Magic Medicine
July 31, 2008 by Nikowa
One night as we were getting ready for bed, our youngest son said, “I don’t feel good. My stomach hurts”. We looked in the medicine cabinet and couldn’t find any children’s medicine, so we did what every parent does. Fake it.
My husband quickly thought of the perfect remedy. He took his two hands and rubbed them together quickly (friction causing heat). Then he blew into his cuffed hands, sort of like you do on a cold winter day to keep your hands from becoming numb. Back and forth a few times he repeated this process. Our son was standing there wide-eyed, watching intently.
Daddy finally asked our son, “Are you ready?”
My youngest son nodded, yes.
“OK, lift up your shirt.” Daddy said
The wee one complied and Daddy put his warned up hands on his stomach, gently rubbing.
“There!” Daddy exclaimed. “That’s it, it is all better now”.
My son laid down and we overheard him telling his brother, “My stomach really does feel better! Daddy has Magic Medicine!”
Tonight, my other son isn’t feeling good and he requests “Daddy’s Magic medicine.”
Isn’t it great how you can just kiss away the boo-boo’s and give “Magic Medicine” and it really works? It’s wonderful how much faith, trust and love a child puts in their parents. What great joy and responsibility!
Wouldn’t it be great if we had some “Magic Medicine” that could make anything from an upset stomach to a heart break go away?
Well there is – God and His Word!
The way our children put blind faith in us, we should also do with God! He loves us and He’s here to help, all you have to do is ask. He tells us so in His Word.
Psalm 55:22 (NIV)
22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will
sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
We were not meant to deal with life’s troubles on our own. It’s okay to seek help. He loves us and wants to help! It’s important to seek His guidance first. Just as we are to care for our children, He’s waiting for us to cast our cares upon Him.
Nahum 1:7 (NIV)
7 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him.
There’s so much going on in today’s society and it’s so easy to get overwhelmed. To face the challenges of the day, we need a daily dose of His “Magic Medicine”. It’s truly nourishment for the soul!
Have you had your dose today?
Nikowa is a 2nd year homeschooling mom to two boys. (Ages 8 and 5) With her “learning never ends” philosophy, they have an eclectic year-round approach to learning. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys photography, organizing, cooking, reading, and knitting. She is a #1 LOST fan and watches UGA football too! (Go Dawgs!) You can visit Nikowa at Knowledge House Academy.
Happy Birthday Mandy!
We would like to wish our wonderful Mandy a very blessed birthday. Please stop by her blog at The Natural Noggin and leave her a birthday comment.
Idols and Effigies
July 30, 2008 by Renae
Everybody wants to be accepted. We try to find our niche, the place where we fit. Yet even when we’ve found our comfortable spot, the struggle with insecurity still rages.
In our society, it is sometimes hard to silence the noise. We are surrounded on every side by images and expectations. There are pictures from idol makers, who say what we should look like, on television, the internet, and even the check out aisle at the grocery store. If you are not young, beautiful, and smart your value diminishes. The expectations to be the perfect super model mom are unrealistic. My ideal is not to be in vogue, but to become a woman of righteousness.
Then add the whole issue of home schooling to the yelling. There aren’t many images in the media telling us what homeschool moms should look like, but there are plenty telling us what she does look like. Those negative stereotypes are of weary moms in frumpy clothes surrounded by piles of laundry, or horrifying images of insane mothers who killed their children. I fight against those stereotypes.
However, in my own mind, I have built an effigy of the perfectly organized, quietly patient, dynamically interesting, and stylishly groomed homeschool mom. I don’t know where this idea came from since I have yet to meet this lady; she is an idol of imagination.
To quiet the lies, I must replace them with truth. God’s plan is that I will be conformed to the image of Christ. It is not for me to decide if I’m worthy. Jesus already made that decision. He loves me weak as I am. The image He sets before me is a glimpse of His heart. Are my thoughts and intentions becoming more like His, or am I succumbing to the idols of the world?
The unseen is harder to deal with because it can’t be covered with make-up or cleaned with a vacuum. It is delicate work to be done by the Holy Spirit, and He is faithfully working even now to make me like the one I worship.
photo credit: stephmcg & Lori Greig
Renae teaches her ten-year-old son and two little girls at home. She has prepared lesson plans, enjoyed children’s literature, and delighted in discovery with her children for five years. By studying Principle Approach philosophy, she realized what she always suspected: the Bible lies at the heart of all subjects. Find her reflections at Life Nurturing Education.
Safely Home
July 30, 2008 by LisaV
At first, I thought this book would be too heavy for me, too difficult to bear. However, as I started reading the first chapter, I found myself engulfed by the story of two college roommates, one Chinese and the other American, who met at Harvard and were about to be reunited 20 years later.
The Chinese man, Li Quan, became a devout Christian at Harvard and returned to China after college. He married Minghua and they had one son, Li Shen. The American, Ben Fielding, became a successful businessman but was divorced with two daughters. Their lives intersect in China and, through dialogue, the author weaved the history of Christianity in China and the work of Chinese Christians in the present time. Randy Alcorn also provided a heavenly perspective on the Christian martyrs who have passed from this life to the next.
As an American of Chinese heritage, I felt an immediate affinity for the characters in this novel. The author deftly mixes English and Pinyin (Americanized Mandarin) to make the characters come to life. I can picture the people so clearly, hear their voices, and feel their joy and pain. The book made their emotions so raw and real, I found tears trickling down my face on several occasions mixed with laughter at the unexpected moments of humor. Quoting Scripture, the book also challenged my soul to purify my faith in Jesus, share it with others, and take an eternal view of life rather than simply a temporal one.
Ever since Missionary Tony Fox visited our church in October 2006 and shared his ministry to Chinese Christians, my heart has been moved to pray for our persecuted brethren and learn more about them. Our family has gained knowledge by subscribing to newsletters published by The Voice of the Martyrs and Gospel for Asia and supporting them financially when we can. May we continue to pray for the persecuted church and for ourselves, that our faith would be pure before God.
Lisa (aka Morning Rose) has been teaching her two elementary-aged sons for four years and incorporating study, work, service, and play into their homeschooling days. She enjoys reading, writing, and photography and blogs publicly at Pockets of Time and privately at Scooter and B.
Why did the chick cross the road?
July 29, 2008 by The Amies
To go home and attend the HOTM conference so she could win lots of stuff!
Tomorrow is the official start of the Heart of the Matter Online First Annual Virtual Conference! We are so excited and from all of your emails and posts we know that you all are too! This is the last day that you can get the tickets for the price of $29.95. Starting Wednesday it will go up to it’s official price of $39.95 and will remain that cost for the duration of the conference.
The speakers and vendors for our conference have been very generous with their donation of freebies and door prizes. Our freebie package alone exceeds $170 and it is worth every penny of the cost of that ticket!
Some of the freebies include:
- Author’s Project-Pak: five projects rotating around twenty four 19th and 20th century authors from Home School in the Woods.
- Bees Project Pack Lapbooking Unit written by Hands of a Child, provided by CurrClick.
- Teaching and Evaluating Writing audio from The Institute for Excellence in Writing.
- Dr. Funster’s Creative Thinking Puzzlers A1 from Bright Minds BRAIN-athon Emporium.
- 8 Great Ways to Save on Groceries from Simple Journey Ministries.
- What Really Happened During the Middle Ages from Knowledge Quest.
…there are so many more but we’ll leave that as a surprise. We can’t spoil all of the fun now can we?
We also have some more than 25 fabulous door prizes to award to some lucky attendees. Just think… you could be the lucky winner of:
- A set of Creation to Christ timeline figures or an Activity-Pak of choice from Home School in the Woods.
- An autographed copy of Heather Paulsen’s book Emotional Purity.
- An autographed copy of one of Kelli Crowe’s books…Designing with Details: A scrapbooking idea book or DW Recipe Book: Recipes for great scrapbook pages.
- One of five signed copies of Luke Holzmann’s children’s book Time for Friends.
- A $25 Amazon coupon gift certificate from Tiany Davis, founder of The Homeschool Lounge.
- A $50 gift card to Blue Thistle Book’s online store.
- A $50 Amazon gift certificate from the team here at Heart of the Matter.
…plus much more! So hurry up and get signed up to listen to our motivating speakers and to receive all of these great freebies AND chances to win these awesome prizes before the cost goes up.
Remember, MAC users will be able to get the audios for download after the conference. We anticipate it should take no longer than three weeks to get all of the files ready and available. If you have any questions please contact us at: the.amies@heartofthemattermagazine.com
We’ll see you there!
My 1st Science Notebook (Giveaway!)
July 28, 2008 by Karin
Congratulations to Cathy on being this week’s winner!
Geared for grades K-3, “My 1st Science Notebook” is a popular eBook available from Castle Heights Press whose focus is to teach the processes of science and scientific thinking.
Our goal is to help homeschoolers on a budget to teach real science. We incorporate the scientific method even at the elementary level.” ~ Castle Heights Press
Permission is given to make as many copies as you wish for your family. This is a really great feature for those of us with young ones because when they want to “do school” with their older siblings (and mine always insists on the EXACT same book) you can print them off a copy without feeling wasteful and then print another when they are old enough to complete it later.
My 1st Science Notebook” by Kathleen Julicher, is written for the student and is not intended to be a teachers guide, although there are some suggested, “Classic Experiments for Young children” in the back of the notebook. Parents can read the instructions and overview to younger students while older students will be able to easily follow the instructions and text on their own.
The notebook is divided into four units:
In Drawing students are encouraged to draw and label various items, such as: magnifying glass, leaf, clock and tree. An additional drawing page is included for you to photocopy as many times as needed, for drawing and labeling purposes.
Unit two covers Measuring. In this section students will draw and measure leaf growth over 10 days and then incorporate those measurments into a graph (also provided). Another exercise involves measuring plant growth starting from a seed over the course of several days and then graphing those results as well. In this unit students will also be exposed to measuring temperature by learning to read a thermometer and completing 3 exercises that use these skills including one entitled, “How cool is your ice cream?”.
Within unit three, Recording, students will record weather, learn about clouds, record cloud formations and other activities they may have seen such as, ” I saw birds flying south” or done such as, “I helped plant flowers today.”
The unit ends with Reporting. Within this unit students will have an opportunity to complete an “Experiment Report.” They will pose a question, guess what will happen, draw their experiment (or include a photograph), and then describe what happened and why. Because this is an eBook you can copy this page as many times as necessary. Seventeen “Classic Experiments” are also listed to give you ideas, but you can, and should use this notebook with an existing science curriculum or write your own! Moms this is the time to dig up all of those downloaded worksheets that you’ve been storing up on your computer and integrate them into this notebook!
As an eclectic homeschooler of young children who love science, I am very excited about this eBook because I can customize it to fit our goals this coming school year. I’ve already outlined the experiments we have planned and printed out additional worksheets that go with those experiments to include in the notebook. You can easily assemble your notebook using a 3-hole punch, or have it spiral bound at an office supply store.
The best part is that at the end of the year, my children and I will have a written record of everything they’ve learned in Science this year. This will especially come in handy when well intentioned relatives, or your mother-in-law, ask your children what they’ve done in school! Additionally your child(ren) will have demonstrated basic but fundamental skills in scientific processes and thinking, skills they will need and be able to use in higher sciences.
My 1st Science Notebook is available through Castle Heights Press in both hardcover and ebook format.
To enter a giveaway to win a copy of My 1st Science Notebook, give us one of your best tips for teaching science. Comments will be closed Friday, August 1st at 10pm EST and the winner will be announced on Sunday in our new weekly newsletter. You can sign up by entering your email address in over in the right sidebar.
As always please make sure you leave your email address or that it is listed on your profile or blog. If we can’t email you, you can’t win.
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four who feels blessed to be the mother of 5 year old fraternal twin boys and two daughters, ages three and 4 months. As someone who never changed a diaper until she had children, Karin is surprised by the fact that she has been changing diapers for the past 5 years straight with no end in sight! As the 7th of 8 children, Karin feels blessed by her average size (in her mind anyway) family and wouldn’t mind a few more– God willing and her husband notwithstanding. Her biggest homeschooling dream is to one day homeschool across the United States in an RV. Please visit her new blog Passport Academy.
Featured Homeschooler: Arby
July 27, 2008 by Nikowa
Please welcome this week’s Featured Homeschooler Arby of “Arby’s Archives”!!
1. I think it’s wonderful that you’re a homeschooling father. Tell us about your Homeschool journey.
We began home schooling General Mayhem at the start of his second grade year, after discussing it for two years. One month later Captain Chaos fell critically ill. We struggled through her two month hospitalization, the General’s initial home schooling rebellion, and our home school growing pains while the Boss lived at the hospital and I remained home with the boys. It was a disaster. Since then, each year has gotten easier. We’ve had difficulties as the General adjusted to my teaching style and I adjusted to his learning style, but now we’re on cruise control. We both know that each of us has the ability to set the tone for the day, depending upon our attitude in the morning. Next year we throw Major Havoc into the mix!
2. You’re a very hands-on dad. Where do you get your ideas for the Homeschool projects?
I get some of my ideas on-line from home school websites, some from fellow bloggers, and some, like this summer’s catapult project, from my innate desire to see things explode. Combining boys and “home schooling projects” is just a grown man’s excuse for attempting to launch a rutabaga a city block. The wackier ideas come from the Boss. Without her my home school would be horrendously dull. She’s very creative. She taught me to ask the question, “Why not?” when most people ask, “Why?”
3. I love your nicknames for your children, General Mayhem-Major Havoc-and Captain Chaos. What’s your nickname?
CINC KANH: Commander in Chief, Kansas Home School.
4. It’s not very likely that you have free time with 3 super-hero’s running around but when you do, what do you like to do?
Captain Chaos is our only girl and her personal philosophy of life comes from observing Major Havoc’s antics and deciding, “Hey, I can top that!” When I’m not squelching the minor skirmishes that seem to dominate each day, I enjoy writing and reading. I hope to rediscover my golf game with my favorite golfing partner, my wife, when General Mayhem is old enough to baby sit and we feel confident that we won’t return home to find the smoldering remains of our house.
5. As a homeschooling father, do you experience any prejudices when you’re out-and-about with the children during “school” hours?
I’ve been called “The Little Woman,” “The Housewife,” “Mr. Mom,” and have been asked, “Are you ready to be fitted for a skirt?” Those comments were from home schoolers I’ve met. While most people don’t seem to notice me in public with the children, a few older ladies have asked, “Giving mom a day off?” One cashier exclaimed, “Oh, it’s so nice to see a dad spending time with his children.” If she only knew.
6. As a former middle school teacher, did you ever think you would be teaching your own through Homeschool?
When I was teaching, I didn’t know what home schooling was. I had heard the term, but I thought it was the domain of society’s kooks and outcasts. Now I’m one of the kooks. I wish more people would seriously consider this wonderful lifestyle.
7. Your wife deploys in July for Iraq. What are you doing to prepare the family and keep in contact?
Honesty is key. We’ve told the children that mom will be leaving for awhile to work in another country. We’ll increase the frequency of telling them the closer she gets to leaving. The younger two don’t really understand, and probably won’t remember much after the Boss returns home in the fall. That was our experience when our oldest was four and mom went TDY to Virginia for four months. At 11, he not only understands that mom will be gone for four months, he knows that she is going to a war zone. He doesn’t like it, but he understands. Our best chance of success for getting through her deployment is keeping the children’s lives as normal as possible, maintaining our usual schedules and routines. We’ll keep in touch using smoke signals, semaphore, e-mail, regular mail, and the occasional phone call.
8. You have 3 children, 1 gerbil, 1 dog and 1 goldfish. What made you decide to throw baby chicks (4) in the mix?
The Boss. She’s always wanted chickens. When I discovered that it was legal to free-range chickens in our back yard, I asked, “Why not?”
9. Do you have any tips suggestions for your fellow father homeschoolers?
Be patient. Be flexible. Handle others with Grace. Enjoy yourselves!
Conference winners
July 26, 2008 by The Amies
We hosted a contest this week to give away 5 free tickets for the conference. We apologize for the delay in announcing these winners:
Congratulations ladies! Check your email for more information.
The conference begins in just a few short days! The log-in instructions have been emailed, so if you have purchased or won a ticket to our event, and have NOT received your email with log-in instructions, please let us know as soon as possible. We have a few new speakers added to the line up and an updated schedule for you to download. We are excited to welcome Sarita Holzmann, founder of Sonlight Curriculum, who will be speaking on “A Novel Idea: How Living Books Teach” and Leah Nieman, co-founder of CurrClick, who will be speaking on “Homeschooling, Family and Work-Balancing It All”. Please visit our speaker page to read biographies on all our speakers.
Tomorrow we will be giving you a sneak peek of some of the amazing prizes that you could win just for attending! There is still time to buy a ticket. We will be accepting registrations all the way up until the start of the conference Wednesday morning.
WHY should you sign up to attend our first annual conference?
- We have an amazing group of speakers who will inspire, motivate and knock your socks off!
- You’ll get to chat with and ask questions of some of your favorite speakers, bloggers, and members of our team!
- You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and get a neck ache from continuously nodding your head in agreement while listening to some of our “been there done that” speakers!
- If you can’t listen live, you can download the sessions to listen to during your free time!
- You’ll make new friends with women from all over the world who share your passion for homeschooling!
- We are establishing virtual vendor booths chock full of discounts!
- You’ll receive FREEBIES!
- You’ll get to do all of this in your pajamas! For ONLY $29.95!
To sign up, simply visit our conference website and click the Pay Now button in the top right sidebar.
Homeschool Planning
July 26, 2008 by Guest
I have had a few readers ask about how I approach lesson planning within our homeschool. I know that quite a few of you are just starting out with Kindergarten or 1st Grade (as are we), and wondered if it would be helpful for me to share the steps I’ve taken to plan our lessons the past two years.
I don’t create elaborate spreadsheets or highly specific weekly or daily lesson plans, but it is important for me to know where we are headed and have an idea of what it will require weekly to take us there as smoothly as possible.
Define Your Big-Picture Educational Goals
For me, this was an easy one. The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise connected with me so perfectly, that I have in book form a complete 12-year educational plan. You might start with a book on homeschooling methods such as Charlotte Mason, or you could sit and write out your own goals for your child.
Will you be homeschooling just a year or two, taking it one year at a time, schooling through middle school, or going all the way through to graduation? What are your reasons for homeschooling? What do you want to accomplish in the lives of your children? What do you want them to learn? Will you be using a particular method or style?
Start Breaking it Down
After I had a good idea of our 12-year overview, I knew that I could start focusing on a 4-year plan. The Well-Trained Mind addresses three stages of learning, the first four years being the grammar stage. It also introduces a chronological study of history with a 4-year rotation, around which is centered literature, science, and even art and music. I knew what basic skills were a priority to our family, what history period we would be studying each year, and what science subject we would focus on.
Make Goals for the Current Year in Each Subject
When I planned our Kindergarten year I placed reading (phonics), handwriting, and math as our foundation. I chose to add in a relaxed selection of American history, knowing that it would be a few years before we got back to it. The rest was gravy.
For our 1st grade year reading, handwriting, math and grammar made up our core skills. History and literature (Ancients) and science (biology) were our secondary subjects. Art, music, and geography rounded out the list. Bible and physical education are a part of our natural family life and were not specifically planned as school subjects.
Time to purchase any necessary curriculum.
book, I planned to have Levi read aloud to me to replace the lessons.
::Add in your secondary subjects.
There is a fine balance between aiming high (as it seems we all should when it comes to the education of our children) and finding something that works well in our very real lives.
Heidi is the mother of three young boys with boundless energy. Her home is filled with chaos, decorating projects, laughter, wrestling, wayward stacks of books, and Cheerios on the floor. She educates Levi (6), while trying to keep Luke (4) and Leif (almost 2) out of trouble. Photography is her escape. Her incredible husband supports her 100%. Visit her blog, Mt. Hope Chronicles, for a celebration of the little things in this wonderful life.
How Do You Meal Plan?
July 25, 2008 by The Amies
Please link directly to your “How Do You Meal Plan” post. Failure to leave a direct link will result in the removal of your name from Mr. Linky.
The schedule for the theme of the homeschool meme is located in the right column under “Blog With Us”. Please check it out to view upcoming themes.
