A Fourth Grader’s Reading List

March 18, 2010 by LisaV

For the Love of Reading

February 4, 2010 by LisaV

Sometimes people ask how I instilled the love of reading in our pre-teen boys. I usually reply that I read to them when they were young.

However, another mom remarked that she read to her kids too, but none of them like to read, which made me ponder this question further.

What causes one child to love reading while another considers it a chore? Does the parent instill the love of reading, or is this something a child develops on his or her own?

Photo Credit: Marsha, Other Such Happenings

I believe there are steps a parent can take to encourage a love of reading in a child, but ultimately it is up to the child to devour the books, newspapers, and magazines that we provide for them.

Techniques we’ve used to encourage reading in our home include:

Read aloud to your kids when they are little and continue when they can read on their own. Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook is an excellent resource on this topic. Children can understand a higher level of reading than what they can read for themselves.

Have the kids read aloud to you, especially in the elementary years. This develops their speech as well as their reading skills.

Have the children read silently while you read too. After breakfast each morning, our two boys and I silently read a chapter from the Bible according to our own Bible reading schedules. Sometime we’ll write down a verse that we read that day and share it with a family member via email.

Have lots of books, magazines, and newspapers on hand. We visit the library weekly and stock up on books the kids are interested in. These include science and social studies topics such as the planets, presidents, and Landmark history books. Our kids have subscriptions to Clubhouse Magazine, National Geographic, and Lego Magazine. We also subscribe to the Wall Street Journal and our local paper.

Invest in quality, educational books. A few years ago, my friends started consulting for Usborne Books. By hosting parties, I’ve obtained boxes of Usborne titles for free or half-price. These truly are the books kids love to read.

Since we’ve been married, we have never had cable TV. Thus, we only have access to a handful of channels. We keep the TV in the basement, so we’re not tempted to watch it excessively. Our boys generally don’t watch TV on the weekdays, though we enjoy watching football as a family on the weekends.

Limit the children’s screen time, whether that be TV, computer, or video games. Our boys’ doctor recommended no more than one hour of screen time a day. It seems many children are plugged in 24/7, which can diminish the joy of reading a good book.

Our boys both started reading at the age of 6. Last year when they were 8 and 11, I tested their reading level and discovered they both read at a high school level.

The above ideas have worked for us. Please share your thoughts for encouraging a love of reading in your home.

Tags: encouraging the love of literature, Jim Trelease, read alouds, reading, Usborne Books

Same Kind of Different as Me

December 22, 2009 by LisaV

4 Comments

I finished reading the amazing true story of a modern-day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together.

Same Kind of Different as Me is a heartwarming tale of two men, one rich and another poor, and how their lives intertwine because of a woman called by God to serve in a homeless mission. The story is well-written, humorous, touching, and inspiring. The two men alternate telling their tales, a chapter or two at a time.

We meet a dirt-poor sharecropper named Denver who worked the land by picking cotton for ‘the Man’ but earned no money. In his 20s, Denver hopped a train which led him to Fort Worth, Texas, where he lived on the streets, a step up from where he began.

We also meet Ron, an international art dealer with humble beginnings, married to Deborah, a woman who would lead him to a homeless shelter and encourage him to befriend a homeless man she saw in her dream.

Through its language and imagery, Same Kind of Different as Me has the flavor of To Kill a Mockingbird. This book explores the themes of true friendship, being different, suffering, and homelessness. In fishing terms, some people practice “catch and release.” This term can be applied to friendship as well. While some friendships are “catch and release,” others are forever. This book is a story of faith, courage, fear, and forgiveness.

Deborah was an incredible woman of faith, from the way she handled her husband’s infidelity to her treatment of the homeless. What was Deborah afraid of? Not the homeless, but that she’d miss her calling in life. Are you afraid of missing your calling, of wasting your life? How can we combat this fear, which can keep us from fulfilling our purpose in life? Are we willing to take that risk to reach out to others, to make a difference in their lives, to show them the way of eternal life?

This book had me in tears, as the two men finally meet and as Deborah faced the biggest challenge of her life—cancer. The cancer was not only a physical battle, but a spiritual journey for Deborah and those who prayed for her day and night.

Deborah’s legacy lives on in the lives of those she touched—her family, friends, and the homeless she befriended and served so faithfully. Can we care about people the way Deborah did?

I read more of Ron and Denver’s story in their follow-up book, What Difference Do It Make? The sequel expands on Ron’s relationship with his father, Denver’s time in prison, and the impact that Deborah’s story has made on ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference in our world today. Let’s join them in making that difference.

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.

Review: R.E.A.L Science Odyssey

November 3, 2009 by LisaV

3 Comments

Before our school year began in August, we searched for a science curriculum at our local homeschool supply store. I asked for advice from the teacher at a private school connected with the store, and she recommended R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Life (level one), Life Science Curriculum for grades 1-4. Though the book is geared toward grades 1-4, she is using it with her grades 5-7 students. I asked if it would work with both my 4th and 7th grade boys, and she said that it would. We could supplement with Usborne/library books if we wanted.

After using it with both our boys for a couple months, I find that we really like it. Everything is contained in one book and the experiments are easy, fun, and educational, even for Mom!

In completing a circulatory system lab, we made our own blood model. We used Karo syrup for plasma, Red Hots for red blood cells, lima beans for white blood cells, and lentils for platelets. The boys and I enjoyed a few Red Hots while the kids colored in their models.

Other labs included putting together a simple skeleton model, learning the parts of a chicken egg, pairing fictitious animals together, making sea jellies from Styrofoam cups and yarn, and testing our senses by using vinegar, garlic, and paper clips. I like how the labs incorporate arts and crafts, since this had been lacking in our homeschool for some time.

If you’re looking for a fun, easy way to teach science, I highly recommend the R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Life book!

Tags: Circulatory System Project, elementary school, Junior High, Life Science Curriculum, Life Science Projects, middle school, R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey, science projects, Usborne

Our Homeschool Schedule

September 17, 2009 by LisaV

9 Comments

Something that has helped since our beginning days of homeschooling six years ago was developing a homeschool schedule.

We found tips in setting up a homeschool schedule in the Moore Formula Manual, which was a huge aid during our first year of homeschooling. The schedule includes certain anchor points such as wake up time, meal times, and bed time, and other slots for study subjects, work, and service. The anchor points are fairly fixed and should remain consistent from day to day. For example, our meal times are set at 8:00 for breakfast, 12:00 for lunch and 6:00 for dinner.

Our subject areas, in the order that we complete them, are Bible/Music, Language Arts, Mathematics/Art, Reading, Typing/Email, Science, Social Studies, and Health. We complete 3-5 subjects before lunch and the remainder after lunch. We generally rotate the Science/Social Studies/Health subjects so that we focus on one at a time, though the kids enjoy reading Social Studies books on their own after our formal school work is done. The subject areas are flexible, as some projects take longer on some days than others. We generally start our study time around 9:00 and end at 1:30.

A simplified version of our homeschool schedule, including resources and curriculum we are using this year with our 12- and 9-year-old boys, is as follows:

8:00 AM Breakfast and cleanup

9:00 AM Bible/Music

Silent Scripture reading on a schedule
Prayer journals (writing, Spiritual)

Scripture memory – AWANA books and Kids 4 Truth

Thursdays: The Usborne Piano Course Book Two

10:00 AM Language Arts

Alternate handwriting, spelling, creative writing, and grammar

A Reason for Handwriting – Levels C and F

Spelling: Spelling Plus Word List

Writing: Jump In

Grammar: Easy Grammar ¾ and Winston Grammar

Rosetta Stone Homeschool Spanish

11:00 AM Mathematics/Art

Math-U-See Epsilon

Art: Drawing and making cards using Usborne art books

12:00 PM Lunch and cleanup

1:00 PM Reading (incorporate Bible, Science and Social Studies)

Monday: Sunday school papers (Bible)

McGuffey Readers: Pilgrim’s Progress and Liberty Tree

Typing and Email (technology, writing)

Mavis-Beacon software

Email Dad Monday to Thursday and grandparents on Friday

Science: R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Life (level one)
Social Studies: Various Usborne and library books

1:30 PM Health (incorporate work/service)

A Healthier You, A Beka Book Health Series, grade 7

2:00 PM Speech on Fridays with Dad

You can check out Darcy’s Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop to see how other homeschoolers schedule their days.

How do you schedule your homeschool day?

Tags: a day in the life, homeschool schedule, Moore Formula Manual, scheduling

The Perfectionist

August 20, 2009 by LisaV

6 Comments

When our firstborn son was two years old, I found the burgundy couch pillows perfectly lined up on the sofa cushions, one per cushion. A little later, when I bought him large-sized crayons, I showed our toddler how to place the crayons back in the box. However, he rearranged the crayons so all the tips pointed upward. I thought: What have I done? Did my perfectionist tendencies transfer to our son?

While he has largely outgrown these tendencies now at age 12, I see them more clearly in our second son whose handwriting has to be perfect and who cringes at the thought of ever failing.

What can we do to encourage excellence in our homeschool without pressuring our kids toward perfection? With a child who is already a perfectionist, we sometimes have to encourage him to relax. The lines don’t have to be perfectly straight. We don’t have to erase every imperfection on our handwriting page. We also encourage him to try new things, to accept some failure as part of the learning process, and to know when something is “good enough” even though it’s not perfect.

Our 9-year-old reminds me a lot of myself as a student–very studious and focused–someone who can finish a day’s schoolwork in an hour if everything is lined up and ready for him. He pushes himself to excel, trying to keep up with his big brother and often succeeding. I noticed this when he was very young.

When we started homeschooling at ages 4 and 7, the younger one would often call out the answers to the older one’s math problems. Our then 4-year-old pushed himself to read, as his older brother was doing. He could do it, though not without much stress. Our educational counselor advised us to put off reading for a while. I had mixed feelings about this, but eventually told our younger child that he didn’t have to read right now. The look of relief on his face told me this was the right decision. During his kindergarten year, we worked on phonics and then right before his first grade year, he picked up a book and started reading on his own.

Our younger son tends to be the perfect student, doing his work quickly and well. He’s ahead in most of his subjects, which seem to come easily to him. On the other hand, he takes things very literally and sometimes has difficulty with idioms and figures of speech. I had the same problem growing up, not gaining the deeper meaning of literature but only seeing the surface. Too much study can be weariness to the soul, so we encourage him to take breaks and rest if he seems stressed or has a headache.

Perfectionism may always be a balancing act for some, to accept a little messiness or imperfection without getting upset or stressed. My perfectionism has greatly decreased after I had kids, realizing that some things are more important than a perfectly cleaned home. As a homeschooler, I’ve let go of the perfect schedule in favor of more flexibility and fun in our learning times. May I instill this less-than-perfectionist attitude in our children as well.

Tags: Encouragement, flexibility in homeschooling, homeschool perfectionist, homeschooling, learning to relax

Dealing with Disappointment

July 24, 2009 by LisaV

3 Comments

Growing up, I don’t remember ever feeling disappointed, at least not in a big way where it impacts my whole life. In a job interview I was asked about a time I faced disappointment, and nothing immediately came to mind. I didn’t play varsity tennis, but was content to be on the JV team. It wasn’t that important to me, as I focused on my studies.

Having children now, it brings dealing with disappointment to a whole new level. There are certainly times when the kids disappoint your expectations, perhaps acting in ways that seem embarrassing to you. However, we recently experienced a disappointment in our family that was not caused by unmet expectations, but rather a lack of readiness on our son’s part.

We signed our 11-year-old (now 12) up for Little League this spring, as he seemed to have outgrown the Park and Recreation baseball program. Our son saw his friends play Little League last year and wanted to join in. He started the season a newbie, not swinging at the ball and later getting a 3-foot hit. Each successive hit seemed to get longer—10 feet, then past the infield. In a recent game, he hit one for the fences that ended as his first triple. Things were going well, he was improving, and also had several opportunities to pitch. I thought he’d be a shoo-in for the tournament team.

Well, I was wrong. What does the Bible say about pride going before a fall?

The tournament tryouts showed his strengths in running and pitching, but also his weak areas in fielding and in the batting cage. When he found out he didn’t make the team, he seemed down, so I sent him outside to mow the lawn. What surprised me were my own emotions at this disappointment, having not experienced it in my own youth.

My husband talked with our son about this situation, making sure he was okay and understood that we were not disappointed in him. This could be a turning point for him to choose to improve, rather than give up. Even Michael Jordan didn’t make the JV basketball team, but that caused him to work harder to excel.

Disappointments can be opportunities to grow emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It’s humbling to see our boys maturing and developing into young men. Our 12-year-old will soon pass me up in height and already has feet bigger than all those in our immediate family. Learning about honor, developing confidence, and displaying a good attitude are all we can ask of our offspring, and we have not been disappointed.

Tags: choosing to improve, disappointment in parenting, don't give up, Encouragement, sports, teaching your child to exceed, unmet expectations

11 Tips for Successful Family Trips

June 23, 2009 by LisaV

7 Comments

Two summers ago we took our first big road trip as a family, driving to Canada to visit Niagara Falls. With memories of long hours in the car as a kid, I wasn’t sure how this first attempt would go. However, we had a great time traveling and staying by the Falls, fitting in a one-day trip to Toronto as well. Below are some tips we learned on this trip.

Listen to sermons on tape while you drive. It makes the time pass much faster on the road.
A tip we picked up from our older son’s camp week: You can wear the same clothes over and over as long as they are clean.
Use the hotel swimming pool. The kids love it and they can learn how to swim, as our kids did on our trip. It doesn’t cost any extra and is a good way to cool off.
Regarding hotels, it’s a plus to have a fan in the bathroom and a sink inside too. Free parking is always a plus. It’s better not to stay on the first floor with guests above you. It’s nice to have breakfast included too.
If breakfast is not included, bring your own bottled water and bagels or other snacks, which can serve as a quick breakfast at very low cost.
It’s okay to try a new restaurant. You might just like it, as we did with Bob Evans.
Take lots of pictures as souvenirs. Bring a battery recharger or extra batteries. After you return home, you have fleeting memories but the pictures and videos can last a lifetime.
Wear good walking shoes when you set out on foot.
My husband booked our vacation online and used MapQuest to get directions from point A to point B. He drove while I navigated. Now we have a Garmin.
Visit tourist attractions on the weekdays, as it is busier on the weekends. Also, go early to avoid the crowds.
Wear a baseball cap to protect your face from the sun and to cover unwashed hair. They’re a great invention!

Where are you traveling this summer? Do you have a trip tip to share?

lisa 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.

Tags: Garmin, GPS, Hotel tips, MapQuest, Niagara Falls vacation, Sermons on CD, summer vacation, Taking pictures and video, Tips for travelling families

Garage Sale Tips and Tricks

May 26, 2009 by LisaV

1 Comment

Every year we take a break from our regular homeschool studies to participate in the citywide garage sale. The boys learn lessons in pricing, marketing and work, while spending a few days outdoors. This is our sixth garage sale year, as we attempt to purge our house of old toys and clothes and other miscellaneous items. We often coordinate our sale with the neighbor’s sale so that we benefit from the increased traffic on our otherwise quiet street.

We’ve learned a few garage sale tips and tricks over the years, including:

The early bird gets the worm. The citywide sale is advertised on Saturday, but the early shoppers come out on Thursday and Friday. We run our sale from Thursday to Saturday. The earlier we start in the morning, the better. We’ve had people parked outside our home at 8 a.m.
Coordinate with your neighbors and friends. The more sales on one street, the more likely shoppers are to stop and check them all out. This year we had two other families bring stuff to sell at our garage sale and a total of six garage sales on our street.
Use garage sale signs to direct shoppers to your sale. We put signs on both ends of our street and a sign in our yard.
Pull the big stuff out on your driveway so people will stop and shop. Things that have worked well in the past include a couch, a dining room set, a Little Tikes playhouse, and bicycles.
Clean and repair items before you sell them. They are more likely to sell that way.
Find free ways to advertise. I put an ad in the citywide sale one year, but in other years I simply posted an ad in our homeschool group’s Classifieds and emailed all my local friends. This year I noted our garage sale on Facebook while a friend posted it on Craigslist. It’s nice to see familiar faces amidst a sea of strangers.
Greet and make small talk with the shoppers. Everyone likes to connect and feel like someone cares about them. It helps to increase sales too!
Post a “Cash only, please” sign at your cashier’s table. A friend related that a sweet elderly lady came to her garage sale and then bounced her check!
Price a little higher the first day and then drop your prices by the last day of your sale. Know how much you are willing to negotiate on price. There should be a little room to bargain, but you don’t have to give your things away.
When your sale is over for the day, keep your garage door closed or people will walk in!
Know what people want. If they start asking for jewelry, get your old jewelry out and price it. I’m glad I did!
Play beautiful music in the background. We’ve used Pachelbel in the past and this year we played Beethoven.
Include your children in your garage sale by having them find items to sell, price the items, set up tables, work as cashier or security, and market the garage sale. This year our 8-year-old helped type our ad for our homeschool group and our 11-year-old hauled the TV from the basement to the garage.

Are you doing a garage sale this year? Do you have a garage sale tip to share? Do you enjoy shopping at garage sales?

Tags: budgeting, Frugal living, Garage Sale, How to Garage Sale, life skills for children, Organization, planning a yard sale, removing clutter

Our Ladies’ Bible Study

April 13, 2009 by LisaV

4 Comments

The last time I participated in a ladies’ Bible study was almost 12 years ago when my first baby was born. The pastor’s mother taught the study on Tuesday mornings with a time of prayer, Bible memorization, reading, and study. It was a growing time for me as I gathered with other women to be challenged, encouraged, and strengthened through the Word. Our teacher shared the Scriptures with us, her wisdom gained through the years, and her personal stories.

Though I’ve been in ladies’ Sunday school classes, I haven’t had an opportunity to join other women for a separate Bible study until recently, when our church ladies started a Bible study in March on the fruitful Christian woman. We meet weekly for a time of singing, prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. We’re given assignments to read the Word daily and write down what we learn from our devotions, as well as memorize a new verse each week. We’re given practical challenges to instill good habits in our home like making the bed right away (unless our husbands are still in them) and keeping a clean kitchen sink.

The first section of our study is focused on knowing God because everything in the Christian life flows out of it. It has been interesting to see how messages throughout the week tie in with what is being taught in our Bible study.

As much as I enjoy blogging and my online friends, there’s something about gathering in someone’s living room, connecting with other women one on one, and laughing and crying together. Our Bible study group has been small, around 6 to 9 ladies each week, so we get to know each other’s hearts and struggles on an intimate basis. It’s become a support group of sorts, as we face challenges with our families, church, and various physical needs. During the week, we think of each other and pray for one another, lifting up our voices to Almighty God.

Our Bible study leader is no stranger to tough times, being widowed with four children and starting over with a widower and his three grown children. How are we able to go through hard times without knowing God? Eternal life is knowing God, as expressed in John 17:3: “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.”

After studying the Christian and her God, we’ll also look at the Christian and herself, the Christian and others, and the Christian and her home. May we be Christians who study His Word, talk to Him in prayer, know, fear, and love the Lord, and trust in His Word and character.

I thought this week’s memory verse summed up our study well:

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Are you currently in a ladies’ Bible study? What have you learned recently from your study?

Tags: Bible studies, Christian Women, Encouragement, gather together, Scripture, small groups, study groups

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