Riding the Cool Bus

We've had many of those kinds of school days before. Y'know, the days where no one is listening, tempers are rising and that stinkin' page of math is taking in excess of 3 hours (and counting).

The concept of the stockade goes from sounding like an antiquated idea to a rather brilliant idea! Okay, okay. I suppose the stockade isn't the best way to handle those kinds of days, but can I at least reserve the right to consider it a Plan B?

To be honest, a great way to counter the homeschooling-is-currently-whooping-up-on-me blues is to make a list. Not just any old run of the mill list either. But a Hooray-for-our-Homeschool! kind of list.

Without further ado and for my future reference, here is a small sampling of my we-don't-need-no-schoolbus-because-we-ride-the-Cool-Bus! (aka my mommamobile minivan) list:

• While my kids are not necessarily normal (they can't help it-- they take after me!), they think that having lessons on Saturday is normal.
  


• So is going to the (uncrowded!) beach on a Monday.
  


• My six year old can do second grade math while he's still in the first grade. And when he's ready to go even further, we don't have to wait until after summer vacation to move on.
  


• If my boys finish their work early, who needs to have worksheets handy for extra credit? They can do something useful like sweeping the patio or folding laundry instead!
  


• Shhh... my boys don't think there is anything wrong with reading a bedtime story about the American Revolution. They even LIKE it. A LOT.
  


• I'm sure it would be against the dress code elsewhere to start and end the day in pajamas.
  


• We take our ready-for-spring break in February. And guess what? No matter where we go, it's not crowded! (Can you tell that I hate crowds?)
  


• Instead of loopy cursive, I get to teach my boys italic handwriting for the simple fact that *I* find it to be pleasant to the eyes. They also think nothing of the fact that as a first grader and a third grader, they are learning to write Italic Cursive at the same time.
  


• Snow days. We can take a day off to find a place that actually has snow and GO there. (The white stuff just doesn't fall here in Houston). I know, a lot of you can't even imagine seeking it out on purpose, but when you see three little boys desperately trying to make a snowball with a Snoopy Snow Cone machine... it just tugs at your heartstrings, y'all!

I don't know about y'all, but my mind is still thinking of more reasons why I DO love this thing called homeschooling! And you know what? Sometimes I really do need a little help to refocus my thoughts and think on what is noble, what is true and what is of good report.

So what's on your home-is-cool list?

Meme: Where Do You Homeschool?

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 Where You Homeschool.

Do you have a special room set aside? Are you a "couch schooler"? Do you move around the house all day long? Is your kitchen table covered with books, science equipment and crafts?

We would love to see lots of pictures of where you teach your children!

Please link directly to your "Where You Homeschool" 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.

Be sure to check out the posts below for more great things this fabulous Friday!

Writing Woes?

Do you have a child who likes to write? How about a reluctant writer? There are so many different experiences and learning styles that fall under this umbrella, I won't attempt to advise on them all. What I can share though, is my own experiences with my own children.

To date, I haven't found a writing curricula that has worked for us. I have tried a couple, and I must admit if I didn't listen or take cues from my children I would be butting my head against the wall and complaining about my reluctant writer.

In order to have a good grasp on my child's interest (or disinterest) in writing it helped me enormously to have a basic understanding of each child's learning style. Since this will most likely vary with each child, it deemed logical to deduce that each child's approach to writing will also vary.

My oldest daughter is an auditory learner and my youngest more of a visual learner. Hence the said writing curricula seemed to cause conflict with her learning style which resulted in resistance to writing assignments. What worked best with her (and still does) is exposure to literature - tons of literature. Since I adopted a classical approach to homeschooling for the first four years, this came rather easily. We read aloud and independently. We read richly and diversely. We read and read and read. Then something amazing happened. My daughter wanted to write. This time, in my wisdon, I stepped aside. I let her write. Teaching certain writing skills was still necessary, but now looked very different. I used her writing to teach grammar, she used her reading to learn punctuation and sentence structure. The three subjects of reading, writing and grammar were now blended into one. It was beautiful. Cue the choir.

My youngest daughter; however, seems to learn well with workbooks. The writing assignments are not offensive to her, but for the most part she welcomes them - and they're working. So whatever your child's learning style, I encourage you to work with it - not against it. Take cues from your kids. If the physical task of writing is difficult for your child, puppet shows, plays and even the use of tape recorders can work wonders for capturing their stories and ideas. The transfer to paper will eventually happen, but if they need a bridge, then help them build it.

BIG Announcement!!!!!

Today is a big day! Why? Because today, our sister site: The Homeschool Lounge is making its big debut!

That's right! Our very own, Tiany from Less of Me ~ More of Him and her husband, Troy have worked diligently to bring us this awesome resource.

The Homeschool Lounge is a FREE online social network community for Homeschool Moms; the very first of its kind! The vision of The Homeschool Lounge is to connect Homeschool Moms from all corners of the web; get advice, give advice, share, learn and laugh with those who truly understand you. There is something for everyone inside the many pages of this pioneer website so go check it out!

Site Features Include:

• Create your own space
• Start or join discussions in our Forum
• Start or join a group
• Start a Blog or Promote an existing Blog
• Create a slide show widget of your pictures for your blog
• Photo Gallery
• Video Gallery
• Live Chat
• Invite other Homeschool Moms, friends and family
• Members only community ~ All members, all videos and pictures must be approved and only the front page of our site can be viewed by the public for the safety and comfort of our homeschool moms.

We invite you to join us, share tips and advice, and find encouragement, fellowship, and friendship in a safe, fun, friendly environment. Our goal is to provide you with a resourceful and encouraging platform for all of your interests and needs, in order to help create and facilitate the most enriching network for Homeschool Moms on the Internet today.

All homeschool parents can sign up to join the Lounge from the front page and from there they will be approved for full membership to view all pages of The Homeschool Lounge. As for invites, you can send anyone you want an invite by clicking on the tab that says "Invite" and also the people that join The Homeschool Lounge from your invite link will automatically be included in your list of "Friends" aka Lounge Sisters.

Please feel free to help us spread the word and share the news on your blog by writing a post or using one of the buttons at the end of this post. We are very excited about this community and we hope it will be everything we have hoped, envisioned planned and prayed it would be!

There is also a bit of a contest on Tiany's blog for everyone that shares the news about The Homeschool Lounge on their blogs or websites. She will be giving away two $25 Amazon gift cards to randomly picked winners! Go by her blog and let her know if you post about the Lounge on your blog!

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up today and spread the word!

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Oh! And HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

The Winner of the Book: Sentinel, City of Destiny Is...

Terri from Terri's Memes!


Congratulations, Terri! Enjoy the book and be sure to check back here in a couple of weeks for full lesson plans to go along with this book. The lesson plans are free!


For those who didn't win, if you would like to see what I am so excited about then feel free to read the first 6 of the 29 chapters here: Six Chapters of Sentinel, City of Destiny. There is also a discount rate for co-op and group purchases. You can get a copy directly from the site: Bridgemaker Books or you can buy it from Amazon.com.

Are You Qualified to Teach Your Children?

Recently, I was approached by someone who made it very clear that I should not be homeschooling my children because they did not deem me qualified to do so. You see I don’t have a college degree, my spelling is atrocious and my math… Well let’s just say my math skills are certainly not extraordinary!

I have to admit there was a time early on before my eldest was born when the thought of homeschooling only brought fear and anxiety because I could not fathom how someone like myself, with my academic background could possibly homeschool their children! Yet, I know my children better, love my children more and care for them with more passion than anyone ever could.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

I was gently reminded that God has not given us a spirit of fear! The enemy will come time and time again to tell us that we can’t do it! We are not smart enough, patient enough, creative enough or equipped to do the will that God has placed in our hearts to fulfill! That makes no sense! Why would God steer us in a direction or give us a mission that was not possible to grasp or accomplish?

For God is not the author of confusion but of peace. 1 Corinthians 14:33

God is not the author of confusion! Our Lord has made it clear that with him all things are possible, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! God first put the burning desire in our hearts to keep them home and teach them ourselves, so I know without a doubt that God has qualified, commissioned, and equipped us to do so! We must look to God for the wisdom, knowledge and strength for each moment of every day!

I must add that we have been blessed with many resources to help us on our way… Fully mapped out Curriculum, Local Homeschool Groups, and Co Ops not to mention the menagerie of online resources. I don’t believe the hard part is being "Qualified" to teach the academics; the hard part is the plain ole parenting, teaching and raising our children with discipline and consistency! We place a high priority on academics but we place a higher priority on winning our children’s hearts for Christ!

The greatest part about teaching our children is that "We" are not really "teaching" our children as much as we are learning right along side them. It’s a family affair!

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him James 1:5-7

So back to the question at hand "Am I qualified to teach my children at home?" Well, in my own strength I am no where near qualified to tackle this mighty mission but if I will lean on God and rely on his wisdom as he has instructed me to do, then with him I know that I am more then qualified to teach my children!

Local Resources

Welcome to our local resources and "hidden gems" guide for homeschoolers. We hope that you will find something fun and educational for your family. We have five states listed below. To submit the local attractions for your state, please email us and be sure to include links.

INDIANA
South Bend

• Splash Universe (Wanna Waves) has a homeschooler day the second Monday of the month...admission is 1/2 price
• Health Works Museum: you can spend a day learning about the body (touchy-feely kinda stuff)
• Cinemark Dollar Theater has showings for only 50cents on Mondays
• First Friday of the month, the city of Goshen has different activities ranging from ice sculpture festivals to free acting classes
• Grace Community Church has a FREE open gym time where on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Fridays, you can go play basketball, or the kids can play while Mom gets a workout in the workout room or walking around the upstairs track.
• National New York Central RR Museum
• The Milford Library is very homeschooler friendly. They will automatically renew any and all items for you for up to 5 times (that means 5 weeks for videos and 10 weeks for books!) and that's all free. They have a movie day the 3rd Friday of the month where they show a (family friendly) movie and serve popcorn (FREE)

LOUISIANA
Baton Rouge

• Children's Museum of Acadiana, This museum is a hands-on participatory museum serving children and their families by providing interactive exhibits, special services, performances, and workshops. $5 per person, 12 and under free.
• Highland Road Observatory, On Saturday mornings, the Observatory offers a year-round program for children ages 8-12. Included in these sessions are hands-on science and astronomy activities. Science Academy is held 10 a.m.-12 p.m., and the cost is $5 per child per week (in-parish residents) and $6 per child per week (out-of-parish residents). Previous topics include comets, gliders, star colors, balloons, the Earth and the Moon, parachutes and meteors.
• Alligator Bayou, Cruise into the wild beauty of the Spanish Lake Basin, a primitive wilderness of swamps, bayous and lakes teeming with alligators, birds, cultural history and the Cajun joie de vivre for which Louisiana is famous. Experience the riches of the Cajun culture and others that settled this wetlands paradise 300 years ago.
• Rural Life Museum, The Rural Life Museum, located on the 450-acre Burden Research Plantation, provides insight into the largely forgotten lifestyles and cultures of pre-industrial Louisiana. Home to extensive collections of tools, household utensils, furniture, vehicles, and farming implements, the museum preserves an important part of the rural heritage of Louisiana and the nation.
• Baton Rouge Zoo, Only $1 on Wednesdays.
• Iberville Museum, (Amy Bayliss' grandfather, MGSgt. Wm. C. Grant's Korean and Vietnam war artifacts and uniforms are exhibited here) The museum has artifacts and photographs of life in the parish around the early 1900's. There are two permanent exhibits: Iberville at War and Turning with the Century. Iberville at War is an exhibit exploring America's wars and the parish's participation. The exhibit features a Norden Bombsight from World War II as well as bayonets from the American Revolution. Turning with the Century explores life in Iberville Parish in the early 1900's. This exhibit features a wedding ensemble from 1900 t hand carved cypress models of early boat transportation along the bayou. Children (6-12) $1.00 Adults (13 & older) $2.00 School groups of 20 or more students are half price, teachers free.
• Louisiana Arts and Science Museum, From art exhibitions and workshops to hands-on science exhibits and treasures from ancient Egypt, LASM has something to inspire everyone. Learn more about the museum on this site and plan a visit soon.

OHIO
Columbus

• COSI, the science museum and hand-on discovery center
• Ohio Historical Museum
• Homeschool Gym classes with Coach Chris
• Grossology classes through the Children's Hospital
• Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
• Davis Performing Arts Center (shows are only $3.00!!)
• Galaxy Games and Golf is a giant indoor play area that is only $1.95 on Tuesdays, and $3.95 M, W, Th, and F.
• Free concerts (or cheap) through Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware.
• The Delaware Arts Castle has reasonable classes for art, drama, music and dance. They have a homeschool art class that covers the curriculum guidelines for the state.
• Recreations Outlet in Powell is a large indoor play space. It is relatively inexpensive especially if you purchase a card for the year. It is a great place to get PE time during the winter.Homeschool Hockey classes at The Chiller, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
• Indoor Adventure Center
• Indian Village
• Morris Alpaca Farm
• Slate Run Living Historical Farm
• Franklin Park Conservatory
• Columbus Museum of Art holds Family Events on Sundays for free
• Groveport Recreation and Aquatic Center
  

TEXAS
Houston

• Christian owned and operated, this site provides all sorts of information for Houston Homeschoolers.
• A homeschooling group for South Houston area run by Joanne Juren, owner of the HEP bookstore. Offers supplemental classes for homeschooled students on a variety of wonderful subjects! Also offer a graduation walk.
• Children's Museum of Houston
• Southeast Texas Home School Association for Greater Houston and surrounding areas.
• Galveston (Texas) Homeschool Performing Arts Co-op
• Houston Museum of Natural Science (also has IMAX)
• Holocaust Museum Houston: Education Center & Memorial
• Houston Zoo
• Home Education and Responsible Teaching (HEART) features special activies and events for families in the Humble/Kingwood area.
• Smoothing Way (in Houston) is dedicated to serving parents new to homeschooling. Veteran homeschoolers guide newbies.
• Museum of Health & Medical Science (Houston)
• Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
• The Menil Collection (Art)
  

WASHINGTON
Seattle

• The Seattle Childrens Theater
• The Pacific Science Center
• The Seattle Aquarium
• Woodland Park Zoo
• Point Defiance Zoo, Tacoma
• Pioneer Farms
• Point no Point light house
• Miracle Ranch Homeschool classes
• Museum of flight in Seattle
• Battle Point Astronomical Association
• Clear Creek trail
• Washington State History Museum
• Tacoma Nature Center
• Tacoma Art Museum
• Rainy Dayz Playcenter, The under-5 set will love the colorful, soft climbing and gym toys available during open play at this Gig Harbor preschool — while mamas and papas enjoy a coffee or tea on the house.
• Northwest Trek, Don't ignore the Trek during the rainy season. The Cheney Discovery Center is packed with interesting natural history items for kids to examine, from animal pelts and teeth to puppets and coloring projects for little ones. You could happily spend a morning here. $6-$15.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Children are amazing, aren't they? In one word or sentence, they have the ability to make you absolutely melt with their sweetness, scare the wits out of you, delight you to no end, or embarrass the day lights out of you. They also have the ability to keep you humble!

I must admit that I was feeling pretty good about myself last week. We have been hitting a stride with our homeschool, figuring out what works for us and the things we enjoy, while abandoning the things that seem wonderful but just don't “fit” us. And, we’ve been having a lot of fun.

We had just finished up a two week unit on rabbits where we read Guess How Much I Love You, Little Rabbit Foo Foo, Runaway Bunny, Velveteen Rabbit, and, our favorite, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. We actually started with our friend Peter and regardless of how much my girls enjoyed the other stories, they kept asking for him again. We read the books, watched the animated stories on United Streaming and the ones we checked out from the library. We played the online games at PeterRabbit.com. We had fun having lunch in our "rabbit hole" under the kitchen table and pretending to be Mr. McGregor.

On top of all of that, they were showing off their growing phonics skills every day, pointing out letters around the house and telling me the sounds. They were figuring out how to spell words by sounding them out and singing all of the fun songs from the Leap Frog videos. Yes, I admit it, I was feeling pretty good about myself!

Then, Jordan came up to me on Friday evening and asked to put on Veggie Tales, which again made me feel pretty good knowing that she could have asked for all of the other silly shows we have. I put on Esther, which is my favorite of all of them, and we snuggled together on our big stuffed chair to watch the show. We were having a wonderful time, until Jordan told me something that erased all prior feelings of being confident in my mommy and teacher skills. It was right after the part when Haman was yelling at Mordechai about how he needed to show him respect, when Jordan turned to me and said, "Look, Mama, he's yelling at him!! He's yelling at him . . . just like you yell!"

Frozen, in shock, I turned to her and asked quietly, "Does Mommy yell?"

Sweet and innocent eyes look at me and said quite simply, "Uh huh."

Still in shock, I ask, "Does it hurt your feelings when Mommy yells?"

Again, those sweet big blue eyes turn to look at me and say, "Uh huh."

And just like that, I was completely humbled and realized that I still had A LOT of work to do. I know that my girls know that I love them, and I know that we have so much fun together and laugh more hours of the day than anything else, but I also know that they are three and two and that life isn't perfect. As much as I would love to always put my Love and Logic training into practice, when the two year old is pulling her older sister's hair, or the three year old is sweetly testing her limits for the hundredth time that day, I just don't always pick the best option in dealing with it.

Yes, our homeschool has come a very long way in the past year as Mommy has experimented with different styles, curriculum, methods and schedules. We are finding out what works for us, and letting go of the need to copy the seemingly perfect homeschool down the road. We are having fun, we’re learning and we’re reading wonderful children's classic literature. But we have most definitely not arrived, and my sweet daughter innocently pointed out an area that I have been neglecting while pursuing the others. At the end of the day, will they remember the snuggly reading times, the fun activities, and the stories, or will they remember Crazy Mama yelling her head off? I certainly don't think I fit that description, but you get the point.

So, since we seem to be hitting a stride in our school, it is time to turn our attention to discipline and controlling reactions to the inevitable limit testing that comes with toddlers and preschoolers. If you have any suggestions on how you handle those situations, or if anyone else cares to admit that they occasionally take the lesser road and yell (thus making me not quite feel like the worst mother in the world), please leave a comment. As for me, I'm off to eat some humble pie and love on my girls!

Ideabox

We recently received a most delightful email from one of our readers...Rebecca, a self-confessed homeschooling novice in her very first year of home education.

I really love the Heart of the Matter and have found great encouragement there. I don't know if you take suggestions, but I thought I ought to try and email you something I would LOVE to see at Heart of the Matter. I would love to see questions answered for the novice. It could be weekly, it could be monthly...I am sure there would be no lack of questions.

So our dear readers...welcome to our new monthly feature The Ideabox. Every month we will post a question that will benefit the newbie, as well as the more seasoned homeschooler. Please send us your answers, suggestions, and ideas. We will select the best answers that we believe will benefit our readers and publish them in the following month's magazine. If you have questions that you would like answers to, please send them in!

Here is what Rebecca would like to know...

Planning maps out success...so how does everyone plan? Do you plan your schooling tasks each week, perhaps at the beginning of every month? Maybe you make yourself a yearly plan and review it as necessary or maybe you fly by the seat of your pants and get an idea of what you are going to do about an hour before the kids wake up... Let's hear how everyone gets their homeschooling plans done...

So, drop us an email and let us know what works for you!

Stop by and visit Rebecca at her blog and thank her for the question of the month idea!

A Mother's Love

When we think of the month of February, our minds automatically go to Valentine's Day and love. Mine used to go right to those thoughts, too. Instead I hold my breath as I turn the calendar page as the fifth of the month marks the date when my mom passed away. Three years ago. Tears still come. Memories are still in the bittersweet stage. Yet as time passes and I reflect more and more, I begin to understand how much the month of February does go with the memories of my mom because she instilled in me the most important gift of all. Love.

Amazing love. Looking back at her history through my adult eyes, I see the loss of her father before her wedding day, the loss of my only sibling - her daughter - through death, the loss of some of her siblings from cancer, the loss of her marriage through divorce. Wounding losses which could have taught bitterness, but instead her response to life taught me her unconditional love which is still deep in my heart.

What does this story from my life have to do with homeschooling? A mother's love. It is often that exact thing which influences the decision for a family to homeschool. A mother's love for her children. And it is a mother's love that keeps her family going on days when EVERYTHING goes wrong. Through the moments when serious illness or disease strikes a family member. During times when there's nothing left to pinch out of a penny. While the daddy of the household is away working or serving his country. Within the ever changing stages of child raising which keep a mother's knees worn in prayer. At times when a bubble bath and chocolate sound better than sacrifice and serving. Yes, it is a mother's love that holds firm and steady to the commitment and challenges of family life which for some may include homeschooling their children.

A mother's love. Could there be any force more powerful in the universe? Yes, the Source of all love which is greater than anything we could ever imagine and too awesome for our minds to grasp.

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." ~Ephesians 3:17b-19

God's love. Simple and pure. Powerful and mighty. Strengthening and enduring.

God's great love which fills a mother's heart with love. A gift from Him passed on through the generations from grandmothers to mothers and on to their children. A gift which I am so thankful is part of my heritage and which I hope to pass on to future generations. Could there be a greater gift than love to share with others?

"Bless our children, God, and help us so to fashion their souls by precept and example that they may ever love the good, flee from sin, revere Thy word, and honor Thy name." ~ Union Prayer Book

Now, I lovingly ask, isn't that really the heart of the matter?

Happy Birthday Dana!

We would like to wish our wonderful Dana a very blessed birthday. Please stop by her blog at Principled Discovery and leave her a birthday comment.

WARNING: The Effects of Homeschooling

Disclaimer: This may not be suitable for all parents.

The effects of homeschooling vary greatly from household to household but be forewarned that they are often drastic and undeniable.

Take for instance the new found desire of a homeschooled child to photograph each and every insect for the sole purpose of identifying them. It has been said that in homes across the US, children are learning to classify insects, rocks, and animals at alarming rates and it doesn't stop there.

At a home in LA, just this past month, a child learned all about Native Americans by reading literature, studying tribes, and of course, reenactments. Here he is with his tee pee which is the home to the Wichita and/or Native Americans who lived in the Plains.

Now this homeschooled child knew the dangers of fire because he was taught fire safety early on. Instead of a fire he, hold on to your seats, pretended that he had a fire by dropping dirt over the top of his pile of leaves and sticks which made it appear to be smoke. This delighted his mom since she knew that he was well aware of where to find the matches and could have easily started a real fire. Now one might find this inconsistent with the public school's view of how a child makes discoveries and thinks for himself but this child's parent is more than OK with his way since it does not involve sexual education classes, peer pressure, and bullying. Besides, he appears to be a happy, well-rounded child wouldn't you say?

But again, the negatives are that now this mom must use an abundance of household cleaners to remove the dirt and debris from this sheet or she will have to toss it into the garage for later use. Which I might add is where approximately 4 other discarded sheets are now located.

This child was not always so adventurous and independent. After all, he did attend public school for 1.25 school years. During that time he was teased, failing, and succumbed to staying in his room for hours on end doing nothing but staring at the television. Upon his removal from the school system his mother found that their relationship had actually improved and that his vocabulary became shy of a few undesirable words, if you know what she means. He is also much more outgoing and less angry now. He is a very pleasant child to be around.

Here is yet another example of what happens to a child when he is allowed to think for himself.

Imagine this: You are standing in the kitchen preparing dinner when out of the blue you hear "crick, crick, crick, crick." You glue your eyes to the entry way as you begin to wonder what could possibly be making that noise.

Then it reveals itself.

It's a bird, it's a plane! No! It's... A RO-BOT.

This child read a short book on simple machines and all of a sudden he has this desire to be a robot? OK, so most little boys have that desire anyway but would he have known how to do this if he had not researched it? Yes, this 6 year old knows how to research. I know it's hard to believe but it's true.

And here we are with their latest purchases using their allowance. They actually bought pirates, Blackbeard and his cohorts to be exact. I had the pleasure of listening and watching as they played out a scenario they had learned about in history, complete with the amputation of one of Blackbeard's arms.

On another note, these unsocialized children have been caught giving pointers to middle aged, stay-at-home moms in grocery stores. One incident in particular involved a box of cereal, a coupon, and a lesson in division. "See, you get it on sale for $2.50 and the coupon is a dollar off. So it is $1.50 for 12 oz. This big box is $2.98 with the coupon and it is only 18 oz. It is $0.17 an oz. The other one is $0.13 an ounce." This was all said with a smile and a calculator but he is only 8 years old.

Yes, these unusual little people have succeeded in a homeschool environment where they were doomed to fail in the public school system. Thankfully this isn't the case in all towns across the country since there are obviously some fantastic school systems elsewhere. They just aren't here. Besides, this mom says her time with them is too