Sunday, December 13, 2009

Christmas Traditions

We really enjoy traditions in our family. Not only are they fun and help create wonderful memories, but I believe traditions pull everyone together and even when our children are grown and have families of their own, I hope that they will always remember our traditions. Even after they leave our homes, I know they will remember the things we did year after year and hopefully they'll have such fond memories that they'll want to carry on some of the traditions themselves.

I would love to know what others do for family holiday traditions. I'm going to list ours below and if you would like, please share yours as well.

Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com



- During the month of December, we watch Christmas movies together as a family while drinking hot cocoa and eating snacks. We watch The Polar Express, Muppet Christmas Carol, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, traditional Christmas classics (like Frosty), Hallmark Christmas movies, Christmas Shoes, and any other kind of movie related to Christmas!

- We used to put up our tree right after Thanksgiving, but now that we're in a tiny house, we usually put up our tree about a week before Christmas. Nonetheless, whenever the tree is put up, our tradition is to lovingly unwrap each ornament and talk about it as we put it on the tree. We have handmade ornaments, gold ornaments, and ornaments that belonged to me and Chris as children. The kids especially enjoy hearing about those. :)

- Chris makes Christmas pancakes on Christmas morning. This was a tradition carried over from his own childhood.

- On Christmas eve, we read aloud the story of Mary and Joseph from the Bible and we read about how they traveled to Bethlehem and had a baby who was born in the night and laid in a manger. The baby was to be our Savior. This is the last thing we do before bedtime and as they go to bed, the children look at our nativity that is set out each Christmas. The nativity lacks one thing - the baby Jesus.

- On Christmas morning, the children wake up to a tree and gifts (modern traditions of society), but even after all the years of doing this, they also look to see if baby Jesus is in his manger. (He has been there every year except for the one year I fell asleep and forgot to make him "born" before morning! We quickly found him and put him in his manger!)

- We normally play a lot of board and card games, but during December and actually throughout winter, we play a lot more indoor games than we do at other times of the year. The children enjoy this and it's a great way to spend time as a family! If you have young children, I would encourage you to start now and try to buy at least one family game each year as a "group gift" and PLAY IT throughout the year, especially on cold, wet days during the winter. If you have older children, it's not too late to start this tradition either. Even if you have all teens, buy the "teen and up" or "adult" games and play with them. You might be surprised how much you learn about your child by playing a game of "Taboo" or Cranium "Whoonu." :)

- One other tradition we have is that we celebrate with stockings. We use homemade stockings that my mom made for each child the year they were born. I have one from my childhood and Chris has his childhood stocking. Since we don't share a lot of big gifts, we always have great stockings! When we've asked the children one of their favorite holiday traditions, one of the things they mention is the fruit, candies, and small gifts they receive in their stockings each year. This is one of my most favorite traditions as well!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Keeping your chickens healthy during the winter months

Since there have been several posts about chickens for sale or people looking for chickens on the digest this year, I thought some of you might benefit from some tips for taking care of your flock this winter. Chickens can tolerate low temperatures, but once it gets below freezing, they are susceptible to all sorts of problems just like any other animal. I hope the tips are helpful to those of you wondering how you're going to care for your chickens this winter. :)

- First off, "winterize" your coop. Add extra covering (boards, blankets, metal sheeting, etc.) to block the wind. If necessary, fill in cracks with caulk or a similar material to reduce drafts. (We use blankets on the coops that are not in areas where they're going to get soaked if it rains.)

- Chickens need clean, fresh water at all times. If your water is freezing due to the cold weather, you'll need to change water about 3 times a day to ensure that the water isn't frozen. For the past few days, we've changed our water several times per day and each time, the water has already started freezing again. Chickens drink a LOT of water and if they get dehydrated, they can die quickly so keep that water liquid and don't let it freeze. (BTW, if your chickens ever do start to get dehydrated, you can add a little mixture of electrolytes to the drinking water and they'll usually perk up within 12 hours unless they are too far gone. This is available at farm and garden stores in liquid or powder form. We use the powder.) Chickens should never go more than a couple of hours without water. (If you can afford it, some people use submersible water heaters so that you don't have to change the water several times a day to unfreeze it. We can't afford one so we just go out several times and as it starts to freeze, we give them fresh water.)

- Keep chickens together. Their body heat will help them stay a little warmer. If possible, keep larger flocks and let them stay together in the winter.

- Make sure they have plenty of food and, if possible, supplement with grass and even food scraps (NOT meat!). During the winter, we try to pull or clip a little bit of long grass that is left and give it to the chickens, which they love, and also scraps from our food such as the little pieces you pull off oranges, apple peel, etc. In other words, we try to supplement with vitamin rich foods since they aren't getting as many vitamins with the limited daylight hours.

- For younger chickens (less than four months), you'll need to use a heat lamp. If you have to, run an extension cord outside to their coop. They NEED this extra heat or they are likely to die either from the cold or diseases and problems related to being too cold.

- Research your breeds. Some breeds tolerate freezing weather a little better than other breeds. If you have a breed that doesn't tolerate winter weather well, you'll need to be extra sure that your chickens are protected for the winter months.

- Add extra bedding that could help with warmth. Chickens still perch at night if you have perches for them, but extra bedding such as wood shavings, straw or hay. (Do not use these with very young chickens. They'll eat them and the shavings are bad for their digestion at young ages. For our babies, we don't use bedding at all. We have them on plain, flat wood that we clean off regularly and we add a couple of cheap towels for them to sleep on. Once they are older, we add perches, but we prefer that our babies stay in a coop as close to the house as possible and this coop doesn't have perches in it.)

- Remember to keep their living quarters extra clean in the winter months. Since chickens are less able to roam during the winter months, this increases the risk of parasites and diseases so it's important to keep the cage extra clean. (I realize this is difficult since it's so bloomin' cold outside, but we just go out every few days and clean up the droppings and turn the bedding in the cages with bedding. So far we haven't had any difficulty with parasites and it takes only about ten minutes to clean all our cages. We just go out and do this on the "less cold" days!)

- Check bedding daily to make sure it's not wet or frozen, which can cause frostbite. (This is particularly an issue if your water gets knocked over so check this.) You should change the bedding about twice a week, but check it daily for problems.

- Check on your birds often during the winter days. If they are huddled too closely together, not moving much, or chirping loudly, then there is most likely a problem. They are probably too cold. There can be other issues as well. The other day when the wind was blowing at almost 40 miles per hour at our house, we went out to check on our pullets (they're about 4 months old) and they were literally plastered up against the side of the cage because the wind was blowing so hard that they could not move! I felt so bad for them! The board that normally protects them from this had blown away. We quickly added more boards and put up barriers to ensure that the boards wouldn't blow away. This gave the chickens added protection from the wind and they were then able to climb up in their little perch area.

- Predators are more common in the winter due to the shortage of other natural foods so make sure your cage is safe against predators. Consider caging free range chickens during the winter months.

Finally, just remember that your chickens are much more susceptible to the problems associated with cold weather than your other animals (dogs, cats, etc.) because you typically bring in your other animals during the winter, but not your "farm" animals. Please check on your flock regularly and make it part of your homeschool routine during the winter months. Share Proverbs 12:10 with your children: "A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal." Train them to take care of the needs of their animals. During the winter, this will involve more work than other seasons of the year, but if you want to have eggs again in the spring, then caring for your chickens in the winter is essential. :)

Enjoy your flock!
Sonya

www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A snood

Chris is currently reading to the children the Childhood of Famous American's biography of Stephen Foster. It's a wonderful book!

Tonight he read that someone was wearing a "snood" and we were all like, "What in the world is a snood?!?" We envisioned it being something like the creatures in a Dr. Seuss book, but it was obvious it was a hair covering, not a little animal of some sort.

I looked it up online and found out that it is the net-like covering that women wear over their hair. We commonly see them in restaurants holding the hair of cooks. Here is a link to a photo of a snood: http://www.moonstruckoriginals.com/snood.JPG

Anyway, I love learning new words and thought some others of you might like to learn this word as well. And if you haven't read the Childhood of Famous American's books, I would definitely recommend them! They are absolutely fabulous. Children enjoy them, too, and don't even realize that they are learning. These are great to teach biographical and historical information more informally, yet more in depth than what students would get from a textbook.

Sonya Haskins

Homeschooling for the Rest of Us will be available in three weeks!

Capitalism is alive and well in the Haskins' household!

I'm currently finishing a curriculum for the Heritage Foundation to go with their book, The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. As usual, when I'm finishing a project, the children are left to do more learning on their own - basically "unschooling" for a few weeks.

Our eight-year-old, Daniel, wants to be a writer like me. He frequently writes stories, makes little books, and tells stories to his younger sister and older siblings. I guess he has decided that it's about time to make some money from all his hard work and creativity as yesterday I heard him telling Hannah that he wouldn't tell her any more stories unless she gave him all her money.

Hannah initially agreed and went to get her money. I could see her in the bathroom counting it and I think she must have quickly figured out that she wouldn't have any money left if she gave it all to him for one story.

She came back into the kitchen and told Daniel that she would not give him all her money, but she would be willing to pay him one penny for each story. Daniel said that wasn't enough and he wanted ten cents. Hannah said that was too much and offered two. He asked for five. Finally, they settled on three cents per story.

All afternoon, I watched Daniel tell Hannah stories and, true to her word, she paid him three cents for each story he told her. (She had a large collection of pennies.)

Last night after Chris came home from work, Daniel and Hannah were sitting on our bed and he was still making up stories for her. When I explained to Chris what was going on, he said he wasn't sure if he should want to punish Daniel or be proud of him for his ingenuity. "At least they are learning how the free market system works," he said at last, finally settled on being proud.

So the next time you need to take some time off your "official" homeschool work, don't fret over the fact that your children's brain cells are going to die. Give them a chance to surprise you! They might just come up with some activities you never would have thought of ... like telling each other stories, practicing counting money, and even spending time together enjoying one another's company.

Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Two Tri-Cities area homeschool families lose mothers to tragic accident

I am pasting below information about two ladies who died in a tragic accident this week in the Tri-Cities. These women were homeschool moms and they had a total of 17 children between the two of them. I can't imagine the sadness for those little ones and their spouses as they deal with this horrible loss. That's a lot of little ones to wake up without a Mommy and a husband to wake up without his wife....

Please keep these families in your prayers.

Sonya


Sudden and Powerful Storm Takes Lives of Two Bristol, Virginia Women, Members of St. Peter Presbyterian Church

Written by Don Clements
Friday, 04 December 2009 14:17
Two women, both members of St. Peter Presbyterian Church in Mendoata, Va., were killed in an accident caused by powerful storm this past Wednesday night, December 2.
The accident happened when a massive tree fell and crashed on a rural highway in southwest Virginia near the town of Mendota, located about a half-hour’s drive north of Bristol, Va. Stories like this happen many times a day throughout the U.S., but seldom do they have such a deep impact on one church.
The two women were driving in a Ford F-350 multi-passenger van along State Route 622. The Highway Patrol report indicates that 39-year-old Theresa Bullen and 44-year-old Deaun Brockmyre died instantly in the freak accident where a huge and sudden downdraft totally uprooted a large tree which came down directly on the van. Bullen was driving northbound when the tree, at least 70 feet tall and two feet in diameter, fell directly across the front of their van. Brockmyre was in the passenger seat. No one else was in the vehicle, and no other vehicles were involved. The ladies were returning home to Mendota from a shopping trip.
Mrs. Bullen leaves behind a husband and nine children; Mrs. Brockmyre a husband and eight children. Both ladies were members of St. Peter Presbyterian Church, a Confederation of Reformed and Evangelical Churches (CREC) congregation in Mendota, one of a couple of related churches in the area. The Reverend R. C. Sproul, Jr., Director of the nearby HighlandStudyCenter, serves as pastor of one of the churches.
On Thursday, pastors and members of the church were already coming together to help both families cope with their loss. “We are committed to helping these families in any possible way we can and I know both of these families have been a part of our church for a long time and they are confident that they can count on us,“ said Pastor Sproul.
Obituary notices for Mrs. Brockmyre is below, but details for Mrs. Bullen, who will be buried next Tuesday, are still pending. More details will be posted as they are received. (Please note that the Eric Dye shown as a brother to Mrs. Brockmyre is NOT the PCA minister by the same name.)
Deaun Ruth Dye Brockmyre: We mourn the loss of our treasured daughter, wife, mother and friend but give thanks in the assurance that our beloved, Deaun is rejoicing with her Lord and Savior. Deaun Ruth Dye Brockmyre, age 44, went to Heaven on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009, following an automobile accident. Deaun was loved by many for her sweet gentle spirit and generous heart. She was born in Richmond, Va., and had worked as a nurse and case manager at BristolRegionalMedicalCenter before devoting her time to raising and home schooling her children. She was a member of St. Peter Presbyterian Church and a shining example of faith and devotion. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Andrew Brockmyre, MD; five daughters, Heather Bailey and husband Ryan of Lexington, Va., Isabel, Bliss, Maeve and Ellianna Brockmyre; three sons, Calvin, Christopher and Benjamin Brockmyre; her parents, Dr. Daniel and Phyllis Compton Dye of Bristol Tennessee; one brother, Eric Daniel Dye and wife Mandy Mink Dye of Knoxville, Tenn.; and several nieces and nephews. The funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m.Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, at FirstBaptistChurch, BristolVirginia, with R.C. Sproul Jr., Laurence Windham, Wayne Hays and Mark Dewey officiating. The committal service and interment will be at 4 p.m. Sunday in RussellMemorialCemetery in Lebanon, Va. The family will receive friends from 6 8 p.m. Saturday at Akard Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Samaritan's Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC28607 E-mail condolences may be sent to the family at akardfh@akardfuneralhome.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Akard Funeral Home, 1912 W. State St., Bristol, TN (423) 989-4800, is serving the family of Mrs. Brockmyre.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Ballistics gel dolls

Yesterday as I was driving the children to church, they were talking about how popular Legos are. We were discussing how long they've been around and how there have been other companies who have tried to imitate Legos throughout the years (Tyco, Mega Blocks, etc.), but we don't like those as well as true Legos.

Christopher said if he could, he would build a machine that would copy the best Lego sets and their instructions so that he could have as many as he wanted, but Micah said that would be copyright infringement. (We have talked a lot about this since we live in an age where it is very easy to steal someone else's ideas. We want the children to know that copyright infringement, plagiarizing, and other forms of illegal copying are bad . Too many people think it's ok to copy other people's ideas, but it isn't.)

After a discussion about the differences between a copyright and a patent, we talked about how the most successful, long-lasting toys throughout the years have been building-type toys. The things that come and go are the fast-paced toys that kids get bored with after a few weeks. They also seem to break more easily and end up increasing our land fills by millions of pounds each year, I'm sure. On the other hand, Blocks, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Legos and other building toys have held their interest for generations. I encouraged the children to think of some type of building toy that they could create and market one day.

They were very thoughtful for a bit and finally Daniel said, "We could make a doll." I was immediately thinking... "Oh, great. I can't wait to see where this goes. How are they going to make a doll into a building toy?"

All at once, everyone was talking...

- "Yeah, and it could have removable parts - arms, legs, hair, and everything."
- "And we could change it's head to different faces!"
- "And it could have different clothes, too."

After a few minutes, Christopher (the future doctor) said, "And we could even make little organs to go inside its body. We could have a liver, kidneys, a stomach, a heart, and other body parts and then we could take those out of the abdomen and study them. Then it would be a toy that would count as schoolwork, too!"

I just KNEW it would come to this...

So then Micah (the future scientist) said, "Yeah, and we could make the whole thing out of ballistics gel and then people could shoot the doll and study what happens to all the organs after you shoot it!"

Of course Hannah (the future Mommy who now loves dolls at age six) was going crazy at this point... "NO! You can't make a doll that you'll shoot. And I don't think you should take its organs out to study them, either!..."

Now I assure you that my children are not sociopaths. They are just very creative children with active imaginations. And I did ask them to think of a toy so I guess it was my own fault, after all. Fortunately, it's not a long drive to our church and we arrived just in time to end the conversation so that the children could go in and converse about something other than ballistics gel dolls, I'm sure.

Sonya Haskins

www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

National Ammo Day - November 19

I just thought this was interesting. : )

From www.ammoday.com....

A brief explanation - What is National Ammo Day?

November 19 is National Ammo Day.

It is a nationwide BUYcott of ammunition. You buy ammunition. 100 Rounds a person.

The goals of Ammo Day:

The goal of National Ammo Day is to empty the ammunition from the shelves of your local gun store, sporting goods, or hardware store and put that ammunition in the hands of law-abiding citizens. Make your support of the Second Amendment known--by voting with your dollars!

There are an estimated 75 MILLION gun owners in the United States of America. If each gun owner or Second Amendment supporter buys 100 rounds of ammunition, that’s 7.5 BILLION rounds in the hands of law-abiding citizens!

The gun/ammunition manufacturers have been taking the brunt of all the frivolous lawsuits, trying to put these folks out of business. Well, not if we can help it! And we CAN help it by buying ammunition on November 19!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

The flu has come... with horrible lower back pain

I left the house around 11:30 on Friday feeling fine. My husband and I only have lunch about once every two months so we had arranged to eat lunch together, then I was going to pay bills and then work on my new book for a few hours. During lunch, the tea tasted way too strong so I didn't drink it and despite my delicious food, I started feeling nauseous so I couldn't eat. I had also started developing a headache so we requested a to-go box. Chris headed back to work and I headed out to pay bills.

Within the hour, I started feeling much worse. A LOT worse!

I quickly paid a few bills and then came home and went straight to bed. It was about 3:00. By the time Chris came home from work at 5:30, I was freezing, every part of my body hurt, I had a horrible headache, and I had developed diarrhea. We checked my temperature and it was 102.5. I had gone from feeling fine to feeling like I might die in just a few short hours. Due to my chronic health condition and lowered immune system, Chris called my doctor and he gave me some Tamiflu - antivirals. I think I would be much sicker now if I hadn't had those.

Friday night I spent the whole night freezing to death while Chris tried to comfort me. My whole body ached and my lower back was absolutely killing me. He tried to rub it, but every time he touched me it hurt.

Yesterday, last night and all day today I've remained miserable so I've been in bed most of the day. Since we're 99.9% certain that I have the flu (as certain as you can be without the official test), I expected the sudden onset, aches and chills, headache, etc., but I never anticipated the horrible pain in my lower back. I didn't know that was associated with influenza so this evening I've felt well enough to stay up a little while and I have found a few other bloggers who have said that one of their main symptoms was lower back pain. Interesting. Anyway, I just thought anyone else who is experiencing this might want to know that yes, it is possible to have horrible lower back pain with the flu. Other than the aches and chills, one of my other main symptoms has been absolutely excruciating stomach pain - like little gnomes are in my whole abdomen dancing with little knife-shaped shoes and poking up into the air with little knife-fingered gloves!

Well, my energy is sapped. I have to rest again. I hope to feel better in a few days, but meanwhile I'm thankful that at least tonight I don't think I'm going to die anymore like I did yesterday and even earlier this morning!

Sonya

Friday, October 30, 2009

If children could pick their parents...

Hannah and I were cuddling this evening and she said, "Mommy, wouldn't it be wonderful if children could pick out which parents they wanted and then adopt them?"

"Hmmmm. Would you pick me," I asked.

"I would pick you," she giggled, "and then tickle you under the chin and say, 'You're the sweetest Mommy in the world!'"

Even though we're supposed to show our children love like the Father shows us, I think it's the other way around. When I look at my children, I see how much the Father loves us.

Sonya
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Kids' thoughts on Obama

We were driving along the other day and the children started talking about Obama.

"Did you know that Obama supports health care that could deny coverage to old people so that they'd have to die?"

"Did you know that Obama says the economy is getting better, but it really isn't. Do you think it is, Mommy? We don't even have enough money for gas!"

"Obama says he's going to fix the world, but so far he hasn't done anything and everyone still treats him like a king."

"Did you know that Obama won the Nobel Peace Price even though he hasn't brought any peace?"

"Obama is going to make our country communist with all his beliefs."

I just sat there and listened to them talk, all the while thinking, "Where do you get all this stuff?!?" After all, I don't like Obama, but I certainly don't sit around talking about these things in front of the children. Micah replied with no hesitation, "the news."

The news?!? We don't have cable television, we don't subscribe to any newspapers and I wasn't aware that he was reading the news online. I guess we'll have to start blocking news sites in addition to the "bad" sites we have blocked with our parental blockers on the Internet.

Then he added, "And did you know that when Obama is giving speeches, he talks mostly about himself."

"Yeah," Christopher quickly put in, "He talks about what HE does, what HE already did, or what HE is going to do every few seconds. He talks about himself a lot more than he does anything else."

"And he is always pointed to himself when he is talking about good things," Micah said. "If you watch him give speeches, he points toward himself if he is talking about something good and positive, but if he is talking about something bad, he points out to the people. The masses. His followers."

"Yes, his evil minions," Christopher said.

Ha! I was cracking up. Evil minions.

I'm not sure where they got ALL the information and I guarantee you that I have NEVER taught the children the word "minions." It has never been on any of our spelling or vocabulary lists, but you gotta give them credit for thinking for themselves - and being willing to speak their minds. If homeschooling has accomplished one thing, these children certainly aren't going to be "sheep."

Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Program pays teen girls not to get pregnant

The government requires children to attend school.

The government later introduces health classes that teach children about how the body works. Because the government gradually takes over the role of parenting in many families, some legislators decide they should take it upon themselves to make sure we have sex education in our schools.

Some people claim that abstinence-based programs do not work so students in most states learn about various forms of birth control - "safe sex" programs, but it's STILL SEX.

All of this costs millions of dollars.

And yet, we have higher teen pregnancy rates than any industrialized country. In some of our schools, one in eight teen girls is pregnant. Who pays for the care of these babies? WE DO.

Then some bright persons get the idea that perhaps if we PAID girls not to get pregnant, that would be the answer. So, yes, you heard me right, there is a program in North Carolina - "College Bound Sisters" - that PAYS girls not to get pregnant.

What happens if they get pregnant? They are dropped from the program. But guess what? Then they'll be eligible for food stamps, health care, help with housing, and a host of other socialist programs that require the hard-working taxpayer to give them money regardless of whether they get pregnant or not. Either way, we're paying their bills!

Ridiculous.

If you want to read one of the news articles, it's here: http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=132280&catid=57

From the perspective of the child of a teen mother, my mom did NOT receive any money to help her when she had me. (Those programs didn't exist that long ago.) What she did receive was a lot of prejudice, hard work, and a difficult life trying to raise one baby and then (a few years later) another. She worked her tail off for about 15 years until I was in high school and then she went back to night school to get her GED. And all that time, she worked. None of my family has a lot of money, but we all work, pay our bills, and would appreciate it if we didn't have to give it all to these girls to either (a) not get pregnant or (b) get pregnant and then take care of their babies without having to work. It's not right either way. Let them learn that there are consequences to their actions.

Sex = baby = job, responsibilities, bills, loss of freedom, etc.

Perhaps if we did this, we wouldn't need sex education classes or babysitting in schools anymore. And we could keep more of our tax dollars as teens learn that SEX is more than just a night of fun!

Sonya Haskins

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Gather

Have you ever heard of Gather? It's a social networking site where you can actually earn money for your posts. I'm doing a test to see how well it works. If you're interested in joining, send me your e-mail address and I'll send you an invitation to join. I should get points for that. Then you can invite all your friends and do the same. It's kind of like Amway on steroids for the Internet! : )

Sonya

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Today's lesson

The children learned today that if you pull your skin up and you're dehydrated, your skin will slowly go back into place (slower depending on how dehydrated you are). Their skin popped back into place just like it should have and when I did it, mine sloooowly went back down. Micah said, "EEWWW! That's disgusting. Look how dehydrated you are!" You just gotta love kids. : )

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Homeschooling for the Rest of Us - free bookmark, postcard / chance to win a free book!

Besides trying to balance teaching responsibilities and family life, homeschoolers often face unrealistic expectations from relatives, churches, other homeschoolers, and society at large. There is pressure on homeschoolers to be PERFECT - you know, perfect kids, clean home, wonderful marriage, home business, etc. Well, the REALITY is that most homeschool families are just like you and me - perfectly ordinary families who simply want to do the best for their children. This doesn't mean we'll always agree on homeschool methods, how to raise children, our discipline style, which curriculum to use, or anything else for that matter. But we can agree that we homeschool because we love our children and want the best for them even if it means we're not perfect.

For those of you who currently homeschool or who are interested in homeschooling your children, there is a new book - Homeschooling for the Rest of Us - coming out at the beginning of the year that will address issues faced by ordinary homeschool families. It offers solutions to practical, everyday problems without suggesting that you have to follow any one particular method, curriculum, or set of ideas. Actually, if there is one theme to the book, it's that homeschool families should be encouraged to find and follow their own path - regardless of what others might say.

Homeschooling for the Rest of Us will be released in January 2010, but the promotional materials are ready NOW. Yeah! If you are interested in homeschooling or if you already teach your child at home, I would love to have your help in getting the word out about this book! You can use the bookmarks and postcards yourself, mail them to friends, put them in support group member mailboxes, give them out at homeschool events, drop them by your local homeschool bookstores, or whatever you want... It doesn't matter how or where you share them as long as you help get them into the hands of other homeschoolers. And if you just want a couple for yourself, that's fine, too!

If you'd like to receive promotional materials, please e-mail sonya@sonyahaskins.com with the following information:

- your name and address - whether you'd like postcards, bookmarks or both
- how many you'd like
- the name of your support group (if applicable) and about how many members you have (It's ok if your group is small!)
- how you plan to disperse the materials

Also, from the people who request promotional materials, I will be picking two dozen names to receive a free copy of the book when it is available!

Thanks,
Sonya Haskins

www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

http://www.bethanyhouse.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=0477683E4046471488BD7BAC8DCFB004&nm=&type=PubCom&mod=PubComProductCatalog&mid=BF1316AF9E334B7BA1C33CB61CF48A4E&tier=3&id=1C93027F214E49B9AEC4317EA52D6D26

Sunday, October 18, 2009

HSLDA 2009 Essay Contest

October is the month for HSLDA's annual essay contest. Essays can ONLY be submitted from October 1 through November 1. If the entry is postmarked after November 1, they will not be accepted. This only gives you about three more weeks, but I thought some of you might want to enter. Remember, you can't win unless you try! (And you do not have to be an HSLDA member to enter.)

Here are the categories for this year's contest:

Category 1 (ages 7-10): The Bible talks about God knowing all our days and all the days of time. Why do you think you were born now instead of in another generation?

Category 2 (age 11-14):If you were charged with the task of investing $100,000 how would you invest it and why? Part of the requirement is you cannot give it away or spend it on yourself.

Category 3 (ages 15-19):How does the news media (TV news, newspapers, news websites or blogs) affect your perception of America? Be sure you talk about coverage of both good and bad news.

Here is the website link if you want more information: http://www.hslda.org/Contests/Essay/2009/2009rules.asp

Sonya

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Gwen - "Homeless" American Girl doll

I know many of you have bought American Girl dolls for your daughters. What's special about American Girl dolls is that each one has a story related to some point in history. One of the newest dolls is Gwen. Gwen's story is that she is homeless.

Some are criticizing the American Girl company because the doll costs $95 and no percentage of that is going toward programs to help the homeless. American Girl has issued a statement, however, saying that they do support (in general - not with proceeds from this particular doll) programs that go toward helping the homeless and that the doll helps girls from wealthier families understand homelessness better...

Anyway, I thought some of you might be interested in this. Feel free to leave a comment. : )

Here is a video story about the doll from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/10/05/nr.baldwin.homeless.doll.cnn

And here is a link to the doll at the American Girl website: http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/EndecaForwardServlet?dest=%2Fagshop%2Fhtml%2FProductPage.jsf%2FitemId%2F142095&event=topRecordsReport&sku=F9311

Have a great day!
Sonya

Saturday, October 3, 2009

homestead websites

While we would love to have a few hundred acres with animals, a huge garden, a root cellar and much more, we're trying our best to make the most of the land we have (a little less than an acre) with chickens, a small garden, a few herbs, and plenty of room to run and play. Like many others from my generation, I have not grown up with the skills necessary to can food, build solar panels, take care of farm animals, etc. so I've been researching various resources to help learn some of these things at least.

Here are some really neat homesteading sites I found that I thought some of you might enjoy:http://www.christianhomesteaders.org/index.html ... This is an excellent site, especially for new homesteaders with a Christian worldview. They don't have as much material as I would like, but they do have some great start-up ideas.

http://www.homestead.org/ ... This website has tons of articles and very helpful advice. The only caution I would have is that many of the articles are not from a Christian worldview.

http://www.homesteadernews.com/ ... I really like the set-up of this website. It is so neat and organized that you can find anything in a snap. Also, they specifically mention homeschooling. There are a ton of resources, ideas, articles, etc. There is a section specifically for kids, but right now that area has directions on how to make "vampire bats" out of coffee filters and how to carve pumpkins. Those things are too closely associated with Halloween for us to want to do them, but overall this minimal content doesn't take away from the benefit of the website as a whole.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

huge white diamond found in South Africa - teaching ideas

A white diamond has been dug up at the historic Cullinan mine in South Africa. The diamond weighs 507.55 (101.5 grams) carats. That's a huge diamond! It's actually one of the world's largest. Clarity, grading, and other details will be released after further examination by experts, but they've already stated that it appears to be an exceptional diamond.

If you want to read one of the articles about this, I'd recommend: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/world/rest-of-world/Spectacular-50755-carat-white-diamond-mined-in-South-Africa/articleshow/5071500.cms

While Chris and the children were sitting here talking about it, a discussion came up about the word "carat." This is a great word to use to discuss synonyms so we used the opportunity to look up the meaning of "carat" and "karat" (we already knew "carrot"! LOL). Anyway, I thought some of the rest of you might like to go over the differences with your children... :)

- carrot ... Of course this is the yummy, crunchy, orange vegetable we enjoy fresh, steamed, boiled, baked, etc.

- carat ... A carat is a unit of measurement for diamonds and other gemstones. One carat equals 200 milligrams. Although I initially thought a "carat" was based on size, a carat is actually unit of weight, which is a little bit different than just "size," which could also imply measurement.

- karat ... A karat is not a unit of weight, but it's a unit of purity. When referring to gold, 24-karat gold refers to pure gold. Since pure gold tends to be too soft for normal use, you'll frequently find lower karats of gold: 14-karat gold, for example. Since each karat is really 1/24th of the whole, a 14-karat gold necklace really means that it's 14 parts gold and 8 parts something else (14 + 8 equals 24 karats). Usually that "something else" is copper or silver or another metal used to make the jewelry or other material since 24 karat gold is too soft.

Since children are typically very interested in superlative topics ("largest," "rarest," "most expensive," etc.), they might be interested in the news about this latest discovery. This is a good example of how to incorporate math (fractions, etc.), language arts (synonyms, spelling, definitions, etc.) science (how do diamonds form, how do you mine for diamonds), geography (where is South Africa, where is the mine), and other academic subjects into an every day discussion so that education is just a part of your lifestyle. : )

Have fun!
Sonya

Monday, September 28, 2009

another Obama indoctrination video

I'm not sure when this clip was filmed, but it came from a PTA type meeting in Sand Hill, North Carolina. I am under the impression that it was filmed as part of a back-to-school program earlier in September, but I can't verify that. I just wonder how many kids in classes across the United States are learning chants, songs, and rhymes about Obama, change, hope, and our future instead of spelling, math, HISTORY, foreign languages, etc. I'm sure we'll never be aware of how much indoctrination is actually going on out there, but we can try to speak out against it all the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKIzVZtbFUA

On a positive note, there are LOTS of people asking about homeschooling right now as a result of the things that are going on in public schools across the nation. This is a wonderful time to be share with others the joys of homeschooling, answer their questions, and help make others aware that there are (at least now) other educational options for our children. I think it's also important to remember and be in prayer for parents who truly don't have the option (for whatever reason) to homeschool their children.

Sonya
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Requesting prayers for Chris Klicka - homeschool leader who works for HSLDA

Chris Klicka, homeschool dad of seven who works for HSLDA and has battled MS (Multiple Sclerosis) for fifteen years, has taken a turn for the worse and may be going home to heaven soon. His family has asked for prayers as they spend time with him during his last days and hours before he goes to be with our Heavenly Father.

If you'd like to stay updated and also read their most recent prayer requests, you should visit their Caring Bridge journal page. You can access that here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chrisklicka

Since it is so difficult to update everyone who is concerned about others during times of critical illness, recovery or treatment, the Caring Bridge website is an excellent resource and means of keeping in contact. I would highly recommend that other families consider it when you're experiencing medical crises.

Our prayers go out to the Klicka family,
Sonya

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Propaganda

I had mentioned a few weeks ago that in our homeschool right now, we're studying WWII and along with that - propaganda, German (the language), and other related subjects. There is certainly no shortage of examples of propaganda for us to study ...right now, including the story about the teacher training elementary age students to sing praises to Obama. You can see that here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/24/elementary-school-students-reportedly-taught-songs-praising-president-obama/

Now before anyone starts getting all worked up about how we should praise the president and honor him, etc., well I AGREE with the fact that we should RESPECT the office of the president and the actual person, but that does NOT mean we should "praise" him, nor does it mean that children should be trained to blindly accept the person without questioning their policies, morals, character, etc. Back to the topic of propaganda, there was also this really neat article that talked about all sorts of propaganda and how numerous leaders have used specifically targeted children over the years. All of the propaganda isn't necessarily "bad," but it IS very interesting and certainly applicable today to be aware of what propaganda is, how it is used, and what it can accomplish (for good or evil). All the examples they shared are targeted toward children so it's pretty neat. I'm planning to show the kids tomorrow. If you are interested in doing the same, another thing you can discuss is how commercials are a type of "propaganda" and how they don't exactly tell you the whole truth, but they sure do make their products sound terrific! Kids can understand that. : )

http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/politics/2009/09/24/propoganda-aimed-children

Sonya : )
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Tylenol recalls cold products

In preparation for a possibly bad cold / flu season, we went a few weeks ago and purchased a whole bunch of cold supplies. Wouldn't you know it that today Tylenol issued a recall and at least two of the things I bought are listed?!? It doesn't sound like it's very serious and they're not sure there's a problem with the products listed, but better safe than sorry... Sonya

Here's more information from the Tylenol website:

"You may have heard that McNeil Consumer Healthcare (the makers of TYLENOL®) is voluntarily recalling certain lots of Children's and Infants' TYLENOL® liquid products that were manufactured between April, 2008 and June, 2008. All products manufactured met internal specifications. However, the company is implementing this recall because during this period, an unused portion of one inactive ingredient did not meet all quality standards. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, it was decided to recall all Children's and Infants' TYLENOL® liquid products listed below, which were made during this time.

.....Consumers can find the lot numbers on the bottom of the box containing the liquid product and also on the sticker that surrounds the product bottle. The lot numbers of the affected products are listed below.

These actions do not apply to Children's TYLENOL® Meltaways and Junior Strength TYLENOL® Meltaways. The voluntary recall applies only to select lots of Children's and Infants' TYLENOL® liquid products."

From Sonya... To read the list of recalled products, click on the link below. I didn't want to paste the whole list here because it's long.

http://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=tylenol/news/subpchildinfantnews.inc

large hoard of gold found - dates back to Dark Ages

If you're studying England or the Dark Ages right now (or if you kids are interested in gold or metal detecting), you might want to check out this website: http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/

A jobless man was using his metal detector walking around on his farmland and hit the jackpot - well, it was actually a large hoard of gold items dating back to the Dark Ages. If you go to the website above and click on "artefacts," it will take you to a slide show and you can actually look at photos of the artefacts with your children. They are very beautiful pieces. What is really neat is that one of them actually has words on it. It looks like the words are a mixture of Old English and Latin (which would have been used during that period).

I just love integrating stuff like this into the things we learn. It makes it so much more memorable and interesting for the children! : )

Sonya
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

a trillion dollars

If you are interested in discussing the national debt, bailout plan, money, or even just large numbers with your older children, I found a really neat, very short (one minute) video on You Tube that talks about "a trillion dollars" in terms we can easily understand. A trillion dollars is only ONE TENTH of the bailout plan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at3MNu8BRwQ&feature=pyv&ad=3832047429&kw=obama&gclid=COidwaLBip0CFQwdswodHWeh0w

The video is non-partisan and appropriate for all age groups. It brings the debt money into "real" terms we can all understand.

Sonya Haskins

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Obama appoints "safe schools czar"

The man Obama has appointed to be our "safe schools czar" has a history of drug abuse, openly expresses contempt for religion, and co-founded the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Network.

I'm not sure how or if this will have any affect on homeschooling, but in general when someone is trying to push a "gay agenda," expresses contempt for religion and make sure that students are exposed to ALL worldviews, this means trouble for homeschoolers. Some of you may remember the post I made recently about the mom who was forced to send her elementary age daughter to public school after the court determined that she was too religious and needed to be exposed to "other worldviews." I wonder if this is where we're headed when you take into consideration the appointment of Mr. Jennings and other things that are happening in the courts right now in regards to educational freedoms.

If you want to read more about the "Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools," I would recommend any of these articles:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/23/critics-assail-obamas-safe-schools-czar-say-hes-wrong-man-job/?test=latestnews

http://www.cnsnews.com/Public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=49741

http://www.christianpost.com/blogs/opinion/2009/06/safe-schools-czar-22/index.html

There are many other articles available online that discuss Jennings' specific beliefs, but honestly they're just so inappropriate that I wouldn't even post the links here. The things this man has been involved with just made me sick to my stomach.

Sonya Haskins
http://www.thehomeschooladvocate.com/

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Use discretion with family photos of nude children

Last year in Arizona, a family turned in some rolls of film to be developedafter they returned from vacation. While they were innocently waiting for thefilm to be developed, a Wal-Mart worker called the police and child protectiveservices to look at the photographs. To make a long story short, the CPS workerdecided that the photographs were provocative and since the children were nudein some of the pictures (outside the bathtub), the children were removed fromthe home - for a MONTH - while the investigation took place. Eventually, ajudge ruled that the photos were completely innocent in nature. Investigatorsfound other photos and videotape of the children running around the home nakedor in their underwear. There was NO indication whatsoever that thesephotographs were used for anything other than the enjoyment of the family. Thechildren showed no signs of being abused or that they had ever been exposed toany sort of pornography or that the parents exhibited this type of behavior - atall.

Despite all this, this family lost their children because of an overzealousWal-Mart worker and a CPS worker who apparently never took nude photos of herown child. As I heard this story on the news today and then read it againonline, I thought of all the photos in our own albums that show our newborns intheir birthday suits or the children together in the bathtub playing when theywere little. We tried to avoid anything that showed their genitals, but sincethe photos were taken in complete innocence, I can certainly relate to a familywho takes photos of their young children without clothing on every part of theirbodies.

I just thought others might appreciate this gentle reminder to be careful about the photos you take of your children. I certainly wouldn't post anythingquestionable online, but considering the current atmosphere toward parents, Iwould even be hesitant about taking these sorts of photographs and then havingthem developed at a place like Wal-Mart. You just never know when someone isgoing to take something like that the wrong way. It's sad.

If you want to read the full article, it's here: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/parents-sue-wal-mart-children-bath-time-photos\/story?id=8622696

Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

New study cites spanking as "detrimental" to child's health

There have been studies over the past few decades indicating that spanking is bad for kids... Part of the problem with these studies, however, is that they tend to categorize "spanking" as anything from a hand to a stick to a blow with a broom - not what most of us would consider appropriate spanking for a specific offense involving something like direct disobedience and then an appropriate, one or two swat spanking with something like a paddle or wooden spoon.

A couple of other things about this new report bother me specifically, including the fact that they point out:

"Spanking is most commonly used among parents who were spanked themselves, who live in the South, and/or who identify themselves as conservative Christians. These parents also tend to believe in the effectiveness of spanking or believe the child is at fault in a given situation, the study said."

Hmmm... I would say that I would HOPE the child is at fault before they are punished. I would also not use a method of discipline that I didn't think was working. However, since people who live in the south and who identity themselves as Conservative Christians are being specifically singled out as parents who spank, it raises red flags about the possibility of future prejudice against this group from social workers, etc.

Another thing in the study that raises red flags is a recommendation that "all parents can benefit from training classes." Since the new administration wants to have government-subsidized nurses in the home from the moment a child is born (read more here ), I think this new study will give them even more fuel to push a program that would place government workers in private homes with new parents - whether they want them there or not. Based on the previous comments about southern Christian parents, this might be pushed even harder in our region and especially among "Christian" parents who believe in spanking.

If you're interested in reading the whole article for yourself, you can find it here: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/16/spanking.children.parenting/index.html

If you do use spanking as a method of discipline, I would recommend a few common sense practices...

- NEVER spank your child in public. If your child is acting out in public, take them to a bathroom or (even better) excuse yourself from the situation, leave the restaurant or store or whatever, and administer whatever discipline is most appropriate for that situation. Even if you're not spanking the child, it's best to administer discipline without others watching.

- Even if you believe it's your right to spank, do not advertise to others the fact that you spank your child.

- Use spanking sparingly. Try to make consequences fit the "crime" so to speak and when possible, avoid spanking altogether. We reserve spanking for direct situations of direct defiance. Fortunately, we haven't had many of those situations and we rarely have to use spanking.

- When you do spank, make sure you're calm and that the child knows what is happening. I'd suggest discussing the transgression with the child, THEN have the child bend over a bed or whatever and then giving one or two firm swats on the buttocks. For young children, you might also swat the palm of the hand.

I'd also recommend that you discuss your discipline measures with your child(ren). Make sure your child knows what to expect. Obviously it is detrimental for children to be HIT, but I also think the recommendation (in the report) of verbal rather than physical punishment could be just as detrimental. (The study showed that "verbal punishment" didn't have detrimental effects like spanking. Hmmm.)

So much of the child's reaction is going to depend on how parents approach it. If children know what is expected of them (moral standards) and they know what to expect when they do not adhere to these standards (spanking, time out, whatever), and then punishment is administered from a loving parent, it's likely that the child will actually receive "discipline," which means to train or correct a child.

Some parents on the digest may not use spanking as their method of discipline and that's fine, but I thought those of you who do occasionally spank your children might want to be aware of this new study. I'd recommend caution when the subject comes up among others in the general public because there have been cases where homeschool parents were taken to court on this issue alone.

Sonya
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Mandatory influenza vaccinations in New York

I've heard that some states are considering mandatory influenza vaccinations for students much like they require other vaccinations for school attendance. I'm not aware that any states or school systems have done this yet for the influenza vaccine, but we're getting precariously close.

Meanwhile, I thought some of you might like to be aware that last month, the New York State Hospital Review and Planning Council and the Commissioner of Health passed a law stating that EVERY health care worker (defined as anyone coming into contact with patients - including volunteers and hospital workers) are REQUIRED to have the influenza vaccination by November 30, 2009 or they will lose their jobs. I already know one person whom this will affect. She objected to the mandatory vaccine and has been told that she WILL lose her job if she doesn't have submit.

It states that this will be the same process in future years and ALL health care workers in New York must receive an influenza vaccine every year by Nov. 30 - it's not just this year. If you want to read the text of the law yourself, it's here: http://www.health.state.ny.us/regulations/emergency/docs/2009-08-13_health_care_personnel_influenza_vaccination_requirements.pdf

The government has become increasingly hostile against people who choose not to vaccinate, but there is such a disregard for individual rights at this point that it's just frightening. I wouldn't be shocked if, within the next few years, there are soldiers at our doors forcing citizens to show their vaccination paperwork - including the flu vaccine - or being forced to go to "Quarantine Camps." For those who hope to rely on a "religious" or other "exemption," here is a comment I copied off the CDC website just now:

"Given the increasing number of states allowing philosophical exemptions to vaccines, at some point we are going to be forced to decide whether it is our inalienable right to catch and transmit potentially fatal infections."

It's too bad the Founding Fathers didn't anticipate the need to include a "right to bear infectious diseases" clause... Of course most of us don't want to make anyone sick, but that's why I STAY HOME - and keep my children home - when we're sick. And the one and only time my family had the flu vaccine was the ONLY year every one of us had the flu. We'll take our chances with no vaccination.

I will be really shocked if school systems don't start passing mandatory flu vaccine laws this fall, but it's also possible that the CDC - under the auspices of the WHO - will require mandatory influenza vaccines of everyone. If I hear of anything like this happening, I'll share the info as quickly as I know.

Sonya Haskins

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Obama's education speech - changes

I wanted to make sure you were all aware of few changes regarding Obama's speech on Tuesday in case any of you are planning to watch this.

1) Many private schools are also planning to air the speech. If you have friends whose children attend private school, you may want to make sure they're aware of this so they can ask if their school will show it.

2) According to several of the local schools, students will not be "forced" to listen to the speech, but they WILL have to stay in the classrooms. If you have children in public school (or you're discussing it with your friends) and their school plans to air the speech, you (or your friends) need to ask if the student will be allowed to bring an iPod or other device if you truly don't want them to listen to the speech, but also don't want them to miss school.

3) The speech HAS BEEN MOVED UP AN HOUR, which many parents are not aware of. It is now scheduled for noon (12:00) on Tuesday rather than 1:00 ET.

4) This part is actually good news! Due to all the backlash, the White House plans to release the written version of the speech on Monday. That can be found at www.whitehouse.gov . I'll post it to my website as soon as the link is released. However, people need to realize that it IS a live speech on Tuesday so that doesn't mean he might not vary from the original text.

5) Anyone can watch the speech LIVE on Tuesday at http://www.whitehouse.gov/mediaresources/ . We plan to watch it and discuss it as part of our homeschool curriculum, but thankfully, our children will actually be able to discuss it from the perspective of disagreeing with the president's comments as well as agreeing with anything that might be positive. Based on the lesson plans, I fear that children who disagree with anything in other school settings will be reprimanded or punished.

The original lesson plans actually encouraged students to read books about OBAMA and discuss OBAMA's policies and plans, etc. It was all about HIM, not urging kids to stay in school. The lesson plans have been toned down a bit, but they still very much make it appear that the students participating are to be servants to the president when in actuality, we are to serve the LORD. The President of the United States is elected to represent the PEOPLE, not the other way around. The lesson plans and the whole speech are now being presented as a way to encourage kids to stay in school, but that was not the way the original lesson plans appeared.

IF that is all Obama does in this speech - encourage kids to read, stay in school, be active in their communities, then that's TERRIFIC!! I don't like the guy, but how wonderful that he would take the time to do that and hopefully kids would listen! BUT, if he even remotely implies that students should talk with their parents about HIM or help push HIS health care plan, etc., then that is completely inappropriate and an abuse of the power given to him as the president who is supposed to listen to the wishes of the people, not the other way around.

Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Where have I been?

Several people have asked why I haven't been posting much lately. I even placed all my groups on temporary hold. (I still read them some on yahoogroups, but I just didn't have time to sort through the 300+ e-mails in my box every day so I put them on "web only" for a while.) Meanwhile, I'm staying busy. Here's what I've been up to...

- We're STILL trying to clean house.

- We finished all our foster / adoption paperwork and we're praying / waiting patiently for a referral.

- Hannah is learning to read. That's the most difficult task of homeschooling, I think, but once the child learns to read, I think 99% of your work is done! They can learn on their own if they only know how to read! : )

- Sarah entered ninth grade so we've entered our first official year of homeschool high school. Yikes! That's a lot of work just planning the classes, trying to collect appropriate books, etc. We're actually letting her use textbooks this year. (SHE has asked to do this so we're supporting her decision.)

- We have about 70 chickens to care for now. They're ADORABLE! All the children help with the food, etc., but Sarah takes care of the eggs, incubates them, and raises the baby chicks.

- I just finished a new book for Bethany House Publishers. I can't wait for this book to come out! I'm going to read and use it myself! : )

- I am working on a student workbook and teacher manual for The Heritage Foundation to go with their book The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. It is an AMAZING book and I am so pleased to be a part of the project. When we finish the student and teacher books, they will be wonderful tools for public, private, and home education settings!

- Sarah recently became involved with Civil Air Patrol, which we have been immensely pleased with. I'm so glad that we found something she can be passionate about.

Let's see... on top of all that, I am trying to teach the other children, clean house, cook occasionally, go to doctor appointments, run errands, etc. My life is very full right now and I just LOVE it! The children are growing each day. They are precious. The other evening Hannah was sitting in bed with me and she said:

"Mommy, if I married Nolan Nerrin (a boy at our church), my name would be Hannah Grace Marie Haskins Nerrin. Isn't that an awfully long name?!? If I married Zach, my name would be Hannah Grace Marie Haskins MOREland. That's too long, too."

She sat there a few minutes and then said:

"You know, I could marry someone with the last name 'Elf' and then my name would be Hannah Grace Marie Haskins Elf. That's shorter, but then we'd be Mr. and Mrs. Elf and you'd have to call me Hannah Elf. Isn't that funny?"

I just love kids.
Sonya :)

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Fun at the Pool

My friend invited me and the children to the pool today. We were the only ones there so my friend and I visited while the children had great fun playing in the pool. We were all thankful for an opportunity to have some fun out of the house. : ) It seems like we've spent a lot of our time lately cleaning and hanging out at home. Hopefully now that we've passed the prime allergy season, we'll be able to go out more often and enjoy this beautiful Northeast Tennessee scenery. Sonya

Monday, August 10, 2009

A six-year-old's logic

Hannah came up to me yesterday and said, “If all you had left was a piece of pie and a book, which one would you choose?”

Being a passionate bibliophile, I said, “The book, of course.”

“Yes,” my six-year-old self-taught logic student stated with authority, “you could do that, but without the pie, you’d die and then you wouldn’t be able to read your book!”


Sonya
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Educational Games for Preschool / Kindergarten Age Children

Many parents figure out pretty quickly that their children don’t want to sit at a desk all day and do worksheets. Yet, how are you supposed to teach beginning counting and reading skills without using a worksheet or textbook? One of the best ways is to use educational toys and games.

In my last article, I talked about great toys that encourage imagination, learning, fine motor skills and fun. Today I wanted to mention some of the best educational games on the market. You can learn as much – sometimes MORE – from games as you can from any formal preschool or kindergarten curriculum.

Educational games encourage early reading skills, math skills (numbers, counting, skipping, etc.), and other skills. Children often learn or reinforce colors, shape and sequencing skills. They also encourage children to practice teamwork, taking turns, and learning to lose (and win) graciously.

Here are some great games for preschool / kindergarten age children:

- Hullabaloo (One neat thing about this game is that it can be played alone. This game makes a great gift and a wonderful game for ALL families.)
- Memory Match
- Candy Land
- Hungry Hungry Hippos
- Mr. Potato Head
- Hot Potato
- Cariboo
- Let's Go Fishing (I even like this one!)
- Sorry
- Checkers
- Chess
- Hi Ho Cherry-O
- Chutes and Ladders
- Two by Two Matching Game (Christian resource / game)
- In a Manger Matching Game (Christian resource / game)
- Alphabet Nesting and Stacking Blocks
- Dominoes (You don’t have to play the game!! Just play with the Dominoes. J Children can learn to count the dots (math), match squares that are alike (math), make Domino trains (fine motor skills), etc.)
- Wooden Puzzles
- Puzzles in general
- Wooden maps of the United States and the World (My youngest son was always fascinated with the United States map and could completely put together a US wooden map in about three minutes when he was four years old.)
- Pattern blocks
- Bean Bag Toss

If your child likes to write, I would also encourage maze books. There are some really good ones from the following publishers:

- KUMON books (These are fabulous - our favorite by far! They have maze books on all sorts of topics.)
- Carson-Dellosa Publishing
- Dover Publications (They have little maze books that are VERY simple for even the youngest child.)

I’d also recommend the I Spy books to help young children develop visual acuity. These aren’t really games, but they’re kind of like game books.

Also, I don’t normally recommend electronic materials for young children, but if you really want to introduce electronic games to your preschool / kindergarten age child, you can’t go wrong with Leap Frog and Leap Pad products, including Leapsters. These are quite educational, but like with any electronic materials, it’s probably best to use them as rewards for good behavior.

Finally, remember that even if something is “educational,” it can be used as a reward for children. It’s all perspective. Young children in particular don’t need to know that most children are forced to do educational activities. If you train your child that games, books, and even electronic toys are rewards, then that’s what they will think. Soon, they’ll be asking to “play” math every day!

Sonya Haskins
http://www.thehomeschooladvocate.com/

Our History of Revolt

The American Revolution was not something that people just suddenly decided should happen. There were social, economic and political changes taking place in our country for decades that changed the relationship between the colonists and the King / the colonies and the country of England. Finally, the colonists decided that they would live under tyranny no longer and they began to revolt.

When a group of colonists were so frustrated by the Tea Act because it violated their right to taxation through elected representatives, they boarded ships and dumped the tea into the Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773. Most of us understand their actions and no one dares to claim that this was “manufactured anger.”

Finally, war came in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was written in 1776. Colonists wanted freedom to choose their own representatives, create their own taxes, and reap the benefit of their hard labor and difficult lives in a new land. No one doubted their sincerity.
When a few women called a meeting in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848, their Declaration of Sentiments began a struggle that argued equal treatment for women. This movement eventually led to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. This amendment provided the right to vote, regardless of one’s gender. No one would challenge that the women who held rallies, marches, and went to jail for this cause were dedicated to the cause.

In the late 1850s and early 1860s, slave-owning settlers became nervous about a centralized government with too much power – so much power that they could declare what the states could and could not do. A huge issue was slavery and while I am adamantly against slavery in any form, I can understand the desire for states to make choices without interference from a federal government. Today, we can see how the Southern states were certainly correct about the growth of the Federal government. Once it starts, it becomes a huge monster.

Before, during and after the Civil War, however, regardless of where you live or which side you would have fought for, no one would say that the deadliest war in American history was caused by “manufactured anger.” Nope. People on both sides were doggone mad and ready to fight for what they believed to be their undeniable rights.

When Malcolm X advocated “black power” in the early 1960s, he captured the attention of the media and the government – and both declared that this amazing man was exercising his right to freedom of speech.

He called white people “devils” and said:

“The day that the black man takes an uncompromising step and realizes that he's within his rights, when his own freedom is being jeopardized, to use any means necessary to bring about his freedom or put a halt to that injustice, I don't think he'll be by himself.”

No one said his anger was just “part of the Civil Rights Movement” and we should ignore him or report him to the White House terrorism office because he was advising the use of “any means necessary” to bring about reform.

When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, no one said she was just doing what she was told as a leading member of the local NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons). While I admire Ms. Parks for her refusal to give up the seat, do we not think for a minute that this was a “planned” and “organized” protest against segregation?

While Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated non-violent protest, he nonetheless stirred up some of the African American population to riots and revolts. No one claimed that this was “manufactured anger.”

When protestors took to the streets and called for abortion rights, eyebrows were raised, but no one claimed that those people weren’t sincere about what they believed.

When people protested the Vietnam War, Korean War or the Gulf War, no one accused protestors of faking their anger. And the protests received more coverage than the rallies supporting our troops or the funerals of our American soldiers who came home in coffins.
When gays and lesbians take to the streets and demand equal rights – including gay marriage, which would give equal treatment under the law (i.e. – YOUR tax dollars would go to support the gay partner under insurance plans, etc.) – NO ONE has said, “Gee, they’re just doing what they’re told as part of that left-wing liberal agenda.”

When you see photos of the riots, rallies, and marches or when you consider the fact that the LGBT community has DEMANDED a repeal of Proposition 8 – something that was voted on legally according to our Constitution and passed to deny homosexual marriage in California – NO ONE says, “Boy, they sure are SORE LOSERS!” Nope. They don’t say that. They say, “The vote was unduly influenced by a high turnout of a population of voters who normally don’t vote so that’s really not fair to them….”

Yet, the media has suddenly decided that the millions of people protesting the suggested reforms to health care are exhibiting “manufactured anger.” Not only is this insulting, but I can assure you – all of you liberal media, reporters, bloggers, lobbyists, congressmen, and you, Mr. President – that the anger we are experiencing is a lot of things, but it is not fake.

Our disgust with the health care package and the other things we see going on in Washington is quite sincere. The problem is not that the “right” is promoting anger amongst the people.
The problem is that you are in trouble because citizens have started to wake up and smell the stench coming out of Washington – the reek of wasteful spending, spoiled congressmen, laws stained with the blood of unborn children, and odors of something worse around the corner.

Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Forest Owlet

If your family enjoys bird watching or if your child is particularly interested in animals, you might enjoy this article from Cornell University. It's an older article, but it's about the Forest Owlet that was thought to be extinct and then was rediscovered in 1997. There was theft, fraud, and international espionage involved. It's a pretty cool story - for adults or children. It would make a great addition to any textbook or unit study of birds.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/LivingBird/spring98/OwletSp98.htm

Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Resourceful Homeschoolers

When I was teaching Spanish at a local co-op, it seemed that I was always forgetting something - pens, dry erase markers, paper, etc. There was one young man in the class who always came prepared. No matter what I needed, he always had it, whether it was a pencil or a Kleenex. One day I said, "You always have everything I need. That's just amazing!" He replied, "I'm an Eagle Scout, ma'am. That's our motto - be prepared."

This week we have been trying to shrink the size of our flock of roosters. It's like we have our own little "hood" of roosters here! The only problem is that we're having a TERRIBLE time rounding up these little free range creatures.

The other day we were trying to catch some and Sarah went to get one of the hens. I said, "Sarah, we don't need the hens. We're trying to catch roosters." She said, "I know. Just watch."

She sat the little hen down on the ground and suddenly all the roosters came running over.
Sarah said, "She's their favorite hen and they jump on her all the time so I figured we'd catch them that way."

I told her that was kind of cruel to use the little hen as bait and wait in ambush for the roosters, but it sure worked! And to be truthful about it, I was quietly impressed with her resourcefulness. :)

Whether it's my child doing it or someone else's, I love hearing these sorts of things. It helps remind me of the rewards of homeschooling on those days when I need to open my "happy folder" and go to my "happy place." :)

Sonya

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Dryer Warning

Sarah said our dryer smelled funny tonight so I opened the door to see if there was a problem. I didn't see anything or really smell anything, but the back of the dryer has an area with little holes all in it and I thought, "Hmmm, that's neat. I wonder what that is." I didn't even THINK about the fact that the dryer had been running so I reached in and touched the holes and burned the dickens out of four fingers on my right hand (not my thumb). Boy does it hurt!

Homeschool kids are so curious and many of them do chores - including laundry. I thought some of you might want to show your children the area and warn them that the back of the inside of the dryer is hot, hot, hot! I'd hate for them to learn the lesson the way I did - with blistered fingertips.

I guess tomorrow our lesson will be about how dryers work and first aid for burns. :)

Sonya

child-friendly websites

I know a lot of parents worry about the places their children visit online. Many parents don't have time to search the Internet for appropriate, child-friendly websites so the kids and I have listed their favorites below. They are allowed to go to these websites ONLY. I recommend having the parent type in the address one time and save it in your favorites, then teach the children how to pull up the site they want from there. That way you avoid them typing in the wrong address, which might pull up a site completely different than you intended...

Enjoy!
Sonya Haskins (and children)

www.whitsend.org - listen to episodes online

www.poptropica.com - lots of online games for children

www.jonathanpark.com - really cool website! You can listen to the latest episode of Jonathan Park (creation science adventures), find lessons that relate episodes to history and other subjects, read behind the scenes info, etc.

www.playmobil.com - has online games with little Playmobil people

www.pbskids.com - even young children can play the games and enjoy activities here

www.pbskids.com/go - games, etc., more for older kids

www.lego.com - has online games with little Lego people (I've never seen anything bad on here and I do let the children go on alone, BUT they are NOT allowed to go into any of the discussion groups or chat. These are well-monitored, but still a chance of something bad coming through so I wouldn't chance it. Stick with the Lego game area.)

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Homeschooling with Index Cards

Uses for Index Cards

Index cards are on sale at Walgreens this week for 39 cents / 100 cards. I’m not sure if this is the same everywhere, but with all the back-to-school sales, I’m sure you can find some index cards on sale somewhere even if not at Walgreens! Here are some creative ideas about how you can use index cards in your homeschool.

- Chore Cards: OK, I had to put this one first. It’s one of my favorite uses! Write the chore (dishes, dusting, laundry, etc.) on one side and then on the back, you might choose to write detailed instructions for that particular chore. If you click here, you’ll find detailed instructions on how to make your own chore organizer. There are also recommendations for other chore organization systems.

- Foreign Language Flash Cards: This is my other favorite use. Instead of buying expensive foreign language flash cards, make your own! Put the English word on one side and the foreign language word on the other side. You can also do this for conjugations and declensions.

- Punishment / Reward Cards: I love using index cards for this. It’s worth the expense, I think. We give one card to each child. Write the date on a line, then go across and say + (points) or – (points) based on behavior, completion of schoolwork and chores, etc. You get to decide how you want to give points in your own home – rewards for good behavior, being nice to a sibling, completing chores or schoolwork on time or doing a good job, etc. And you get to decide when to take away points and how many – disobedience, not doing work, complaining, etc.

- TV / Computer Time Cards: Write minutes on each card (5 minutes, 20 min., 30 min., whatever) and give these out to your child as desired. When they want to play computer or watch t.v., they just turn over a card (or several saved up cards).

- Plagues of Egypt: Use the cards to memorize plagues of Egypt.

- 10 Commandments: Use cards to memorize 10 Commandments.

- Organization: Use index cards to organize your lesson plans, keep field trip ideas, keep a record of children’s accomplishments, etc.

These are just a few of the ideas of things you can do with index cards. There is a good website about homeschooling with index cards that you might want to check out, too. It’s http://homeschoolwithindexcards.com .

Happy Homeschooling!
Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Terribly alarming request from White House

I've been watching the government website very closely for changes in regards to any issues that relate to homeschooling (parental rights, education, etc.). Today, I saw a post on whitehouse.gov that is actually related to healthcare (which I've tried to stay out of here), but it is incredibly scary!!

Honestly, the following is THE single most scary thing I've seen come out of the White House thus far.

Here is the comment:"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

I cannot believe how much this sounds like the same sort of propaganda that Hitler spread in Germany in the 1930s! I cannot believe this is on our official GOVERNMENT website!! Chris read the comments and said they remind him of Soviet rules to "report your neighbor for suspicious anti-government activities," etc.

What is going to happen to the people who are "reported"? If nothing, what's the point in reporting them?

And - I realize there are people who support all sides on the digest. I respect that, but regardless of who you voted for, can any of us really be comfortable with an administration that chases RUMORS and wants to squash people's RIGHT to free speech - EVEN if it is false and even if it's in disagreement with the current president who wants health care that millions of people don't agree with? Can we really be comfortable with an administration that wants us to report what happens in our CASUAL CONVERSATIONS?!?!?

Will they close down the digest? Other e-mail groups protesting the health care plan? Citizens against corrupt government groups? What happens when this healthcare bill passes (as it most likely will) and we don't want to participate? Where does it stop?Seriously, this is frightening.

I've read a lot of propaganda from World War II and this is eerily similar.Can anyone not be alarmed by this? There has been massive desensitization in our country for years - against conservatives, against Christians, against religion, against those who disagree with the authority (even though that's how our country was founded!). That happened in Germany. Then there was an appeal to the general citizen to help find those who would dare to speak against the fuehrer... we now see this appeal to those who would dare to speak against the president's health insurance reform. If this doesn't convince people that we've thrown open the doors for socialism, I'm not sure what would.

This is incredibly scary. If you want to read the page for yourself, you can find it here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/ We can discuss it on OT, but everyone should know about this. Please continue to pray and to help me make others aware!

Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

Sunday, August 2, 2009

The "How" of Relaxed Homeschooling

Several people have asked what it means to be a “relaxed homeschooler.” Here are some (hopefully) helpful things for you to think about…

First off, let me just say that “eclectic homeschooling” is basically using a mixture of curriculum, books, and methods. You might pick A Beka reading, Bob Jones math, IEW writing, Apologia science, etc. You might follow a schedule or not. You might be a relaxed homeschooler or follow a traditional school model, be registered with your local education agency (LEA) or a church related school, participate in co-ops or not, but all of these are choices any homeschooler might make. “Eclectic homeschooling” is in reference to the items you use to teach your child. If you use a variety of curriculum or books, then you’re an eclectic homeschooler.

Relaxed homeschooling is in reference to your teaching style. You might sometimes follow a schedule and sometimes not. You might use a structured curriculum or perhaps not. You might attend co-op or not. You get the idea! : )

So if that’s the case, exactly how do you homeschool if you want to be a “relaxed homeschooler”?

For many relaxed homeschoolers, there is a desire NOT to be associated with the “unschool” movement promoted by John Holt. There are some terrific ideas related to unschooling (like students are encouraged to pursue individual interests), but there is also an underlying theme that children can figure things out without adult guidance.

The Bible tells us that we should “train a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6), “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him (Proverbs 22:15), and “The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother” (Proverbs 29:15). For Christians, it is clear that caring parents with more wisdom must guide the child until he begins to show wisdom as he matures. For this reason, a strictly unschooling approach as advocated by John Holt isn’t really acceptable.

Now that you know what a relaxed homeschooler is not, here are some ideas on what a relaxed homeschooler is.

- The relaxed homeschooler appreciates the fact that you don’t have to get up at 6:00 a.m. each day to get ready for school. Some days you get up early. Other days you sleep in late because you stayed up late the night before looking at constellations.

- The relaxed homeschooler loves books, but they don’t pick all the books their child uses. They make sure the child has access to great books on a regular basis (through a decent home library or visits to the public library) and they occasionally buy workbooks or worksheets for things like math or foreign languages.

- The relaxed homeschoolers knows that you can learn a lot more when you use more senses. In other words, hands on activities, field trips, active participation in experiments are all things the relaxed homeschooler enjoys!

- The relaxed homeschooler encourages and supports the child in pursuit of individual interests, hobbies, gifts / talents.

- The relaxed homeschooler participates in outside activities, but not always the same as other relaxed homeschoolers. Some might do co-op. Others participate in a support group with play dates. Others volunteer at the food pantry, play sports, or allow their child to do an internship or have a home business. Many homeschoolers do these things, but the relaxed homeschooler typically counts these things toward the “required instructional hours.”

- The relaxed homeschooler is frequently of a “better late than early” mindset when it comes to what children should accomplish at what age. It’s ok if the child learns to read at age seven, learn multiplication tables at age 12 and writes his/her first essay in tenth grade rather than sixth.

You get the idea. These are things that describe relaxed homeschoolers. A relaxed homeschool family’s schedule might look something like this:

9:30 everyone gets up and finds their own breakfast (part of life skills)
10:00 family might do chores or other children play while Mom practices phonics with child who is learning to read or family might do read alouds and some group school time (usually history, science experiments, and Bible are group activities)
12:00 family breaks for lunch which children help prepare and then clean up
1:00 free time while mom rests, does bills, or whatever
2:00 Mom has rested and spends time with children – working on a project, playing a game, doing a math worksheet, doing geography, etc. (Older students might work independently during morning and/or afternoon on more structured schoolwork.)
4:00 Mom prepares dinner and children are excused to go play
5:30 family eats dinner together
6:00 in nice weather, children might go outside to play, sometimes with Dad; some days children might come in and play computer games (educational, not violent) for a while
7:30 family watches a show together (again, something educational, like Mythbusters, History Channel, Answers in Genesis lectures, etc. or something family oriented like Little House on the Prairie)
8:30 Dad / Mom prepare children for bed and read bedtime stories
10:00 Everyone in bed where they can read, play crossword puzzles or other word type games or go to sleep

Now remember that this is an approximate schedule and is certainly not meant to be strict since the whole point is to be relaxed so that people can do what works for their family. It’s going to be different for everyone. This just gives you an idea of what some families do. (This is a pretty close approximation of my family’s schedule, actually!)

So now you know what a relaxed homeschooler is and what a relaxed homeschooler’s schedule might look like. I thought it might also be helpful to know some useful products for the relaxed homeschooler. That’s a big part of the question of “HOW” do I become a relaxed homeschooler. After all, you’re going to need things around your home so that your child can have fun learning all the time without even realizing that you’ve carefully prepared the environment in advance for them. : )

Here are some ideas:

- Adventures in Odyssey CDs (life skills, discernment, decision making, some history, some Bible, entertainment)
- Your Story Hour CDs (terrific audio history, biographies, Bible, quality fiction stories as well)
- Wrap Ups (make math FUN)
- Mad Libs (make grammar FUN)
- Brain Quest (every subject, review, fun to see what they know)
- practice standardized tests (yes, some kids like these; available in any subject; easy to do on their own with multiple choice answers, for readers only)
- NEST educational videos (Bible, history, biography – BEST children’s animated educational DVDs on the market)
- Answers in Genesis DVDs (science, history, Bible, biography, lecture format, great for older students, younger kids might like them as well if they’re interested in topic)
- Legos (thinking skills, building skills, fine motor skills, great for students of all ages since their building skills will progress with age, math – colors, sorting, sizes, matching, etc.)
- Lincoln Logs (history, thinking skills, building skills, fine motor skills, cooperation if they have to share)
- Playmobil (same as Legos and Lincoln Logs, but also a LOT of pretend play, which is great for child’s brain growth as they determine how to interpret world around them and how they fit into that world.)
- Tinker Toys (building, fine motor skills, cooperation, imagination, etc.)
- pets (animals, science, responsibility, accountability)
- board games (teamwork, cooperation, learning to lose, learning to win politely, fine motor skills, math, science, etc. – There is an endless number of benefits to board games, depending on the one you’re playing since many incorporate math, history, etc.)
- puzzles (fine motor skills, cooperation, visual aptitude, etc.)
- math manipulatives (math, fine motor skills – Remember that you don’t have to use these with a curriculum for them to be beneficial.)
- flash cards (math, science, history, foreign language, whatever – Again, remember that you don’t have to do these formally for a child to pick them up and have fun with them and LEARN.)
- maps and globes (geography, math, measurements)
- rulers, calculators, clocks (analog and digital), abacuses (math, measurements, time, etc.)

OK, so I think you get the idea. That’s just a general list. I could seriously go on all day with the kinds of things you could just have sitting around your house that could encourage your child to learn.

Some of you who are just now planning to become more relaxed in your homeschooling may wonder about two main questions.

1. Will my child ever really learn anything?!?

I guarantee you that if you create an educational environment – largely by having many of the resources mentioned above available and NOT providing “trash” for your child, then he/she will become accustomed to playing with what’s available. If you’re starting this after your child already has developed bad habits, then you’ll need to remove the source of the “bad habit,” whether that’s a Nintendo that the child plays every time you turn around or a negative comic book with lots of violence. You are the PARENT. This is why relaxed homeschooling differs from unschooling. It is your responsibility to remove things that are harmful to your child – whether in a physical sense, academic sense or spiritual sense. We (and our children) already have enough temptation in this world without providing things that aren’t wholesome. Provide wholesome things for your child and you’ll be training your child about what’s acceptable in a subtle, non-preachy manner.

2. I’m required to do four hours of school per day. How does this fit in?

If you are homeschooling and you’re actually home with your child, you will do four hours of training in a day. It might not be the typical instruction that someone with a master’s degree at the superintendent office agrees with, but on the other hand, their style isn’t really working all that well… You’ll be training your child in life skills (helping you cook, clean, learn obedience, public service, communication skills, etc.). You’ll read aloud good books, which means you’re introducing literature, history, biographies, fiction, etc. Through that, you’re also showing child good grammar, sentence structure, etc. The resources I’ve mentioned will help with sciences, math, history, Bible, etc. You’ll also take your child to church and participate in outside activities sometimes. All of these things will mold your child into the well-rounded child you want him/her to become and therefore you are in fact instructing him/her for four hours per day. If someone is unsure about this, e-mail me or call and tell me what your day was like. I’d be happy to tell you what was “educational.” : )

That’s about it. There’s actually so much more I could write, but that’s all for now. Hopefully this will help some of you who didn’t want to follow the rigid traditional school-type schedule, but didn’t really know how to do it. Now you have some ideas. I’ll post some more later.

Sonya Haskins
http://www.thehomeschooladvocate.com/