homeschooling

“If your children know Saxon Math better than the Proverbs, they are not being properly educated.” -Kevin Swanson

And right about here we say, “Yeah, I know…Proverbs….teach them the Bible.  OK so we read the Proverbs but that isn’t going to make them smart or “successful” in the world.”

And we all admit that as Christian homeschoolers, though we understand the theory of a solid, biblical education, we want them to be competitive in the work force, academically savvy, and often we just don’t know what to do or what to teach.

Swanson recounts his wife calling him from home one day.

“I can’t do this (homeschool) anymore.”

“What?!  You can’t just quit!  I’m the executive director of the Home Educators of Colorado!”

“Then YOU come home and do it.”

She relayed her frustrations about coming home from a homeschool vendor exhibit where 300 curriculum vendors claimed to be “the best.”

“If only God could have written a curriculum.” she said.

Kevin answered, “He did.  (And it’s not A Beka.) It’s the Proverbs.”

I don’t believe Swanson is saying that the book of Proverbs is the only curriculum we should use.  I believe he is suggesting that the principles from Proverbs, when studied, learned, internalized and put to practice, will give our children tremendous advantage as students as well as in their life endeavors.  Like sharpening a saw before cutting a tree, the life-principles will put them ahead in all they do.

Some of the wealthiest men in the country were asked the “secret” to their success.  I looked up a few myself.  Answers included:

• Strong men don’t compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised.
• Work hard–don’t be lazy.
• Be honest.
• Don’t borrow money.
• Find a good wife.
• Be diligent in your work….pursue excellence.
• Plan well.
• Be teachable.

Every answer is straight from Proverbs.

Academics are important only to the extent that we equip them with the character behind it to use their knowledge for the glory of God.

Our homeschool will be more heavily focused on studying Proverbs this year.

How to teach the Proverbs

How do we teach the Proverbs?  Reading them is good, memorizing them is better, but studying them and applying the principles to daily situations is where life-habits are internalized.  This is where  our “motherhood-rubber meets the road”.  Study the traits, study the meaning of the words, give examples to illustrate the principles, then be ready, in every situation at home, to apply them personally.

Are your children speaking unkindly?  It’s not enough to say “Stop that!”  Give them a reference from Proverbs (e.g. “pleasant words are like a honeycomb“).  All motivation for behavior should ultimately come from “Thus says the Lord”.

His ways ARE right and those who follow them will be blessed!  Let’s believe that!

Think Outside the Classroom

$4.97  

Are you a homeschooling mother who worries that you aren’t “doing enough”? Are you thinking of homeschooling but feel afraid that you aren’t qualified? If so, read more…

What a perfect example to demonstrate how very bad I am at scheduling anything.  Schedules almost make me break out in hives, though my inward self salivates in the Daily Planner aisle.

I hope to hereby designate Fridays for sharing my favorite products with you, but as you can see, I’ve already fouled up my very first one.  We returned from Texas Wednesday morning at 4 am, and I haven’t been the same since.  I must have skipped a day somewhere in all that traveling 😉

But without further ado, let me tell you about some books I am crazy about!  Many of you enjoy the books at Beautiful Feet Books, But if you haven’t checked them out, you must!

The brainchild of Russell and Rea Berg, Beautiful Feet Books “is committed to integrating the best works of children’s literature into all aspects of the educational curriculum by publishing noted authors and study guides that enable parents and teachers to incorporate those works easily into a comprehensive study”.

Inspired by Susan Schaffer Macaulay, Rea began to pursue “living books” to incorporate into her homeschooling but found that many of the great historical works had fallen out of print.  She and her husband have resurrected some of these wonderful books and have created study guides to assist parents who wish to implement a literature-based education.

Our family just unpacked 6 great books from BFB:

1. Augustus Caesar’s World--Genevieve Foster
2. George Washington’s World–Genevieve Foster
   
3. Buffalo Bill–D’Aulaire
4. Abraham Lincoln–D’Aulaire
5. George Washington–D’Aulaire
6. Benjamin Franklin–D’Aulaire

My children are so attentive as we read through the living histories of these men, full of colorful illustrations and engaging narrative.   Once we got a taste of reading living books for school, it was difficult, at best, to stomach a history text book.

And if you’re like me, fully knowing the benefits of “living books” but struggling to know which ones to choose, the Bergs have made that easy.  I highly recommend you peruse Beautiful Feet Books and invest in your family library!

Based on the learning philosophy I talked about in the last Relaxed Homeschooling post, there are numerous ways parents can help facilitate a lifestyle of learning within their homes.  The following are only a few ideas to help spark educational opportunities for your children:

1. Subscribe to an educational magazine (or look for older copies in lots on Ebay); just be mindful of the publisher’s worldview.  I like to “bait” the house with these magazines that spark terrific conversation.
2. Collect resource guides and field guides about animals, plants, etc. and teach your children how to use them.
3. Get a telescope and microscope and let them explore.
4. Get into the habit of saying, “Let’s look it up”.  Show them how to look up information they are interested in finding.
5. Look for conversational opportunities and expand them.
   • For example, if a child says to you, “What kind of bear is this?” You could answer “a panda” and end the conversation. But if you demonstrate an excitement about learning, you can show your child that each subject opens up a world of learning possibilities. With a small child you can offer him different descriptive words about the panda. Couple synonyms together to transfer the meaning of harder words. “He is very big. He is gigantic. He is enormous.” (or colossal, etc.) With older children you may ask, “I wonder where pandas live?” Give them a feel for the way a country is also part of a continent and familiarize them with the name of the continent. These aren’t formal lessons, but rather, you are creating “learning hooks” on which more and more information can be hung as they discover more about the world.
6. Utilize time in the car. Use the sights to explain and describe activities. Listen for questions and answer them as thoroughly as possible.
7. Encourage them to play outside, collect interesting objects, draw them, and observe them for a length of time.  Caterpillars are especially fun to watch metamorphose.
8. Keep building and craft materials available to children.  Blocks, Lincoln Logs, Legos, etc.  Play-Doh, though messy is good too.  Paper, glue, scissors, stickers, felt, Popsicle sticks, cardboard, etc.
9. Severely limit computer games, movie-watching, etc.  Most children do not default to creativity when recreation is readily available.  Boredom, left untreated, can open up a whole new world to a child.

The simplicity of educating our children, as I see it, is having our eyes open for the opportunities that abound all around us and being available to use them.

Do you want to know more about how to do “relaxed homeschooling”? My ebook gives a simple, practical explanation: Think Outside the Classroom

Literature, Liturgy, Language and Leisure

By Rea Berg

Literature

“Looking at literature first, let’s examine how it works to this end. The primary work of literature to which we owe the greatest attention is the Scriptures. No other book has the power to transform our minds, renew our spirits, comfort our emotional pains, or correct our flawed ways. When we give it primacy, no matter what life throws at us we will be firmly established on the Rock.

But how does a young mother carve out time for the Scriptures when nursing babies and nocturnal feedings have left her too sleep deprived to even consider early morning devotions? Or care for an elderly parent has left us fatigued and spent? As a young mother with four little ones under the age of 6, I struggled painfully to try to set aside those morning times, with little success. I wish someone had given me the wise advice that Susan Schaeffer Macaulay incorporated into her life! It would have saved me years of guilt.

Rather than lamenting the loss of an early morning quiet time, Susan profited from following in the footsteps of her mentor, Charlotte Mason, who planned her days so that the best time of each day was set aside to spend in leisure with God—right after her afternoon walk outside. For her, teatime was the time for personal leisure, a time when she felt “quite fresh.” Having worked hard all day and soon to start again, she’d look forward to this hour when she could give full attention to God and “feed on His promises with thanksgiving.”³ How wonderfully liberating this pursuit then becomes! We are not constrained to a forced duty but are refreshed by a special time set aside to bask and enjoy our Lord in prayer and in his Word.

Other literature choices then round out our day as we study history through biography, historical novels, and Shakespeare, and for little ones, historical picture books, poetry, limericks, folk tales, and fairy tales. These choices then build upon and enhance our knowledge of life and human nature while giving wisdom and building character. Even on a day when the children are all sick and sleep has been lost due to coughs and upset tummies, joy and dignity can be found through curling up together before a fire, getting out a much-loved family read-aloud, brewing a comforting cup of tea, and momentarily escaping the present through the wonder of words.”

Copyright 2009, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com