I know I haven't posted for a while, but I still use the links to the left all the time. I found one for Thanksgiving that is great and wanted to point out to other homeschooling/non-homeschooling families checking out this blog. Click on the link to the left for the free social studies curriculums and click on either the American Heritage elementary, middle school, or high school link according to your child's age. Scroll down and open the pdf file for the Thanksgiving Unit. It's brief but it's a good start.
Here are some more links to other Thanksgiving projects:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/
http://www.sail1620.org/teaching_games.shtml#ColoringBook
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/celebrate/thanksgiving-coloring-pages/
http://abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/thanksgiving/
This one has some really fun stuff, including some cards to print off on card stock for a Thanksgiving memory game that we have already played and loved. It helps develop terms like "Mayflower" "Squanto" and "Pilgrims" in little kids' memories.
Most importantly, may our eyes be focused on thanking the Lord this Thanksgiving ahead of all of our modern-day traditions, just as our leaders have done before us, including Abe Lincoln. The main focus is what the pilgrims did: they left a life of what most Americans would consider "comfort" for the freedom to worship God as their almighty, merciful Father whom they each knew through a personal relationship with Christ. That kind of intimacy was against what the Church of England and those state churches allowed and thus, the pilgrims endured incredible hardship and for almost half of them, death, all for the freedom to continue their personal relationships with the Lord Jesus Christ. (Praise God for those of us who know that it's worth it!) Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Biblical Commands to Homeschool
I wanted to share a couple of articles that share what the Bible says about homeschooling. As said by HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association):
"God has delegated the authority and responsibility to teach and raise children to the parents first. Parents can delegate their authority to teach and raise children to someone else, but they can never delegate their responsibility to teach their children to anyone else. God will hold parents responsible for what education their children receive (whether from teachers, books, projects, or peers). To whom much is given, much is required. We have a free choice in this country to not send our children to an ungodly public school—we will, all the more, be responsible. Remember, our children are dying souls entrusted to our care!"
For the rest of their article, including Scripture to back this up, go to:
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000069.asp
According to another online article, "Spiritual training is even more important than academic training, and it doesn't happen by accident; it must be purposeful and habitual."
Later, the article says, "Public schools are spiritual battlegrounds for our children. They are inundated with anti-Christian doctrine, relative morality, and secular humanistic theories. The Bible says, "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good morals'" (1 Corinthians 15:33, NAS). Children tend to adopt the values of those with whom they spend the most time. In school, they are daily exposed to the value systems of non-Christian students, teachers, and faculty. They may be told that homosexuality is simply an "alternative lifestyle," that abortion is acceptable, and sex before marriage is normal, and even healthy."
Opting for private school doesn't eliminate the problems of peer dependency as listed in the Socialization blog entry below. "In biblical times, children were primarily educated and socialized by their families and simply by living and working in society. Instead of being put in age-segregated classrooms for the majority of the day, they learned to communicate with adults and children of all ages."
For the rest of this article, go to:
http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-homeschool.html
I wanted to say one thing: Doesn't it seem odd that so many moms desire to be or train to be teachers? Could this have something to do with the way the Lord created moms with the desire and passion to teach their own children? Maybe, just maybe, our society has deceived us to think that the passion to be a teacher should be used to benefit other children at the risk of our own children?
"God has delegated the authority and responsibility to teach and raise children to the parents first. Parents can delegate their authority to teach and raise children to someone else, but they can never delegate their responsibility to teach their children to anyone else. God will hold parents responsible for what education their children receive (whether from teachers, books, projects, or peers). To whom much is given, much is required. We have a free choice in this country to not send our children to an ungodly public school—we will, all the more, be responsible. Remember, our children are dying souls entrusted to our care!"
For the rest of their article, including Scripture to back this up, go to:
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000069.asp
According to another online article, "Spiritual training is even more important than academic training, and it doesn't happen by accident; it must be purposeful and habitual."
Later, the article says, "Public schools are spiritual battlegrounds for our children. They are inundated with anti-Christian doctrine, relative morality, and secular humanistic theories. The Bible says, "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good morals'" (1 Corinthians 15:33, NAS). Children tend to adopt the values of those with whom they spend the most time. In school, they are daily exposed to the value systems of non-Christian students, teachers, and faculty. They may be told that homosexuality is simply an "alternative lifestyle," that abortion is acceptable, and sex before marriage is normal, and even healthy."
Opting for private school doesn't eliminate the problems of peer dependency as listed in the Socialization blog entry below. "In biblical times, children were primarily educated and socialized by their families and simply by living and working in society. Instead of being put in age-segregated classrooms for the majority of the day, they learned to communicate with adults and children of all ages."
For the rest of this article, go to:
http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-homeschool.html
I wanted to say one thing: Doesn't it seem odd that so many moms desire to be or train to be teachers? Could this have something to do with the way the Lord created moms with the desire and passion to teach their own children? Maybe, just maybe, our society has deceived us to think that the passion to be a teacher should be used to benefit other children at the risk of our own children?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
It's a Way of Life!
I thought I'd put a little bit on here about the difference between our homeschooling and some of the other "homeschooling" going on out there. I would like to clarify that for us and many other homeschoolers, homeschooling is A WAY OF LIFE, not a way of doing school. Recently, we met some neighbors who said they "tried" homeschooling but it got boring. The child said he would do his schoolwork in an hour or two and then go back to sleep since there was nothing else to do.
I am telling you this so that you'll understand that just because you hear someone saying they "homeschool", please reject the tendency to associate their way of life with ours. Our homeschooling means we live and look at the world differently. We plan field trips and extra learning ventures together, and most importantly, we make learning a family effort.
This situation has come up partly as a result of the new virtual schools (online school). The homeschooling organizations that we are a part of, including HSLDA, are very clear in their position against these schools as "homeschools." For their reasons and more information, read this:
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/C/CharterSchools.asp
This page also has an article on the dangers of families, especially Christian families, thinking charter schools are a healthy alternative to homeschooling. I hope these articles will help clear up some of the confusion caused by those who view homeschooling as just another way of "getting school done."
I am telling you this so that you'll understand that just because you hear someone saying they "homeschool", please reject the tendency to associate their way of life with ours. Our homeschooling means we live and look at the world differently. We plan field trips and extra learning ventures together, and most importantly, we make learning a family effort.
This situation has come up partly as a result of the new virtual schools (online school). The homeschooling organizations that we are a part of, including HSLDA, are very clear in their position against these schools as "homeschools." For their reasons and more information, read this:
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/C/CharterSchools.asp
This page also has an article on the dangers of families, especially Christian families, thinking charter schools are a healthy alternative to homeschooling. I hope these articles will help clear up some of the confusion caused by those who view homeschooling as just another way of "getting school done."
Further Links for Socialization Articles
Here's a couple more links for further reading on the issue of socialization I addressed below.
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000068.asp
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20050526/researchers-say-socialization-no-longer-an-issue.htm
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000068.asp
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20050526/researchers-say-socialization-no-longer-an-issue.htm
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The "S" Word
Socialization-Yes, I said it; the "S" word of homeschooling. Since this is the first thing non-homeschoolers always think of, I thought I'd start out by sharing an excerpt on this topic from our family's Homeschool Brochure that we carry around.
In a study of social and emotional development of 9-year olds from private schools and homeschools, home educated children perceived their parents as primary authority figures more often than those in the private-school education.
Data from children that were home educated for at least six years showed they were fiercely independent and strongly emphasized the importance of family.
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20
In a study done by teams at Cornell, it was found that children who spend more time with their peers than with their parents until about fifth grade will become peer dependent. Obviously, this pertains to children spending countless hours in a school building, whether it be private or public school.
Rick Boyer, father of 14 homeschooled children, notes that peer group socialization in school system settings results in making children dependent on their peers, subjecting children to constant attacks on their self-esteem, and isolation from the real “adult” world.
Please feel free to share your comments! Thanks!
In a study of social and emotional development of 9-year olds from private schools and homeschools, home educated children perceived their parents as primary authority figures more often than those in the private-school education.
Data from children that were home educated for at least six years showed they were fiercely independent and strongly emphasized the importance of family.
“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20
In a study done by teams at Cornell, it was found that children who spend more time with their peers than with their parents until about fifth grade will become peer dependent. Obviously, this pertains to children spending countless hours in a school building, whether it be private or public school.
Rick Boyer, father of 14 homeschooled children, notes that peer group socialization in school system settings results in making children dependent on their peers, subjecting children to constant attacks on their self-esteem, and isolation from the real “adult” world.
Please feel free to share your comments! Thanks!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Blog Layout
Okay, here's what the layout of this blog is going to be. The links I will be posting on the sidebars of this blog will focus on subject materials that are for entire curriculum/study packages only. They will not include links for individual games, lessons, etc. I will use that section only for full curriculum resources. Throughout the blog postings, I will give you various links for things like fun games, resources, etc. I will work on this as often as possible to provide parents with much-needed materials for the new school year starting soon (for those who start in the fall like the public schools). Thanks!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Welcome!
I am starting this blog for a few reasons. First of all, it is my sincere goal to provide an entire one-stop resource guide for homeschooling parents to homeschool completely free of financial cost. It is my goal that homeschooling parents will be able to find curriculum for free for every grade and learning style of all of their children without spending hours on the computer.
This blog is dedicated to both the many parents I personally know and to those I haven't met that had a heart for homeschooling their children but didn't pursue it for financial concerns. I pray this blog will be a blessing to current and potential homeschooling families everywhere.
This blog is dedicated to both the many parents I personally know and to those I haven't met that had a heart for homeschooling their children but didn't pursue it for financial concerns. I pray this blog will be a blessing to current and potential homeschooling families everywhere.
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