Bible - One More Thing

I forgot to mention something else in our plans to do. We plan to read a chapter of Proverbs that is associated with the day of the month it is. For instance today we would read chapter 5 since today is August 5th. Each month we will rotate different translations and compare them. There's nothing like something simple!

On the Subject of Bible

At our home, Bible is not always a separate "subject" although we have enough hours to give it a credit. Our Bible teaching follows that of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 which says, "All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." We do have several tools that we use to accomplish this goal. First of all, the church stands beside us and uses materials published by Children Desiring God (Desiring God Ministries) and AWANA. Both have provided a strong foundation for our children. For our youth studies such as Wild About You, His Girl, and Lies Young Women Believe are used in their 3D groups. For daily guidance and correction, I utilize For Instruction in Righteousness from Doorposts. I can't say enough about this reference. We will continue in our memorization of the Westminster Catechism and incorporate penmanship. I will probably also practice some Children's Bible Drill skills with Hunter and Holly. We will be doing a formal study of Bible history using materials from Veritas Press. We want our children to have a chronological understanding of the events in the Bible. Outside sources used to accomplish this goal include the Child's Story Bible, Victor Journey Through the Bible, and Bible atlases. A Biblical worldview is presented in each subject we study.

Record Keeping

One of the biggest struggles I had while teaching public school was the record keeping. Writing down lesson plans and then averaging grades was quite time consuming. A few years ago my homeschool mentor Bonnie introduced me to Homeschool Tracker (www.homeschooltracker.com). This has been a lifesaver. I started out with the basic version that is free, but quickly learned how valuable the Plus version is. It now costs $49. but every time they develop a new update, you get it for free. (I think I paid only $35. for ours). This unique software helps you keep attendance, hours, and grades. During the summer I decide what I want our school year to be. We generally run from July 1 - June 30. I set holidays and vacations that suit our family. Then I set up the lesson plans for each subject for the entire year. This takes a little time, but I guess I need something to do while the kids are at the pool. On the weekend prior to our week of school I "assign" lessons to the days of the week. It may take 20 minutes for all 4 kids. I then print them each off an assignment sheet so that they know what to do each day. HT also averages the grades. All I do is input how many points possible and how many are correct. I classify it as homework, quiz, test, project, lab, or a custom named one and it will even do weighted grading. HT keeps track of field trips, a book log, and journal. The reports it will publish are phenomenal. I can print assignment sheets, report cards, and even transcripts! This makes it such a valuable tool for high school. There's still several things I haven't learned in using this, but for now I can't recommend it enough.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I just love this time of year! The store shelves are stocked with all kinds of school supplies. I must confess to my long time habit of sniffing crayons. There's just something about the aroma of formed wax creating precious memories of my childhood. Believe it or not, I have other friends who do this very same thing. Goodbye cardboard supply box and paste that you screwed off the lid and spread on the paper with the wand and hello thumb drive and vault box! I'll share some of my favorites with you. First of all, I skimp on the binders. We buy the under $1 economy type and they've held up well for us. I also buy the cheap notebook paper and spiral notebooks. What I don't compromise on is pencils. I only buy Dixon Ticonderoga. They may not be as cute as the others, but they have erasers that cleanly erase like none other! I have yet to find a good pencil sharpener. A friend recommended the old Boston that has 8 different sizes and you crank the handle. We may try that one out. I also buy Crayola crayons and colored pencils. My exception to this is I occasionally buy Prismacolor Scholar colored pencils. Prang watercolors have the most brilliant color for the price. We buy our specialty paper from Miller Pads and Paper. Their prices beat the local discount store and their selection is great. They supply us with high quality penmanship paper, sketch books, construction paper, and blank books. We only use graph paper for math (all ages) and they sell it by the ream. With Haley taking Geometry we added a compass, protractor, and a good ruler. The girls like to use Zebra pens and occasionally I'll buy them the cute Sharpie markers or highlighters. We color code with tape as much as possible to keep track of what belongs to who. Thankfully we bought Haley's TI-84+ calculator last year, so the only thing left for us to get is their stylish yet strong messenger bags from American Eagle. As you buy school supplies for your children this year, don't forget to take advantage of the low prices to stock up to fill Operation Christmas Child boxes or share with a family in need. Happy shopping!

Why Do We Homeschool?

Through the month of August I will be writing a series of blogs that pertain to "Back to School." I will outline what we use in our homeschool and why, as well as highlight some of our outside sources. It's hard to believe that we're about to begin our 9th year! We first began homeschooling because of the flexibility. While Haley was in first grade, Tim's work had him scheduled with Sunday and Monday off. We had our family day while Haley went to school. The flexibilty came in handy during Tim's mobilization. It was a matter of picking up our books and heading out to visit him. Another reason why we homeschool is because we feel like our children receive the best individualized education that holds our Christian Worldview. Not all children learn alike and through homeschooling we are able to use the right curriculum that matches each learning style. If one struggles in one area, we can give it extra attention, while allowing them to excell in their strengths. We choose curriculum that is written with a Biblical perspective and/or is taught that way. Most importantly we homeschool because God has called us to. We see it as an act of obedience. Trust me, I've had many days when I've been tempted to enroll them in the local public school! I've pleaded with God at points (especially in this last year) to let me put them in school. God clearly said to me one night back in 2002 - "If that's what you want, I will see that you will be blessed. However, it's not the desire of My heart for your family." Tim and I together want the desire of God's heart. Does this mean we will homeschool until Holly graduates? Only God knows that. We still evaluate year by year. Do I look down upon my friends that send their kids to public or private schools? Absolutley not! God can be everywhere in every kind of school. There are excellent Christian teachers out there teaching in schools everywhere. We're just following His plan for us.

Brothers - Meet Conner and Pierce

Many of you know that Hunter has feverently prayed for a brother over the last couple of years. His little heart was broken as he saw God give his two best friends baby brothers of their own (and they weren't asking for them). While he was convinced that God wasn't hearing his prayers, we were able to explain that God doesn't always answer in the way we expect Him to, but has a bigger plan. Before school was out, Hunter's prayer was beginning to be answered. (Despite the record number of people I've learned are pregnant this week, no I am not one of them). Our neighbors Julie and Johnny have two precious boys. She was needing someone to watch them this summer on the days that she worked (She's a great hairstylist by the way. I highly recommend her) and asked us. Through this need, Hunter has received not one, but two brothers for the summer. They have been with us 3 days and often play other times as well. They've played together, splashed together, attended Brown Bag Bunch and the movies, and have even fought with one another as true brothers do. I guess the only difference is, they sleep in their own beds across the street and we don't have to pay their college tuition. The beauty of this story is that they've been twice adopted. Before they were adopted by our family, Julie and Johnny adopted these two precious boys from Guatemala. They have truly been a blessing to us. It reminds me how we're adopted into God's family. While we don't deserve it, we have the opportunity to be called the sons and daughters of God.

Pray, Give, Go, . . . Test?

Ever since I was a young girl in GA's I've been taught that you should pray for missionaries, give so that others can go, and possibly go ourselves. Today I have a unique opportunity to serve those who are about to go out on the mission field. There is a family in our church whose children need to take achievement tests as a part of their application. They needed someone to test them. I would've never dreamed when I registered with BJU to become an qualified tester that God could use me in such a way. I'm by no means trying to toot my own horn. I just want to encourage others to serve the Lord in "not so traditional" ways. Please pray for these 3 girls that they will best show how intelligent they are (they are very smart), that we can get this done in a timely manner, and that their results will come back quickly as well.