Who’s the Teacher Here?
October 23, 2009 by Christine
“Come on down, we’re going to start schoolwork!” I call up the stairs.
“But, Mom, I’m teaching Maddy to play Battleship!” my 9-year-old replies, with a hint of annoyance for being interrupted.
Hmmm, Cartesian graphing definitely counts as math…and he’s teaching her, I think to myself. “Sure, take your time!” I call back.
Teaching is the best way to remember information. Just think of it in terms of us as the homeschooling parents. Do you remember all of your high school history? I sure don’t. I’m learning now. As I teach it to my children.
Edgar Dale, in his brain research, summed up in the Cone of Learning, found that (paraphrased):
WE REMEMBER
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we see and hear
70% of what we discuss with others
90% of what we teach others
I’ve been trying to apply this theory in our homeschool, now that my oldest two are at a point where they enjoy each other’s company and can engage in some more advanced games and concepts on their own. The more I seek them out, the more opportunities I find to briefly hand the reins to my oldest to help his younger sister. The benefits are many- sibling cooperation, communication skills for both, retention of material- and I have noticed a great deal of growth in their relationship because of these efforts.
Many times, as in the Battleship example, they take it upon themselves to work together before I ask. The simple act of explaining the directions of a game requires a child to put their thoughts together, express them coherently, and follow through with demonstration. I have witnessed my son teaching his sister proper violin posture by having her correct his “bad” positions, helping her with her reading, and guiding her in her attempts to whistle. I have also seen my daughter, who is six, begin to “teach” her younger brothers, and even her stuffed animals!
My goal is to create an environment where it is OK to “not know” something because there are many patient, caring family members willing to teach you when you want, or need, to know. Slowly I am seeing the fruit of this effort.
I encourage you to try and find small ways throughout your day when your children can teach- whether it’s you, a sibling, or the family dog!
Christine is a Christian, homeschooling mom to three boys and a girl, ranging in age from 9 to 2 years old. She is a musician by trade, eclectic in homeschool style, and continues to grow and learn along with her children in this journey of life and discipleship at home. Visit her blog at Fruit in Season.
Reflections
September 13, 2009 by Kysha
I have always loved teaching Science, Math, Art and English to my children. I have always approached these subjects with great excitement and enthusiasm with each new topic.
But there’s one subject which I had absolutely loathed. Well, maybe that’s a strong word. I had rather disliked… and that’s history.
During my education, history involved my struggling to stay awake during high school and college lectures. How did I find the most monotonous teachers for these courses? I remember feeling well rested after each lecture due to the power naps that I had taken during class. I can also remember numerous facts and dates being hashed out for my memorization. Unfortunately, this experience had influenced the formulation of my view or opinion of history in general which was that of something very much “boring and unnecessary to life”. Boy, was I ever wrong!
Now, I am teaching the same subject to my children. Over the past year, I had noticed how my children were beginning to dislike history also. Oh, I could see the eyes roll and the long sighs whenever I would reach for our history book. My younger twin would say his famous line whenever he became frustrated with something, “Mom, this is giving me a headache!”
For some strange reason, I couldn’t put two and two together. “Why aren’t y’all getting this?” I would asked in my southern drawl, of course. Then I had a light bulb moment. How much energy am I investing into this subject? Am I only viewing my mirror image in my children? I had never been enthusiastic about history so my children weren’t either. Surely, I could display a “face” but children can always see so much more. How could I be upset or frustrated with the way they were ‘reflecting’ what I had been displaying?
I had to step back and take a different perspective on history altogether. I had to change my attitude to that of gratitude in a sense. I had to learn to appreciate history for the first time in my life and its valuable place in our heritage. I had to embrace history and become one with history. Just kidding! That’s a little extreme but I think you get the picture. I began to invest time and energy into our history studies just as I had done with the other ‘fun” subjects. After I had discovered a wonderful Charlotte Mason History curriculum, we soon began our journey with notebooking, narrations, discussions, reading many library books, taking more history based field trips, dressing as characters and creating history based dramas for the family. I had to prime my creative juices a bit for this subject. Eventually, my children said those wonderful words…” We love history, Mom. It’s fun!” Naturally, I was so excited to hear those words but I want my children to love and embrace history and learning as a whole. I want them to have wonderful memories of their history teacher also.
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:13 NIV
Amazingly, I was the source of my own frustration if you will. It was me.
Today, my children are reflecting a much better image or attitude. Children are much more intelligent than we can ever imagine. Not only do they reflect my attitude toward their studies but my spiritual walk and life in general. When I get angry at the person who just cut me off during rush hour traffic, when I get frustrated at the clerk for making the incorrect change and getting price checks on every item, when I am disputing an unwarranted charge on a bill with a sales rep., when I am having conversations with my friends and whatever else I do behind closed doors when I think no one is looking. Others may only view the “Outside Mommy” but our children know, learn, absorb then reflect the “Inside Mommy”. Of course, I’ve always known that children will imitate behavior but as a Christian mom, I thought I had always reflected good and positive images. So this revelation was a little eye opener for me in so many ways and aspects of my role as mommy teacher.
What are your children reflecting?
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Phil.2:5 NIV
Kysha is a mom of five beautiful children from ages 2 to 18. She enjoys blogging, fishing, reading, and working in children’s ministry. You can find her at Love’s School.
Vacations that Teach: Living Education
I love history in any size, shape, or form. More often than not, I combine learning more about our family history (genealogy) with major historical events in places we have come from in our migrations. My husband especially loves aviation history. Our daughter loves fashion design history. One of our sons loves anything that teaches about television and movie history. Our other two boys like any history that puts them out of doors!
We are a military family and our travels have enabled us to visit many places. Several of those places were important in the building of our great country: the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, the Capital Building in Washington, D.C., and the Punchbowl, USS Arizona, and Diamond Head Crater in Hawaii. Other sites remind us of the beauty found in the hills and dales of this land we call home: the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the lighthouses and beaches of North and South Carolina, and Pikes Peak in Colorado. Still others we have seen in movies, or read about in books: Chimney Rock, North Carolina (where Last of the Mohicans was filmed), Elizabethtown, Kentucky (where Elizabethtown starring Legolas, er, uhm, I mean Orlando Bloom was filmed), and the Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow villages in New York (where author Washington Irvin penned his famous work The Legend of Sleepy Hollow).
Most folks call these trips a vacation. We like to call it school, or a living education. The internet is filled with many great websites that will help you turn your family vacation into a learning experience. One of my favorite places is the National Park Service and National Register of Historic Places teaching website called Teaching With Historic Places (TWHP).
Last year our family incorporated a recent trip to Colorado into our lessons for the year. We had visited the Adeline Hornbek homestead, located in the Florrisant Valley of Colorado during the summer while visiting family. We had a sweet park ranger do the unthinkable and let us enter the ground floor of the cabin (shhh… don’t tell anyone that, ok!) to take pictures of the cabin. We were able to see the cloth and newspapers that had been used for insulation. The ranger did an awesome job and gave us a great beginning lesson but we (I) wanted to know even more! We came home and I started looking on the internet for information. I found everything we needed in the FREE lesson plans provided through TWHP. The lesson included floor plans of the cabin, maps of the area, historical summaries on both the subject of homesteading and women in the Victorian era, and more. The plan also includes a list of supplementary resources. The search engine is helpful in linking more than one subject matter because you may search by place, theme, time period, skill, or curriculum standards (i.e. is the plan geared towards history or social studies).
The lesson plans do not solely have to be used for history or social studies either. They are multi-tasking lessons, you might say. This year I really want my three boys to improve upon their creative writing skills. We can use the TWHP by using places that show up in the skills category of the search engine. We already have our interests peaked by experiences with places in North Carolina that show up in this category, like the Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving Station, for instance. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is also listed in this particular search function and so we may take a side trip there this summer since two of the three boys will be visiting their grandparents in nearby Louisville for a few weeks.
Opportunites are all around us for learning. We just have to open our eyes and take advantage of them! So, where are you going on vacation?! Oh, and by the way, feel free to view our family album of the Hornbeck Homestead at: http://www.mikeandsallie.com/hornbeck_homestead/.
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
Creative Homeschooling: Lapbooking/Notebooking
June 30, 2009 by Amy Bayliss
Our family has become quite accustomed to building our own books. We do a loose combination of all of the popular forms of booking: lapbooking, scrapbooking, notebooking, altered booking, etc. We have actually simply started calling it “heartbooking©” since our style fits none of these exclusively and because we base the foundation of our education on God’s word which teaches us that we must examine the condition of our hearts. Studying history, science, and the especially the bible can give us the opportunity to examine our hearts and motives in certain situations.
Recently while studying about the Vietnam war my son became appalled by the fact that some soldiers were spat at upon their return from overseas. This gave me the opportunity to dig deeper into their hearts and question them as to whether or not if they were in a situation with one of their neighborhood friends and they believed that friend had done something wrong, how would they react to them? That is what heartbooking© is about; using our current studies to build Godly character through self examination.
One of our favorite heartbooking © techniques is done by altering old books. We find old hardback books at thrift stores or library sales and we take them home and refurbish them with new content from whatever we are studying. We build new content on the already existing pages by simply gluing cardstock down and then adding all of our elements. We have absolutely enjoyed adding elements of a personal nature when we can. For example, when we studied the Vietnam war we were able to use some of my grandfather’s photos, paraphernalia, and documents that he had kept from the two tours he did there. We made lots of secret hiding places within the book to hold special things that belonged to my grandfather during the war.
We started the refurbishing with the cover of the book. We used sandpaper to buff off the smooth surface so that the glue would adhere properly. After that we kids filled in each page after a weeks worth of studying we were also careful to chronicle our heart lessons into the documentation. This has served us well and given our boys an amazing piece of history that is very close to their heart!
You can find basic instructions for altering books here: Amy Bayliss’ post and here: Amy Stults’ post.
Here are some photos of our Vietnam War book:
What kinds of creative ideas does your family use when it comes to “booking” of all types? Be sure to leave links to your “booking” posts so we can check them out!
Married to her best friend and “main squeeze”, Amy Bayliss is a 4th year home/co-schooling mom to three boys. She enjoys writing about the eclectic teachings that bring a glimmer of curiosity to the eyes of her sons. In addition to being the co-owner of Heart of the Matter, she writes for Internet Cafe Devotions. Be sure to visit her blog, AmyBayliss.com and her family’s homeschool blog: Integrity Academy.
Why I Homeschool- Freedom’s Future
March 16, 2009 by Renae
The world is riddled with arbitrary standards and vague morality. Fear swells as economies crash and wars rage. However gloomy the forecast appears, America is still a land touted for freedom. Will freedom exist for future generations?
While there is no guarantee of success, hope compels me to plant seeds of liberty in the hearts of my three children. It takes tremendous faith and sacrifice to pour my life into them. Because they are valuable, my love will never be in vain, but sometimes the weight of the unknown presses my resolve.
Can one individual really impact the circumstances of life now, let alone one hundred years from now?
God has used individuals to change the fate of entire nations.
- Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt.
- William Wilberforce labored for years to abolish slavery in England.
- Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and then risked her life rescuing others.
- George Washington encouraged a new nation of Americans to fight for liberty.
History is still being written. It is doubtful it will record my name, but, perhaps, my influence will endure. This gives me hope.
I hope the ideas pondered today will flourish tomorrow. I hope my children will follow their conscience, obeying God rather than men. I hope they will live in the true liberty that follows a clean conscious. I hope their children and grandchildren do the same.
Renae has prepared lesson plans, enjoyed children’s literature, and delighted in discovery with her three children for six years. By studying Principle Approach philosophy, she realized what she always suspected: the Bible lies at the heart of all subjects. Find her reflections at Life Nurturing Education.
Combine and Conquer
February 18, 2009 by Kristine
People often wonder how I cover every subject on every level with each and every child. When you stop to think about it, it does become a bit overwhelming. I have found something over my years of homeschooling that works extremely well for our large family. In fact, I wish I had come upon this idea earlier in our homeschooling life. I would have applied it even when we only had a few children.
Our homeschool utilizes the Classical Christian method. This in itself can be very overwhelming, but I have learned how to adapt this homeschooling method to best fit us. I am not a die hard Classical Christian homeschooler, meaning that we do not follow the method exactly. I do not incorporate every aspect of the teaching method. I just do not have the time or the energy.
One thing that I absolutely love about this method is the idea of teaching history chronologically. This is what sent me on the quest to discover more about this method of homeschooling. It just makes so much sense that I wonder why so many have not realized this benefit. I also LOVE the fact that Biblical history, church history, art history, music history, science history, geography, reading, and even writing, grammar, and spelling can all be incorporated! This method also utilizes real books and not just the textbook format for learning.
The Classical method uses cycles. This means that every four years you repeat the cycles. For example the first year would be studying ancient history and creation. After you have gone through all of the cycles you would once again be studying ancient history and creation only at a higher and more in depth level than before. This is one aspect of the method that makes it easy to combine grade levels. I am able to combine children together while we study and simply adjust reading assignments, activities, the amount of information and understand required to pass the appropriate grade level.
The curriculum that we use the most is Veritas Press. It is not necessarily designed to be combined but it is easy to do. There are other programs that I also enjoy. One of these is Tapestry of Grace. It is designed to be used with your early elementary all the way through high school. Another curriculum that I have recently looked at and am planning on incorporating this year also uses the Veritas Press curriculum. It is called Classical Conversations. Another way to combine your studies is to add in your catechism studies and memorization during your family devotional time.
By combining subjects the children receive a fuller understanding and comprehension of things. This occurs because children are taught in context and there is an overlap rather than continual division. For example, it is just easier to understand what Joseph endured in Egypt by studying at the same time about the pharaohs and Egyptian culture; and what better time is there to learn the geography of the area and the art of that time period? By combining grade levels the children can learn from each other and glean things above their grade level causing them to excel. Another benefit is that the older can read to the younger; participating in and learning how to mentor. It also frees up time in our day to accomplish other things.
Even if you do not have a large family such as mine, if you are feeling discouraged by the amount of time needed for schooling each subject, I would encourage you to check into some of these curriculums or see if there is a way to adjust what you are currently using.
Kristine is the wife of a pastor who is currently serving as a chaplain in the military. She is also the mother of eight wonderful children and schools them using the Classical Christian method. She enjoys writing about the challenges, joys, and logistics of homeschooling a large family. Visit her at her blog, Mama Archer .
Around The Web In 12 Links – History
February 15, 2009 by Valerie
History is considered a core subject when it come to school. Although I have found it interesting that most American public school systems don’t support History curriculum for grades under 4th. This got me researching and thinking. I wanted to be able to share some wonderful History weblinks that can be helpful for all grades.
American History:
National Geographic for Kids – Study animals to land life. Many colorful photos and great stories that will draw your student into learning.
Colonial Williamsburg -Fun games and cartoon-like video lessons. Instruction for parent/teachers. Colorful.
George Washington - Everything you want to know about George Washington. Great archives of true stories and events. Colorful photos and other weblinks to support site.
General History:
Knowledge Quest – Historical outline maps and time-lines designed for the interactive study of world history and geography.
Audio Memory- Easy fun songs that young children can listen to and learn from. Catchy tunes and fun colorful books to accompany the product. This is a product website.
A Book In Time – Find historical fiction & nonfiction for kids & teens. This history site has a history reading guide that is in chronological order & lists both World and American History.
Walk Through Time interactive timeline & games, printable activities
History On The Net - printable worksheets for parents/teachers
Government History:
Ben’s Guide To Government - U.S. Government for grades 3 – 5. Branches of Government, Election process, how laws are made, games and activities.
American Jury – Lesson plans, web and print resources, and hands on activities on the American jury system.
Valerie is a born and raised Southern California girl. On her little corner of the beach, she homeschools her three wonderful blessings. Before marriage, she wrote for public television, taught kindergarten, and was a live-in Nanny. She is the Moderator of an International Yahoo group (Just4homeschoolfamilies), as well as Senior Editor of an e-mail monthly newsletter (Words Of Encouragement). For daily happenings, she has a homeschool blog (Homeschooling With Encouragement) where you can read about her personal ups and downs of homeschooling.
Russian Matryoshka Doll Ornaments
December 9, 2008 by Sprittibee
We studied Russia in our co-op in 2004 as part of our ‘home’-school curriculum. I happened to be the mom that taught that class, so I got to put my craftiness in to play when we did these lovely Matryoshka ornaments. A Matryoshka doll is the obvious choice for a Russian craft. I chose ornaments because it would have been too intricate with fourteen 7-9 year olds to paint an actual set of nesting dolls.
This project is really easier than it looks. You only need to buy pre-made paper bell ornaments at your local craft store (usually around 75 cents each or so). They come with gold hanging loops already, so all you have to do is paint and seal. I had an idea of what I wanted them to look like before we started, and to make the craft go quicker, I painted their bodies red with metallic acrylic paint (aside from a circle for the face). I painted a white (or creamy colored) face on the dolls in a circle also (before the kids began working on them). I drew a large face of a doll on the blackboard in front of the class to show them what I wanted them to paint: pink cheeks, green or blue eyes, a letter on the front (either in Cyrillic or Latin alphabets), and dots along the edge of the bell on the bottom.
After we took the bells up from the kids, they were still not finished. I went in and added the scarves, and all of the black outlining. I added a few dots and head-dressing, and put a white “sparkle” in the eyes. I also added lips and a black line for the mouth that went between the pink cheeks that the kids had painted on. If you work with older children, you can just let them look at a finished doll and demonstrate the steps for them while they do ALL of the painting for themselves. This is a very fun project to paint… and a really wonderful Christmas treasure to keep for years to come. Be sure and remember to paint your child’s name and the year on the bottom of the bell. After the paint is completely dry, paint a layer or two of Mod Podge sealant (high-gloss) over the bells and let it dry completely. Store ornaments in cloth (not tissue) and in a humidity-free environment or the sealant will ruin or stick to other papers or ornaments – we learned this the hard way!
Above is a photo of my son with two of his classmates in Russian head-gear. One of the girls is holding a Matryoshka doll that she brought for show-and-tell. These hats were given to our family pastor when he went on a mission trip overseas. He was gracious enough to share them with the class for a few hours. He said that when he went to Russia and visited with some of the people, if he commented about something in their home being pretty (out of politeness), they would take it off the wall and GIVE IT TO HIM. They are so generous and kind (the common folk there). The military hat came from a man who had nothing to give my pastor, yet he would not let my pastor leave his house without something of cherished value – his own uniform that would have been passed down as an heirloom (since he was retired).
As an early Christmas present to you, I will share with you a few ideas from my Russia unit study (when I can afford to buy Adobe Acrobat Professional, I’ll upload the actual worksheets…$tips anyone?$):
RUSSIAN UNIT STUDY LESSON PLANS:
1. Have you been to Russia? What do you think of when you think of Russia? Show kids pictures of Russia in library books (make sure to show them St. Basil’s Cathedral). Discuss Russian Ballet and Ice Skaters, the movie Anastasia… and Nesting Dolls.
2. Where is Russia on a map? Discuss how Russia is the largest country and has more land than any other country (show kids where it is on a globe). Discuss Eastern vs. Western Hemisphere and how it is day here while it is night there. Discuss how Russia is split into two parts (Europe and Asia) and how the capitol city is Moscow. Make a map as you go along and place a star sticker on it and label Moscow. Glue a printed graphic of St. Basil’s Cathedral on the map.
3. Discuss Siberia and the climate and living conditions (how criminals were sent there as punishment, the diamond and gold mines, and the average life expectancy).
4. Label the oceans and seas surrounding Russia (color them on the map). Discuss the North Pole and see how close it is to the tip of Russia. Talk briefly about the types of animals that live there. Glue a printed image of an Arctic Fox (or other arctic animal of your choice) on the tip of your maps. Discuss bordering countries (label if you wish).
5. Discuss current events in Russia (at the time we did this study, the Beslan terrorist attack had just happened and we prayed for the children and their families there). I showed them appropriate photos of mourners and children who were praying for those hurt (so they could see what Russian children looked like and associate with them). We talked about the similarities between the Russian terrorism and the NY attacks. We talked about how it is important to pray for others in need – even if they are around the world from us. We read Isaiah 56:7 (“my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”). We put a sticker for Beslan on the maps in the shape of a heart to remind us to pray for them.
6. We compared the Russian Federation flag to the US flag (both are ‘red, white & blue’). We looked at a book which had a Russian family photo and discussed how many of them look just like Americans. We glued a small Russian flag to our map. We talked about how they also have been in rockets and outer-space, and about Yuri – the first person to go into outer space. We talked about some of the crops they grow.
7. We listened to a Russian tape from the library (language). We talked about their alphabet and looked at a chart. We sounded out the letters to show that even if they look like ours, they don’t always make the same sounds. We glued the word Russia in Cyrillic on the map. I gave them an assignment to go home and have their moms help them write their name in Cyrillic for extra credit.
8. We discussed the history of Russia in a nut shell (how it used to be the capitol of Christendom, the Czars, the Revolution, the Romanovs, Stalin, the decline of the church and communism… etc, etc.)
9. We defined the word “history” and talked about what we benefit from learning it. We reviewed the quick history we had learned the previous week with a few new details added in to keep it interesting.
10. We read the book Babushka and the Three Kings and discussed the Christmas story in Russia as compared to the way we celebrate Christmas. (This was an EXCELLENT part of the lesson plan – I highly recommend that book… there is a sermon in there just waiting to be written!)
11. We discussed my pastor’s mission work in Russia and some of the stories behind his visits and showed all of his hats and souvenirs. I let the kids try on the hats before they left the class.
11. We discussed a brief history of Matryoshka dolls and how they are made. We looked at show and tell Matryoshka dolls from Russia and a Russian Barbie doll in traditional clothing (hand made). We discussed how they would need to wear lots of fur because the winters were so harsh and I showed them many photos of Matryoshka dolls.
12. We did our Matryoshka craft and the kids sent them home with me for finishing touches and to be sealed.
Thankful for History
November 20, 2008 by Sallie
In our homeschool studies we have found two accurate accounts of what was actually eaten the first Thanksgiving Harvest. The first description is from a letter that Edward Winslow sent back to members of his family in England about that same year of 1621. The second list was by William Bradford, but his accounting of the meal came 20 years later.
Their words describing the vast portions of their provisions are as follows:
“Our harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours ; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninetie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour, and upon the Captaine and others. And although it be not always so plentifull, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so farre from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plentie.” ~ Edward Winslow from A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth
“They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health & strenght, and had all things in good plenty; for as some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no want. And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many, besids venison, &c. Besids, they had about a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean corn to yt proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their freinds in England, which were not fained, but true reports.” ~ William Bradford from History Of Plymouth Plantation
As you can imagine by their accounting, our feasts of today (complete with extras such as mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, creamed corn, sausage dressing, and jelled cranberries) do not quite reflect the feasts the original settlers enjoyed in their own celebration of Thanksgiving for a good harvest. Many of the foods available then were as follows:
deer, wild turkey and other fowl (waterfowl, as well), nuts, fruits and berries, vegetables, indian corn (this is not the kind to make popcorn), fish, honey, maple syrup from the trees they tapped, cheese, eggs, barley (though they used it mostly for making beer), seafood, onions, garlic, flax, and a very small quantity of butter (but in order to stay on budget leaving England they sold most of their butter and all of their olive oil), and herbs and spices and seeds they brought with them from England
Did you know, however, that there was an earlier day of Thanksgiving and that was in 1619? The Berkeley Hundred was a settlement about 20 miles away from the original Jamestown colony. The original group consisted of 38 members and the group’s charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a Day of Thanksgiving to God. Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving on their first day. Here is a quote from their charter:
“Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god. “
Reading the history of this nation is always a good reminder for me and for my family of what we have to be thankful for. Experiencing history is even better! This week we will be in our nations capital, Washington D.C., where we will be surrounded by the history and monuments of our great nation. On our drive back home to North Carolina we will be stopping in Virginia at Berkeley Plantation and at Jamestown Settlement to experience even more history. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us that in everything we should give thanks.
What better way to do that than to do it where so many of our forefathers have stopped and prayed, and gave thanks before us?! We will walk where Edward Winslow and William Bradford walked. We will look towards the heavens as dusk falls upon us and we will see the stars that guided these great men safely to our shores. We will remember the words of Captain John Woodleaf speaking to his 38 fellow settlers as we give thanks to our Almighty God for His continued great provisions on our lives. Yes, hopefully, we will even eat some of the things the settlers ate. First and foremost, howerver, as my husband and I lead our children through the footsteps of our countries founding fathers, we hope to remind them of our Great God and what He has done for our family as well as our country. This Thanksgiving season will come excitedly alive for us as we experience the history of our nation first hand. I truly can’t wait!!
There are so many things to be thankful for. This great opportunity of touring our nations capital and the beautiful state of Virginia with my family are just a small bit of the things that I am giving thanks for. What are some things you are thankful for this Thanksgiving season?
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.
History Review and Giveaway
October 27, 2008 by AmyS
**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.
