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #bf9000;">As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge in exchange for an honest review. To see more reviews of this product, click <a href="http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/">here</a>. </span></i>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-26261985656610323472012-05-20T06:41:00.000-07:002012-05-20T06:41:55.461-07:00Amazing History Resource!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/History/Heritage%20History/HeritageHistoryThumbnail.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/History/Heritage%20History/HeritageHistoryThumbnail.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php">Heritage History</a> is "putting the 'story' back in 'history'." A homeschooling mom and dad from Washington State have collected over 500 children's history stories that have long since gone out of print, and reproduced them in one easy, convenient location. Looking for a story from Ancient Greece or the Spanish Empire days? They've got them. You can find and read all of the stories online, but for your convenience, and in order to support their efforts at preserving history, you can purchase CDs or e-reader versions. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"The mission of Heritage History is to make old-fashioned history books, written for the enjoyment of young people, easily available."</span><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/History/Heritage%20History/HeritageHistory-BritishEmpireCD.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/History/Heritage%20History/HeritageHistory-BritishEmpireCD.png" /></span></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was given a copy of <span style="color: #674ea7;"><a href="http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage-store.php?pid=hcc_hcc_british-empire_1">British Empire</a></span> to review. From the cover: This curriculum "focuses on 18th and 19th century world history, presented from a British viewpoint. Stories that highlight achievements of modern Britain, such as scientific discovery, exploration, invention and industry, and the rise of international commerce are featured, along with those that cover the regional histories of Ireland, Canada, British Africa, and East Asia."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A few of the 57 stories included are:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Struggle for Sea Power</i><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Our Island Story - the Hanoverians</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Oom Paul's People</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Boy of Old Japan</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Thrilling Deeds of British Airmen</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Boy's Book of Battles</i><br />
</span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Heroes of the Indian Mutiny</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Captain Cook</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Horatio Nelson</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>In the Days of Queen Victoria</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Florence Nightengale</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and <i>Land of the Golden Trade</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Don't some of those titles just MAKE you want to grab up the book and read it? There's more to it than just the books that have been captured and preserved. This disc also holds 50 historical maps. My son just loves to look at stuff like that! </span><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/History/Heritage%20History/HeritageHistory-BritishEmpireTG.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/History/Heritage%20History/HeritageHistory-BritishEmpireTG.png" /></span></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"<span style="color: #674ea7;">Heritage History </span>[also] provides pre-printed study guides to accompany each of its Classical Curriculum CDs. Each study guide includes historical maps, outline maps, time-lines, era summaries, character lists, battle dictionaries, recommend[ed] reading lists and other study aids." A huge wealth of information that would supplement any history study -- if not fulfill all of it. If you buy the CDs, you get the study guide included in .pdf form. If you just want to read the stories online, you can purchase the study guide separately pre-printed in color for $24.99 or download for $12.99.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, for this CD, you get 57 books, 50 maps and the study guide for $24.99. What an amazing resource. <span style="color: #674ea7;">The website is really well done</span>, easy to navigate and gives you lots of "freebies" as you go along. You can easily tell what stories are geared for elementary and which are geared for "intermediate" or "advanced" readers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There are other eras to choose from. Besides British Empire, there is:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Ancient Greece</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Ancient Rome</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Middle Ages & Reformation</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>British Middle Ages</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Christian Europe</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Early Modern to 20th Century</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Introduction to Western Civilization</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Spanish Empire</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and <i>Young Readers</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you want your kids to ENJOY history, rather than just PASS history, then take a few minutes and really <a href="http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php">check these out</a>! I think you will be glad you did! There is a spring sale going on right now, <a href="http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage-store.php?pid=special">buy 2, get one free</a>!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span>
<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Disclaimer:</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As part of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was provided a free copy of The Heritage History British Empire Classical Curriculum CD for free in exchange for an honest review.</span></i><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</span></span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-47597802383453468122012-05-11T09:00:00.000-07:002012-05-13T15:07:19.922-07:00"Every Time We Learn Something about Science..."<b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"...we learn something about our Creator, God!"</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">These words are echoed after every experiment on the <b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.libraryanded.com/goscience/">Go Science</a></span></b> videos. Presenter Ben Roy, who combines the enthusiasm of a fitness trainer with the sparkle of a magician, puts a ton of energy into teaching kids about, well, energy, but also about motion, magnetism, electricity, engineering and design. Mr. Roy "teaches science methods at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is the former director of a science program on television." He also puts on mobile science shows. You can find out more about him at the <a href="http://gosciencezone.com/">Science Zone</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was privileged to view <span style="color: #45818e;">Volumes 1</span> and <span style="color: #134f5c;">3</span> of a six-volume DVD set. I set the player to start without telling my kids what I was doing. My 13 year-old son almost immediately came over, lay down in front of the TV and began watching. My 15 year-old daughter pretended not to be too interested, but she kept peeking over the newspaper and watching as well.</span><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/Science/GOSCI6101L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/Science/GOSCI6101L.jpg" /></span></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On <span style="color: #38761d;">Volume 1: Motion: Discovering the Laws of Gravity and Motion</span>, we liked the Gyroscope experiment the best. Besides using a regulation gyroscope, Mr. Roy set a bicycle wheel spinning on a small rope. You wouldn't think it would keep steady, but it does! He explained the science behind it in simple terms, but then went on to use the gyroscope as an object lesson about how Jesus Christ helps us maintain our balance in life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The next experiment, the Newtonian Cradle, was another favorite. Mr. Roy used a hugely over-sized version of the five clacking balls you sometimes find on people's desks. I think this was the best demonstration I have ever seen of Newton's Law of Motion: "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There were seven demonstrations on <span style="color: #45818e;">Volume 1</span>, each averaging about 4 to 5 minutes, for a total of 30 minutes. Some other experiments were the Ring and Chain (we still can't figure that one out!), the Frisbee, the Egg Spin, and Inertia. The final experiment on that disc was the Ball, Ring and Sphere. For part of it, he used one of those crazy toys called a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/John-N-Hansen-M1335-Hoberman/dp/B0000E6I1F/ref=sr_1_125?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1336349390&sr=1-125">Hoberman Sphere</a> to explain how atoms can be close together or far apart. That was pretty neat!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/Science/GOSCI6103L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/Science/GOSCI6103L.jpg" /></span></a></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On <span style="color: #38761d;">Volume 3: Magnetism, Electricity, Engineering, Design</span>, there were one or two experiments that would probably only appeal to the younger crowd: mixing colors, monster magnets, and making a compass -- pretty basic. But, then Mr. Roy brought out some heavy equipment like a Tesla Coil, a Jacob's Ladder, and one of those Static Electricity makers which everybody loves to watch. These would capture the interest of the older kids, plus they are things you don't generally have laying around the house!</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The final discussion on that disc was about plastic pre-forms, and since he was just showing a small test tube and a 2 liter bottle and talking about how one can turn into the other, I was thinking, "This is not too exciting." But, then, he went on talking about how we are like that pre-form tube, waiting for when Jesus returns and changes our flawed sinful bodies into new, perfect, and whole ones. Then I thought, "This was the best one of all!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #45818e;">Volume 3</span> was a longer video, almost 55 minutes. This one held 14 demonstrations, averaging 4 minutes each. Obviously, these short video segments are only supplements to use with your regular science curriculum, but I think they would make a nice visual addition to your teaching arsenal. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The suggested age-range for these videos is 6 to 14. I would probably cut that to 6 to 12. Not because the demonstrations wouldn't interest the older crowd, but because the explanations weren't detailed enough for them.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/Science/LESlogowhite.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TOSCrew2011/Science/LESlogowhite.gif" /></span></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I loved how unashamedly Christian these DVDs are. You can buy the set of 6 for $47.95 or individually for $8.97/each (a savings of $6 off retail). I ordered them through <a href="http://www.libraryanded.com/goscience/">Library and Educational Services</a> which is a small Christian family company in Michigan who offers the same wholesale discounts to homeschoolers as they do to other types of schools. Be sure to check them out as well!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Disclaimer:</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I was given Volumes 1 and 3 of the Go Science videos for free in exchange for an honest review.</span></i></span></span></span></span></div>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322619038161496432.post-72771814280249914682012-05-06T19:05:00.001-07:002012-05-06T19:05:05.313-07:00What I'm Doing Right Now<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The thing about Facebook is that people love to post what they are doing "right now." I am eating a sandwich right now. I am enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with the folks right now. I am playing a game with my son right now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But, are you really doing those things "right now?" How can you be doing those things and typing them up at the same time? How engaged are you with your sandwich, your folks, or your kids, if you have to bend your head, look away, pick up your electronic device, and think about what to tell everyone (who really aren't that interested, by the way)?</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It used to be the cell phone. We'd be out at dinner, and I'd see a couple ostensibly on a date, or a parent supposedly "spending time with their kids." But, they were cradling the cell phone and talking with someone else. Their partner or image-bearer were left rather bored and lonely.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Before that, it was the video recorder. I remember those big clunky things and the person who was behind the view-finder was literally out of the action for the day. They did not "live" that day -- they merely recorded what everyone else did.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To paraphrase Tennyson, "It is better to have lived and not recorded it all, than to have never lived at all."</span></span></span></span></span>Colleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657494502096028283noreply@blogger.com0