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 :)