2008 October | Heart of the Matter

October 31, 2008 By AmyS 30 Comments

flat-austin For those who haven’t heard of the Flat Stanley project, it is a very fun geography adventure based on the children’s book Flat Stanley. In the book, Stanley is flattened by a falling bulletin board and soon learns the advantages of being flat. He mails himself to friends around the world.

The idea behind the project is to make your own flat traveler and mail it to host families who keep it for a couple weeks. During this time they treat it like a guest, take it places with them, take lots of pictures, and keep a journal. Sometimes they send souvenirs back. It is a wonderful way for kids to learn about the every day life of those in other states/countries.

Since we had so many family and friends who wanted a Flat Traveler, we cheated and made several. Our flat guy has vacationed in Sweden, Italy, Australia, Scotland, England, China, and 6 American states.

If you would like to participate with your own Flat Traveler, I would recommend going to this website first. It includes a database of more than 400 families who are willing to host travelers. The Homeschool Lounge also has an excellent message board for homeschooling hosts.

Next, make your very own flat traveler. Be creative! We have even hosted a Flat Dinosaur and Flat Monster. I used a template and attached a picture of my son’s head. I colored him wearing an OSU jersey.

Here are a few templates:

http://www.flatstanley.com/template.htm

http://www.mrsperkins.com/files/stanley.doc

http://susanreynolds.blogs.com/artist/files/FlatStanleyTemplate.jpg

Below are several places that our flat guy has been fortunate enough to visit. Someday we hope to visit them too!

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Vermont

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On the beach in North Carolina

Lighthouse in Maine

On a double decker bus in Scotland

On the shore of England

In front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

At the Roman Colosseum

Amy is a devoted wife to her husband of 11 years, a Classical homeschooling mom to a seven-year-old Superhero and the co-founder of Heart of the Matter and A Woman Inspired Ministries. She has a passion for genealogy and is aspiring to be a Proverbs 31 lady. Be sure to visit her blog at Milk and Cookies.

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October 31, 2008 By Angela 7 Comments

Welcome to the Heart of the Matter Online meme. Every Friday we will feature a different topic for our meme. Mr. Linky is set up below so please share with us your thoughts on the following statement: Halloween or Fall? How does your family celebrate?

Anyone who knows me knows that I love hot summer weather. Fall starts and I start getting cranky–especially if it’s an election year! This year I have felt my heart stirring. I have found myself gazing at the changing leaves, spending time pulling up the remnants of Spring from our flower beds and enjoying the cooler temperatures. (Okay, we’re talking in the 70s range…the 20s-40s is still for the birds!)

Each year we join our church community for their Fall Festival. The kids enjoy dressing up, playing Fall games and of course, banking as much candy as possible in an evening. We spend the actual Halloween night watching movies and enjoying ‘family time’. What does your family do? Are you traditional trick-or-treaters? Do you have a local carnival or church celebration? Perhaps you celebrate the Reformation–or nothing at all? If you do nothing, what are some of the wonderful Fall traditions that your family has? Share with us!

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October 30, 2008 By Sallie 7 Comments

If there is a single lesson that I continue to learn on a daily basis with my children, it is that I need to make sure I get this right. My children are growing and developing faster than I can keep up with most days with interruptions and activities abounding in every direction I turn. In all of the hubbub of life, I have realized that quite often learning moments usually only occur once or twice before we’ve moved on to something new. I have to stay on my toes and never let these teachable moments pass me by. This is especially true with our son Caleb. School can be a great source of frustration for him. To be honest, he was left behind way too often under the “no child left behind” program when he was in public school and he wasn’t able to focus enough on multiple tasks like they expected him to do. Caleb still can’t multi-task yet I can usually do 50 different things at once. Homeschooling allows for the slow pace he needs to succeed. Sometimes, though, I forget this small lesson and I push too hard. Unfortunately, meltdowns and crying sessions are my usual reminders that I have moved on before Caleb was ready. I want so much for my son. I want him to succeed. I want him to be “normal” but thankfully reality sets in and I realize that he really IS normal for him and I’m just being a mean ole pushy bully like those kids in school were.

Caleb is not the only special needs child within our extended family. My niece has Jacobsen Syndrome. This is a rare genetic disorder where part of the 11th chromosome is missing. Depending on which part of the 11q24 band is missing, the problems these children have will vary. Our niece, Jordan, has had many surgeries in the past including heart surgery, eye muscle surgery, and reconstructive surgery on her scalp. One of the issues these children face is that many of their muscles and organs are placed differently than what is typical and so when the doctors go into surgery, they don’t always find things in the places they expected them to be. This makes for longer surgical time and usually a longer recuperation time as well. Jordan has several more surgeries coming up in the near future. She is currently in a class in a public school. However, she has been homeschooled in the past and when she has her surgeries (which puts her out of school for a while) my sister in law, Beka, keeps up with her studies with her. I recently talked to Beka on the phone and asked her to tell me what her focuses were when she teaches Jordan. All too often I am still stuck on getting all the “right” things done, and Beka put things into perspective for me. It was exactly the conversation I needed to hear!

Here are a few of her tips:

Lifeskills are more important than rote memorization of trivial facts.
Some children with special needs or disabilities may never have full or part
time jobs BUT they will need to know how to take care of their own hygiene,
and perhaps even to cook, clean, and do their laundry. Lifeskills are
pretty much the same thing over and over again. Frankly, you don’t have to worry
about failing Lifeskills 201 if you have Lifeskills Basic down
pat as some lessons pretty much never change!

Have your child memorize scripture. Special needs children can be
very naive and easily led astray by a good sounding doctrine. If your child
memorizes scripture and writes it on the table of their heart,
then they are less likely to allow themselves to be put in a situation where
they can be taken advantage of. We aren’t always going to be there for our
children. It’s a hard thought to ponder at times but we have to
be honest with ourselves about this. Make sure your children know what they
believe and why.

Don’t sell your child short. Just because they can’t recite pi out 5000
places doesn’t mean they can’t learn their multiplication table or make
correct change at the grocery store. Public schools have a bad habit of dumbing
everything down so that the least learned child doesn’t feel bad about being
behind. Don’t fall into this trap with your child. Having special needs does not
mean our children are stupid. Many times these children have brilliant minds and
can learn and grasp many things! Teach them to their level and always allow for
that level to expand and grow.

Teach your child to read! This goes right along with teaching your children scripture. Not everyone in this world is honest and good, though I’d like to
believe most folks are. If your child can read, there is nothing they can’t
learn! They will also be more apt to catch when someone is feeding them a line
and they can protect themselves. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
was written by folks with a background of helping special needs childrin. If you
are having problems and need to try an alternative route, give this book a try.

Don’t worry about competing with other homeschool parents, or public school
parents to have the bestest and brightest of children! Teaching Gods character
and His Word are much more important traits for your child to learn! Look, we
are all gonna fail sometime and everyone can’t always be the best at everything.
Wouldn’t you rather it not be in raising Godly children that you
fail?

Pray. Never stop praying! Some days are going to just be hard! Those are
the days you need Christ to carry you the most. Your child needs Him to carry
them, too! Pray for your child today. Pray for your childs future. Pray without
ceasing!

Beka reminded me of many things that I too often get busy and allow myself to forget on a daily basis. I was reminded that I need to have a vision for each of my children! Psalm 139: 13-16 says “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

God had a vision for each of my children as He formed them within me. Perhaps science will tell us that our childrens chromosomes don’t match up or their DNA is wrong but I’ve learned that God doesn’t always follow the laws of science. He has His own hands in the mix and sometimes things might not look the way science in all of its wisdom tells us it should. Our lives have purpose. They have meaning. God in all of His glorious wisdom knew what special challenges we would face in our lives when He breathed the breath of life into each one of us, and each one of our children. We are all fearfully and wonderfully made! Why not spend some time this month with your child memorizing Psalm 139:13-16? Hide those words in your heart and keep them ever present in your mind!

Sallie is an off-again, on-again homeschooling mom to her 4 children, ranging from elementary to high school. In her writings, she discusses the challenges of homeschooling a child with disabilities and offers insight to those who sometimes feel all alone in a round hole world. Please visit her at Seaside Tales.

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October 28, 2008 By Guest 2 Comments

I get questions from time to time from other homeschool moms who hate teaching writing. I hear things like: “How do you do it?” “What curriculum is best?” and “My kids just don’t like to write.” Some struggle particularly with creative writing. I think this is combination of what we perceive a piece of creative writing to be and wanting our kids to be able to write it all down at once. For most people and children, this is difficult. Writing comes more easily in steps and begins in the mind.

I don’t think you need to teach creative writing to children. For a few reasons:

1. Kids are naturally creative. They like to use their imaginations, create stories and my kids, from early on, wanted me to write down their stories and dreams even before they could write. In fact, my son woke up this morning and before I could open my eyes good he was describing in great detail a dream he had.

“There was a lot of water, but not too much water and a fish, but not a shark and I was riding my bike in the water. You were there, mom and Mrs. Andrea and Sara. There was water was in the grass, but I could ride my bike through it and I got stuck. I reached into the water, but the fish tried to bite me. It bited me in my knee and my finger. I grabbed onto Sara’s lap and she holded my hand.”

Now how’s that for his first creative writing exercise?

2. I think it’s more important for kids to get used to putting words on paper first. If it’s a struggle for kids to write words, they’re too young to be forced into a creative writing exercise. Instead, have them tell you the story and you write it down for them. It’s still creative. It’s still their words without the stress that may turn them off writing.

3. Journaling is the best way to get them used to writing without the fear of doing it wrong. We journal every day. Emeline is just beginning to go beyond, “Today we are going to…” Sometimes I give her some guidelines to move her past her familiar topic. One day I had her make me a list. Today she had to describe her favorite food. After a few months of journaling, I have them look back and choose one of their best or favorite pages and begin working with them to make it even better, to correct their mistakes and show them how to put it into a paragraph form.

Obviously I’m speaking to the writers themselves. You, as bloggers, are writers. You write every day. You carry a thought around in your head as you do the dishes, drive the kids around, tuck them in bed. You develop that thought into a few sentences and begin to imagine it, whether complete or in part, on the page. And then you type it, edit and publish. It’s a satisfying process. A process you have the skills to share with your kids.

We do this for a reason. A reason, I think, is best expressed by this statement:

“Writers are the custodians of memory, and memories have a way of dying with their owner.”
William Zinsser, Writing About Your Life

Have you ever wished you could talk with your grandfather just one more time about his experiences in World War II? I have. What if you were able to pull one of his old journals off the shelf and actually read his thoughts during that time? Wouldn’t that be just as precious to have?

Creative writing doesn’t have to be a scary thing all formed from some dreamy imagination, it can be memory based on fact. Scenes revisited from what we have seen. Smells that we have smelled, feelings that have swallowed us. A single thread of memory pulled until it unravels a story we’ve forgotten. Begin with what you know and teach that to your kids.

Melissa, aka Chickadee, is the devoted wife of her high school sweetheart and homeschooling mom to 3. In less than 2 months, they will welcome blessing #4 into their family. A former English teacher, she loves to tell stories, take pictures, and enjoy nature. Please visit Melissa at her blog A Familiar Path.

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October 27, 2008 By Andrea 3 Comments

Homeschooling has been a little rocky considering we started during hurricane season and Gustav ran us down. Getting back into a routine, my first grader is now doing well with Saxon Math but refuses to read and learn new words. Since I am determined not to fail, I decided to take the advice of seasoned homeschoolers and find some reading material that he would be interested in reading.

I picked up a book on the free table at CO-OP. “25 Emergent Reader Mini-Books” and “Easy-to-Make Reproducible Books to Promote Literacy by Maria Fleming (Fleming, 1997). These were great. Did I mention it was free and for grades K-1^stgrade?

I also found some suggested reading list links: Reading Rockets.

This is a list of recommended books for 3-6 year olds and is part of “The Big Summer Read” through reading rockets (Reading Rockets, 2008). Since my husband is a welder, this book caught my interest:
Metal Man By: Aaron Reynolds
Illustrated by: Paul Hoppe
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

During the hot summer, Devon likes to visit Mitch. Mitch is a man who makes sparks fly as he creates welded metal sculptures — and invites Mitch to make one with him. As the boy decides what to make, he begins to see things differently — because of “that fiery metal man.”

Reading Rockets, (2008)

This looked like the perfect book. It could create a bond between father and son, it was interesting to my child, and it had received rave reviews.. After all reading rockets is funded by the US Department of Education; therefore it should be educational. I was sold and since proceeds from the books purchased though Amazon.com support the project, I headed to Amazon, found a new book for less that $10 and ordered it.

It came in a few days later and I could not wait to read it… I mean, read it with Grant but I needed to look at it first, right? Well, it is a good thing I did.

The first line of the first page read precisely “Summer’s hangin’ on” (Reynolds 2008). It only “got” more intriguing from there; stickin’, cookin’, headin’, goin’, she don’t follow, ain’t, flyin’, grindy, whatcha, whaddya, he don’t stop. There are many more but you get the idea. I was mortified. My child is a beginning reader and this could definitely throw all of his new found skills out of the window, not to mention confuse him.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a great story, awesome in fact, of a welder who helps a little boys’ imagined creation come to life…out of old junk. This could get my child interested in reading. The illustrations are wonderful too, but how could I let my child learn these ungrammatical words? I just don’t think he is old enough to understand the difference.

Dad came home and saw the book on the counter. He says, while grinning at me I might add, “what is this, a bonding book for me and my son?” I explained how unsure I was about it and he read through the book while he expressed that he didn’t think it was appropriate and he needed to show all his welder friends at work. Meanwhile, Grant has heard enough about it and now desperately wants to read the book so, the two of them retreat to the back to read it. I hoped that Daddy would explain that these words are not correct or at least try to read it using the correct grammar.

Grant was so excited about whatever happened that he came running to the shelf and retrieved all of the books for his age, because “he is six now and he needs to read these books”. Well Hallelujah! Something good has come from this. He has read every day from those 6 year old books, with no persuasion.

God must have planned that out because I could not have asked for a better conclusion.

Jeremiah 29:11: For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future and a hope.

This book was wonderful in spite of my preconceived notions and it did serve a purpose but I will be sure to investigate next time, Lord willing.

We also borrowed the Magic Tree House series from my sister. Those are still on the shelf. What is off the shelf and now being read is the Rocket Readers series of “you can read” bible stories. Not to be confused with the Reading Rockets Board of Education recommended reading list. We have every Rocket Reader series we could find at the Dollar Tree. Yes, that is 3-5 readers per series for $1.00 and all of the stories are Bible based too. This series also contains 5 different reading levels. I am a happy homeschooling mom now. Thank you, Metal Man.

In addition, just to get another reaction, I also showed Metal Man to our neighbor, an elementary public school teacher. She said that it is a dialogue book and should be read as such. It is just meant to be fun and enjoyed. She said it would be same as reading a Cajun book or the Hawaiian Bible (aka Da Jesus Book) for that matter. For the record, I do not let my child read the LSU cajun kids books either. Somehow spelling go as “geaux” and the over use of the word cher (“cher,” a short form of “cherie”, and pronounced “sha”) just aren’t what I imagined early readers would contain.

I do understand the point and this is a great story, but this was on a recommended reading list for 3-6 year olds. How is that justified? I am happy to keep the book for reference, the moral of the story, the illustrations and the idea of getting my son into the reading closet. Bless God! I have to ask though, have you ever had this type of experience with a recommended book? Am I being too cautious? Come on you experienced moms. Help me out!

References
Fleming, M. (1997). 25 emergent reader mini-books:easy-to-make reproducible books to promote literacy. Broadway, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Reading Rockets, (2008). The big summer read. Retrieved October 20, 2008, from Reading Rockets Web site: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/summer/2008/3-6
Reynolds, A. (2008). Metal man. Watertow, MA: Charlesbridge.

Andrea is a laid back gal from the south who has been married to a loud little Italian man named Darin for 7 years. They have two kids: one thinks he is a professional wrestler and the other thinks she is a professional princess (yes she wants to be paid to be bossy and prissy.) She has recently given up the corporate world to step into a land of kisses and learning. You can visit her at her blog: The Honest Woman. Help!

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October 27, 2008 By AmyS 21 Comments

**The winner is Bettina Kuersten**

Oh let me tell you, if you are a lapbooker, scrapbooker, notebooker, Classical educator, or Charlotte Mason follower, you will love this product! This is the ultimate way of showing off your journey through history. I had the tremendous pleasure of reviewing Barbara Shukin’s Medieval History Portfolio Junior and I immediately fell in love with this amazing creation.

Mrs. Shukin has created four volumes of the History Portfolio Series for the following time periods: Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern. These books are designed for ages 9 and up. She has also created two special volumes for the Ancient and Medieval time periods just for the Junior historian (ages 5-8).

As Mrs. Shukin says,

The 5 – 8 years can be a time of pleasant exposure to the subject of world history. The Portfolio Junior is designed especially for that purpose, with care taken to offer plenty of variety while not over burdening the young student with laborious writing tasks. The Portfolio Junior offers a gentle introduction to history and notebooking with plenty of games and puzzles, images to color, and as much or as little writing as is appropriate for each child.

The sections include:

The Christians
The West Roman Empire
The Celtic Tribes
The Germanic Tribes
Frankish Kingdom
The East Roman Empire / Byzantium
The World

I was so grateful to learn how easily this portfolio compliments Story of the World. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Shukin includes a special resource guide in the back that shows exactly which SOTW chapters correlate with each page of the History Portfolio.

A product like this will truly appeal to all types of homeschoolers. Mrs. Shukin thought of everything, including tailoring the volume to three ability levels; for the child who is not able to write much, the child who enjoys simple copywork, and the child who is capable of writing out their own narrations. We enjoyed rotating between the different levels.

Other features of the portfolio include:

11″ x 47″ timeline
Book recommendations for early readers and picture books
Topics for narrations and reports
Important dates and events
Notebooking ideas
Gorgeous full color maps of: The Holy Land at the Time of Christ, The Spread of Christianity, The Roman Empire, The Celts, The Vikings, The Frankish Empire, Cultural Map of Western Europe, Constantinople, Kublai Khan’s Empire, Islam and Christianity, The New World Before Columbus

Made of thick cardstock and contained in a landscape binder, this is a durable portfolio that will last for years. Please see this page for beautiful colored examples of some of the pages.

We are thrilled to be able to give away one boxed kit which contains one Medieval History Portfolio Junior containing Student Pages on heavy weight card stock paper and the Parent Guide and Notebooking Materials, a 10 sheet pack of 65 lb. multicolored card stock paper, a set of the Medieval History Portfolio Full Color Maps, a bookmark, and a box of 12 quality colored pencils. A $44.95 value.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment and tell us your favorite historical event. Comments will be closed Friday, October 31st at 10pm EST and the winner will be announced on Sunday in our 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 clearly listed on your profile or blog. If we can’t email you, you can’t win. This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.

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October 26, 2008 By Nikowa Lee 2 Comments

Please welcome this week’s Featured Homeschooler Karin from Mommy Matters and Passport Academy Homeschool!

Tell us about your family.
We are a family of four living in Florida. We have fraternal twin boys who are five years old and two girls. The oldest is three and the youngest is 6 months. My husband is a Road Warrior and travels a lot. During the month of September he will be gone for 23 days. This is unfortunately somewhat typical for us during his “travel season”. Luckily, because of homeschooling we are able to go with him on some of his extended trips—these are trips when he spends an extended period of time in ONE place. Last year we went to Dallas and this year we are going to Austin, Texas with the kids. This has been a wonderful way to learn geography with them and they truly love traveling, which is great since I could easily be a gypsy! My children have never met a hotel they didn’t like. Travel for them is an adventure.

You’re a homeschooling mother to 4 children all under the age of 6! What does a typical homeschooling day look like for you?
Is there a such thing as a typical day? Well, actually until this year we didn’t have a typical day. I finally started applying some of the great things I’ve learned about at conferences to our homeschool this year. I don’t know why I was so reluctant to try what obviously works for others which is to:

a.) start the day with Bible study and devotions and
b.) teach the children in a “one room school house” type way.

So now I usually:
get up with the baby between 6:30-7:30, feed her, take her into the bathroom with me (where I keep her bouncy chair) and strap her in with her teething rings in hand while I take a shower and get dressed, then I get the other children. We got downstairs and have breakfast together. Then I read the Bible study and devotion for the day while they color a coloring page related to the study we are doing. (I’m using Our 24 Family Ways: Family Devotional Guide which also has coloring pages for each of the “family ways” along with Big Truths for Little Kids, My ABC Bible Verses, and Leading Little Ones to God.)

After that the children go upstairs to get dressed; I lay out the clothes for the boys and they dress themselves. They shower at night whereas my daughters both get baths in the morning. So while the boys get dressed I bathe my daughter in the bathtub in the boy’s bedroom. The baby plays on the floor, usually with one of her doting brothers during this time.

We go back downstairs after everyone is dressed and the kids play with one of the center activities of their choice. I put the baby down for her morning nap and then we do our group studies. The schedule changes depending on the day but this year I’ve been teaching Bible, Spanish, Science, art, and life skills together for the most part. I occasionally teach handwriting together because we use Handwriting Without Tears and my younger daughter can work with the wood letters and other manipulative’s such as the Roll a Dough and it’s been great having her feel like she is doing school with “her boys” as she calls them and I enjoy watching them help her.

We then break for lunch and by now the baby is up from her morning nap. I sometimes do a read aloud then or I let them play and have free time. Honestly, it depends on how I’m feeling and how the baby is doing. Sometimes I’m so distracted with what I have to get done that I just let them have free time.

At 1:00 I put the baby down for her 2nd nap and the big kids go upstairs for quiet time. They don’t really nap but quiet time means they have to be in their rooms with books in their bed. This is not a problem with my older boys and has never been. My daughter is more work. She frequently wants to be with “her boys” but unfortunately that never works out well. She tends to wander around her room playing with her toys and occasionally coming out to tell me that it isn’t fair she was born 2nd when she wanted to be born 1st and that she is alone and wants someone to lay down with her etc. During this time I either take a nap (I have horrible insomnia problems that in turn aggravate my fibromyalgia), work on HOTM stuff, have quiet time of my own, or make phone calls and sometimes start preparing dinner (more on that later).

At 2:30 the big kids get up and have a very small snack. The baby gets up around 3:30-4:00. After snack I finish up school. Our afternoon classes usually involve language arts, critical thinking, Montessori and math. Since my husband travels a lot I have a college student come in the late afternoon to help me. She stays until about 8:00 and helps me get everyone in bed. So when she shows up I either hand her the baby or both girls while I work with the boys and then I work with my daughter. It depends on the day and how everyone is doing.

We are also building a house and I’m doing the interiors. I used to do that before I had kids so usually I have meetings related to the house at least 2 afternoons per week or other things I need to work on for the house. Then I start dinner around 4:30. My kids are so picky that I really loathe cooking these days. I’m praying for God to help change my heart (and theirs) in this area.

We eat dinner at 5:30 and at 6:15-6:30 we head upstairs to start the bath and bedtime routines. The kids go to bed at 7:15-7:30. I usually stay up till 9:00 but sometimes 10:00 prepping for the next day, finishing up whatever projects I started, putting away materials and checking email.

Did you always know that you were going to homeschool?
No, I did not. I had never even heard of homeschooling before. I didn’t enroll my kids in preschool when they were born. That was typical of where we lived and I was naive about that. When they became of age I couldn’t imagine sending them to preschool and I thought I’d just do it at home with them. I also couldn’t believe the tuition prices—but it’s not that we couldn’t afford it, it’s just that I couldn’t believe people paid that much for preschool when you could do that stuff at home and have more fun with your kids.

The boys were also really inquisitive kids so at a very young age so I started reading about early childhood development and doing a lot of things with them. (singing, floor time, reading, moving all over the house etc.) After a while I ran out of books that I could learn from—partially because at this point mothers typically enrolled their kids in preschool.

I started reading books geared towards preschool teachers and we basically set up preschool in our home for the boys. Soon after I came across a book by Lisa Welchel and then I started exploring this concept of “homeschooling”; more for the educational ideas that I could use for the preschool years—not with the intention of actually homeschooling. The thing is the more I read, the more I wanted to do with my kids. So, I talked my husband into letting me homeschool the kids for preschool since it didn’t really “count” and wasn’t mandatory. It’s laughable now, but that was really how I went into it. Over the next 1 1/2 years the Lord would change my heart and I would realize that he wanted me to homeschool all along. The rest of our story is very much like everyone else’s. My husband is now a great supporter and advocate of homeschooling and I feel committed to homeschooling and excited about being my children’s teacher.

What are some of your favorite books on homeschooling?
That is a tough question since so much of my stuff is in storage. I honestly go through phases. Right now I would say: The Well-Trained Mind, The Educated Child, Creative Family Times, What Your Child Needs to Know When, Barbara Curtis’ books and the Core Knowledge books. We are very eclectic!

You’ve dealt with the heartbreak of infertility. What would you like to share with others going through the same problems?
I haven’t been ready to blog about my infertility struggles but I know there is a story in there. I think I just stuffed it away and I’m a little hesitant to pull out that heart ache again. I know Christians vary on what they think is “right” in terms of receiving treatments for their infertility and I’m usually one to keep my opinions to myself. However, I do want to say that I believe that God chooses different paths towards motherhood for different people. Some people are led to adopt, some conceive quickly and easily, some struggle, some literally have a dozen children and others have 1, some women become mothers through marriage and some never become mothers but instead mother people through their work or charitable endeavors.

Looking back I’d like to say that I can see why God chose the path for me that he did. I was saved when I was a sophomore in high school but I had moved away from the church. I wasn’t going to church and though I considered myself a Christian I didn’t really have a relationship with God anymore. How can you have a relationship with someone you talk to occasionally? Infertility literally brought me to my knees. My marriage was literally falling apart while I was pursuing treatments and I couldn’t stop. I thought, this marriage sucks but I cannot face another day childless. If I have nothing else in my life I’m going to be a mother. I now see how selfish and just wrong that thinking was. But that was how I felt. I ended up going through IVF treatments and I’m proud to say that every life we created in 2002 is with us in 2008. All of our embryos had a chance at life and God allowed 4 of them to come home with me. I did have a miscarriage between my two daughters though and I think that was again God’s reminder for me to lean on him.

When I was pregnant with the boys I ended up on complete bed rest for 3 1/2 months. It was then that he healed my marriage. Through our children my husband who was raised Jewish has come to know the Lord and we attend church together. You cannot tell me that my children are not a blessing from the Lord. Yes, I had infertility treatments but that was just a path. The doctors cannot make a child. Only the Lord can.

“He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord” Psalms 113:9

I know that if I had been able to conceive as easily as I thought I would be able to, that I would not be living the way I am now. I would have taken motherhood and my responsibilities as a mother for granted. I would not be half the mother I am today had it not been for my experiences and struggles. I would have missed seeing God’s purpose in my life. I don’t mean to sound like I know 100% what my purpose in life is—but I know that what I’m doing now is at least part of the plan.

To women struggling with infertility I would say this, don’t give up. Our Lord is a merciful and loving God. He would not give you such a desire without giving you the means to fulfill that desire. When I hold my infant daughter I cannot imagine what would have happened if I had given up. Lean on our Lord. That is what He desires and be open to listening to what He has planned for you. It might not be what you have planned for you, but it will be better than you can imagine.

I would say to others who have friends who are struggling to try not to judge them. They will say crazy things. They are living in despair. Just love on them and try not to judge their path and whatever you do, do not say, “maybe you weren’t meant to be a mother”. That is just the worst. That is also simply not true. If everyone who was “meant” to be a mother were a mother and everyone who was NOT meant to be a mother were not a mother we wouldn’t have child abuse in our country.

Wow, I can see why I was trying to stuff this back in! I’ll get off my soapbox now. I just want to say in closing that I’m here for anyone who is struggling. Just email me through Heart of the Matter.

On your blog Passport Academy Homeschool, you showcase your Homeschool adventures. What are some of your favorite field trips that you’ve taken so far?
Is it possible to have a favorite field trip that hasn’t started yet? This year I’ve written a lesson plan based on “the young naturalists guide to Florida” and I’ll be spending the next year traveling throughout Florida and learning with my kids. We are going all over the state of Florida and have some exciting things planned such as taking a pontoon boat down the Suwannee River, taking a flashlight tour through a cave and doing some exciting things in the Everglades with a local professor and expert on the everglades. I invite everyone to follow our travel adventure on my blog and I hope to finish the year with a manuscript for a guide book if you’d like to do the same thing!

How do you deal with 3 different “picky” eaters?
Not well. I’m struggling. I literally have anxiety before dinner. We are working on the theory that you don’t have to eat it, but you don’t get anything else and you cannot sit here and whine and complain. If you sit at our dinner table you eat. If you don’t want to eat you go to your room and start getting ready for bed. It’s not a punishment, after dinner we go up for bed and so if you aren’t eating you don’t need to be sitting at the table.

What is the one item that you couldn’t possibly live without for your Homeschool?
Where did you get all these hard questions? Did you save them up just for me? I couldn’t live without my credit card and the Internet! Oops, that is two. I guess the Internet. I couldn’t live without the Internet. I find support, lesson plans, ideas, materials, reviews, etc. on there. EVERYTHING I need for my homeschool is on the Internet. It’s a great tool.

You have great science projects, like the Potato Clock. Where do you get your science project ideas from?
Wow, thanks. I really enjoy science. I love teaching it and I love learning along with my kids. I get my ideas from catalogs and then I usually tweak them a bit and add on to them. I saw the potato clock in a catalog and it looked like fun. I wanted to concentrate on teaching the Scientific Method this year so I was looking for easy experiments we could apply it to. I saw the potato clock in Home Science Tools catalog and knew we had to have it. I’ve never done a potato clock experiment in school. So I guess you might say that my ideas come from things that I didn’t get to do in school that I wish I could have done. We aren’t done with our potato clock yet so keep watching our blog for more variations!

Interview by:

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.

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October 25, 2008 By Lori 6 Comments

It’s time for Chapter 5 in our book study of Sheila Wray Gregoire’s, “To Love, Honor and Vacuum…“

As we open up to chapter 5, Relationship U-turns, we read a message from Hebrews, chapter 12;

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (verse 1-2)

We all have burdens….and we all know what burdens we carry. They are as unique as the individual. The burdens we bear HINDER us from “running full throttle for God.” (page 87) The challenge becomes then, for each of us “throwing off” everything that hinders us, so that we can go the distance in the race of life. We can’t “throw it all off” if we don’t confront what it is that burdens us. That is going to require some undoing and examination of ourselves, in order to live fully and completely the life that God wants for each of us.
U-Turns!

Sheila identifies four principles from Scripture that are necessary for us if we want to change the way we relate to those closest to us. The four steps that she introduces in this chapter are:

*Responsibility for our decisions

In order to grow we have to resist the temptation to blame our unhappiness on others. We will at some point be standing completely alone in front of God explaining our choices and decisions to Him, it’s time for us to take responsibility for these decisions. It’s only in the stripped down honesty with ourselves that we can see where we need to make changes. Romans 14:12 and 2 Corinthians 13:5 are wonderful verses to reference and pray when in this phase of change. (pg 88-92) We MUST face our past choices and come clean in order to stop the pattern of poor choices. Sheila also addresses fears and the importance of examining these fears in order to become completely responsible for our decisions.

*Commitment to our families

The most important relationships we have are those with our immediate families. We must examine that commitment and understand where it’s rooted. Sheila writes that, “even if you don’t always feel love, you can act love.” She continues by saying, “When you decide to concentrate on your own behaviors, things he (or they) do may stop bothering you.” (page 93) After we examine our commitment to our families then we can begin to really and truly honor these relationships and find the joy and peace in them that God intended. (*Sheila makes it VERY clear that these commitments will work in marriages where ABUSE is not an issue. If you find yourself in an abusive relationship, please know that staying in this is neither safe or wise, please seek help!)

*A servant attitude

We all know that as Christians we are called to lives of servant hood, but let’s be honest, it’s not a culturally popular! Being a woman with a servant attitude does not mean that we “lose ourselves in the process.” “That is not Christlike servant hood,” states Sheila. Perhaps the best illustration was that of Jesus, when he washed the feet of His disciples. He was not serving them out of anything but LOVE. Jesus lost nothing by serving them, he instead taught them LOVE. Those men loved and respected Him and it was in his servant hood to them that he taught them.

There is a significant difference between being subservient and having a servant attitude, and that difference lies in mutual respect. In families where mutual respect and responsibility are found, then everyone would adopt a servant attitude, wouldn’t that be a wonderful world? We have to again take responsibility for ourselves. We have to learn to live with this servant attitude that has us doing the things we do for “free.” In a world that tells us that you should be rewarded for “doing,” this can be a trap we fall into. Coming to a place where we model the servant’s heart that Christ had is the path we need to follow. We learn to “give” love rather than “gain” love. (page 100) It is in this “new attitude” that we’ll serve with a Christ like heart and hopefully encourage the other members of our households to embrace this attitude too! Imagine how hard it is for those teens we live with. Teaching them to live with the servant attitude is going to take time, especially with the messages that the world sends them, but acting this way ourselves is the only way to “show” them how truly beautiful a Christlike servant really is.

*Affirmation of ourselves and others

Many of us have been led to believe that if we are not affirmed then it’s not worth it. We’ve often got it backwards. Sheila reminds us;

“An integral part of achieving a Christlike attitude of servant hood is the commitment to our families is affirming who they are before God, regardless of how this reflects on you or how you feel about it. Affirmation means always recognizing that this person, be it your husband or your child, is created in the image of God, even if he or she has physical, emotional, or intellectual habits that drive you up the wall!” (page 101)

WHEW! Those are fabulous words. In a world where we are bombarded with “entitlement, and self serving” attitudes, we are called to do the opposite. We are called to love em’ just the way they are, where they are right now. We are to praise God for these people today, here and now, taking the “good, bad an the ugly” and embracing it and praising it.

THEN,
we affirm ourselves.
Accepting ourselves, our gifts, and our pasts and coming laying it all out before God is really the only way to free ourselves and allow His grace to fill us with peace. Sheila encourages us to “surround ourselves with other Christians who encourage us.” These relationships are critical if we want to become the wives, mothers and friends that God wants us to be. We were not meant to travel alone!

Sheila ends the chapter with David’s prayer, and it is eloquent and appropriate if we want to make some relationship U-Turns.

“Search me, O God an know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139: 23-24

It’s all ours for the asking….the U-Turns may not be easy, we all find ourselves veering off the road at times, and a U-Turn is necessary in our lives. Pray about it, pray that God reveals as he did to David where there changes need to be made and the freedom that results will exhilarate you!

Join us next time as we look at Chapter 6 on November 8th, “The Family that Cleans Together!” I can’t wait!

Chapters:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

Lori is a 5 year homeschool mom to 3. Currently a 8th grader, a 6th grader and a 4th grader. Lori insists that when she was wrestling with the decision to home school, a gentle voice guided her with the words, “you know what you should do.” Never looking back, accepting the challenges and rewards and CONSTANTLY clinging to THE ROCK…”No Storm can shake my inmost calm when to this ROCK I’m clinging.” Lori hopes to impart peace and inspiration amidst the daily chaos. Be sure to visit her blog at All You Have to Give.

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October 23, 2008 By Angela 34 Comments

I have been looking forward to this meme all week long! Come out and meet us ladies!

Heart of the Matter Online Meme Participants

1. Nikowa
2. Marsha
3. Angela
4. Renae of Life Nurturing Education
5. Crystal of Life At The Circus
6. Farm Fresh Jessica
7. Tasha
8. Jen @ mommablogsalot
9. Bethany
10. Tracy @ Lighthouse (no video, changed meme?)
11. Karin Katherine
12. Amy S.
13. Amy B

14. Laura @ As I See Family
15. Kysha
16. Susie @ Be Strong & Courageous
17. Gevan
18. Jessica
19. Darcy @ LWM3B
20. Joy (no video, just pics)
21. Luke Holzmann
22. Tina at sow.sprout.bloom.
23. Katherine@CornerstoneClassical
24. Mom to five kids
25. Chocolate on my Cranium
26. dianne – bunny trails

27. Dawn @ My Home Sweet Home
28. Shannon C
29. Stacy@ Painting Bridges
30. Dana
31. Leah Loves Ebooks
32. Mary Grace @ BOOKS and BAIRNS
33. Michelle My Bell
34. Dianna @ Sincerely Me
35. Sallie
36. Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
37. Jessica (Trivium Academy)
38. Robin@Heart of Wisdom (Pumpkin Patch)
39. Yolanda@Mocha Moments

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October 23, 2008 By Robin 26 Comments

It’s that time of year again. Vampires, ghouls, ghosts and skeletons will be haunting our doorways. American retailers celebrate a 5 billion dollar a year candy, card and costume business ($1.5 billion in Canada).

But, Halloween is not just a time for cornstalks, pumpkins, apples and cute and not-so-cute costumes. There is much, much more. Before deciding to celebrate or not celebrate any holiday, it is important to understand the history of that holiday.

Before we look at the history and what the Bible says about pagan holidays answer these questions:

How would you feel if your spouse kept photos of his or her former girlfriend of boyfriend?

How would you feel if he or she celebrated an anniversary of special times with another after marrying you?

Our God is a jealous God demanding exclusive devotion (Exodus 20:5). Do you think He cares if you encourage your children to partake in a holiday that honors Satan, the god of this world?

Halloween’s History
Halloween’s roots come from the ancient Celts, a tribe living about 2,000 years ago in the areas that are now Ireland, Great Britain and northern France.

The Celts were first described as a fierce, warlike, terrifying people, many of whom would have strings of human heads tied on their bridles. Halloween was their main holiday, called Samhain. It was a festival that honored the Samhain, the Celtic lord of death. The celebration marked the beginning of the season of cold, darkness, and decay. The Celts related this with human death; they believed the Samhain allowed souls of the dead to return to their earthly homes for that evening. On the evening of the festival, the Druids, the priest and teachers of the Celts, ordered the people to put out their hearth fires.

The Druids built a huge New Year’s bonfire of oak branches, which they considered sacrificed. They burned animals, crops, and even human beings as sacrifices. Then each family re-lit their hearth fire from the New Year’s fire. The lighted jack-o’-lanterns used today are symbols of fires and torches. During the celebration people wore costumes made of animal heads and skins. They told fortunes by examining the remains of the sacrifices.

These pagan Celts believed that evil spirits lurked about as the sun god grew pale and the Samhain grew stronger. The Celts believed the evil spirits would come to your house and you would have to treat them or they would trick you.

The Romans conquered the Celts in A.D. 43 and ruled what is now Great Britain for about 400 years. During this period, two Roman autumn festivals were combined with the Celtic festival of Samhain. Both pagan rituals, one of them, called Feraila, was held in late October to honor the dead. The other festival honored Pomona, the Roman Goddess of fruit and trees. Apples became associated with Halloween because of this festival.

Regional Halloween customs developed among various groups of Celts. In Ireland, for example, people begged for food in a parade that honored Muck Olla, their sun god. The leader of the parade wore a white robe and the head of an animal. In England, families sat by the fire and told stories while they ate treats such as apples and nuts.

Halloween in the United States
In the United States, many early American settlers brought with them various customs such as the above. However, because of Christianity among so many of the settlers, Halloween celebrations were not celebrated until the 1800’s when several immigrants from Ireland and Scotland introduced their Halloween customs. They brought various beliefs about ghosts and witches with them. Other groups added their own cultural influences to Halloween customs. German immigrants brought a vivid witchcraft lore, and Haitian and African peoples brought their native voodoo beliefs about black cats, fire, and witchcraft.

All Saints Day, a day the seventh century church set aside for remembering early Christians who died for their beliefs, was first celebrated in the month of May. By the year 900 the date was combined with the pagan rituals to be celebrated November 1. Another name for All Saints Day was All Hallows. October 31 was known as All Hallows Eve which was shortened to Halloween.

The church made a grave mistake trying to combine pagan worship with Christianity. This is not scriptural! Because of that unwise decision, Halloween remains a holiday in America today.

Scriptures warn us that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the third and fourth generations. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me. Exodus 20:5.

Those who disregard God’s warning and make contact with occult spirits risk terrible repercussions in the form of misery, sickness, insanity and even early death.

Why do people living in this age, especially Christians, desire to be a part of any pagan worship? This pagan belief, even celebrated by Christian churches, celebrates the union of gods and a goddess in the universe that supposedly control the seasons, bring fertility to crops and animals, and bestow magical powers on their followers.

What Does the Bible Say About Halloween?
Although the Bible doesn’t specifically mention Halloween by name, it makes it very clear that the origins and practices of Halloween (adapting pagan customs or borrowing the ways of those who worship a false god and using them to worship the true God) are detestable to God. Deuteronomy 12:29-32. The Bible clearly teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.

Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. Joshua 24:14
When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who…practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium, or spiritist or who consults the dead. Deuteronomy 18:9-11

Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be imitators of God. Our Lord Jesus would not go to a party to honor the feast of the Samhain. Moses did not come down from Mount Sinai and combine the Israelites Passover holiday with the idol worship that was going on. Allowing children to dress as witches and sorcerers or hanging evil decorations in our windows is imitating that which is evil.

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people. Therefore Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.

The verse says, “come out from among them, says the Lord.” Does that mean come out from among them–but don’t deprive your children from all that fun and candy — celebrate the same pagan ritual in your church building? The Bible is very clear about Christians being involved in such celebrations. Ephesians 5:8-11 says,

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

Halloween is more than childish fun.Witches have eight special holidays during the year. Halloween is their day above all days. Witchcraft is not child’s play. It is an abomination to the Lord. Johanna Michaleson, former occultist and author of The Beautiful Side of Evil said, “For a true Christian to participate in the ancient trappings of Halloween is as incongruous as for a committed Satanist coming from blood sacrifices on Christmas Eve to set up a nativity scene in his living room singing Silent Night, Holy Night with sincere devotion to baby Jesus!”

One thing Halloween should not be for the Christian is a time of fear. It should be a time to rejoice in the fact that The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8). This is a time of spiritual warfare. October 31 should be spent in prayer for the community and children; a time of worship by singing praise to the Lord. This can be a good time to teach our children to sacrifice by not sharing in the rituals because you love the Lord. Whatever your family decides to do on this day, ask yourself, “Does it glorify the Lord?”
…they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Leviticus 17:7.

Halloween and Purim?
Someone recently mentioned they thought Halloween came from the holiday Purim. It is true children dress up during Purim to reenact the story of Esther but it has nothing to do with Halloween. Halloween is centuries older and Purim costumes are Bible characters. Purim is observed on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Adar (February-March). It is a celebration of the deliverance of the Persian Jews over one of the most dastardly plots in history to exterminate the Jewish people. The book of Esther tells the story.

More Halloween Articles
Halloween for Christians (video)
Read about the Holidays Ordained by God

Share your Halloween experience in the comments. Did your family put away Halloween? How did your children handle the decision? How does your church handle this holiday? Is there anything wrong with compromising and promoting a Christian Halloween?

Robin Sampson has been homeschooling for 20 years. She and her husband Ronnie are blessed with a “yours, mine, and ours” blended family of eleven children (ages 6 to 34) and thirteen grandchildren (ages 1 to 12). She is actively teaching the two youngest children still at home. Robin is also an author and business owner. Please visit her at Heart of Wisdom.

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