Well-Planned Day, Hooray!

I confess!  I'm a planner junkie.  Mostly because I'm a planning junkie.  That said, it was only a matter of time before I got around to the Well-Planned Day planner from Rebecca Keliher and Home Educating Family. It's really pretty!  I know I could get technical about the things I love and don't love about it, but the fact is, it's pretty.  It makes me feel good to write in it and that's just so sad!  But true!  I'm tired of 3-ring binder planners.  I'm tired of things falling out of notebooks.  I'm tired of printing things.  Sure, it's not perfect, but it really does have quite a lot of useful features.  And it's pretty.

It's made me realize something else rather dastardly about myself.  Besides the fact that I'm a planner junkie, that is.  I love filling in blanks.  I'm one of those people who used to love workbooks!  Every blank neatly filled out.  Forms!  I love forms.  Beth Moore studies, for example.  Blanks to fill!  Things requiring penmanship in my rather overly typed world.  So okay.  So far, I'm glad I took the chance on this planner, given the price.  I'm relatively certain it will earn it's keep this year. 

I also bought the Well-Grounded Middle Schooler to try to help my son with his budding independence that is FINally kicking in.  It must be because he's reached 5'4" and he's only TEN.  Ah.  Well.  His is pretty too.  Of course, I just told him it looks rather "smart".  He got the picture.

Deciding Bible

Because I'm a bit ridiculous when it comes to order, I'll tell you that after reading so much about Charlotte Mason, and more to the point, determining that things in our lives need to change and CM is a part of it, I naturally must begin with the beginning. And that is Bible.

Bible lessons up till this year, have been our favorite. We've had three wonderful years with Biblical Principle Approach (BPA) and Judah Bible, however...this year I have found it lacking. Too much repetition for my ideal study. That makes me nuts because we've so enjoyed it and learned so much as the Holy Spirit has guided us through these lessons.

I will tell you, and many of you know this from hanging out here, the lessons are intricate, time consuming to prepare, and time consuming to deliver. Of course, there can't possibly be anything more worth while to spend our time on, so that doesn't so much matter. What does matter to me at this point is (and please excuse the analogy) that we don't keep Jesus on the Cross.

Scripture is God's whole story. Meaning "whole", as in "don't leave anything out". I've most assuredly been convinced that we don't want to miss a thing in God's Word. At the same time, I'm no genius and trying to figure out what to do has been a chore.

The Simply Charlotte Mason forums allowed me to get one answer that was broad, but covered the entire Bible in a six year rotation. (See below) It still didn't give me enough detail to know how to do it. Then there is a wonderful list that Penny Gardner made for OT and NT. This list is very useful as the scriptures are broken down into segments perfect for short lessons.

The biggest difference to me, method wise, and apart from the "short lesson" idea, is that Bible is studied concurrently with History and Geography. While that sounds great, we already have four years invested in a chronological history beginning with the Explorers and American History (I do not agree with teaching small children ancient history before teaching them a foundation of Biblical truths and principles. This article explains this to my liking.)

Here is the six-year rotation from Sonya at SCM:
1. Genesis-Deuteronomy
2. Joshua-Malachi
3. Matthew-Acts
4. Selected epistles
5. Selected epistles
6. Rest of epistles & Revelation

Then for older children, more focused studies:
1. Mosaic Law
2. Proverbs
3. Romans
4. Various Bible Study methods
5. Doctrine study
6. Doctrine study

I like this and find that we would be around year 3-4, and not ready for the older set in-depth, though we've covered some of it.

A few thoughts on what I want to do each week:
1. Read God's Word together! (15-20 minutes/day)
2. Begin Bible Drills with son (finding passages in scripture) once or twice a week. (5-10 min./wk)
3. Continue practicing the memorizing of the books of the Bible. (A couple of minutes at a time.)
4. Include Biblical Principle examination. (5-10 min./day where applicable)
5. Include Character trait focus. (5-10 min./day where applicable)
6. Continue hiding God's Word in our hearts with memory boxes. (10 minutes/a day--during a separate set-aside time)

It's funny to see what appears to be so little time set aside for things that are so vital, yet that's really all it takes to introduce an idea that remains with a child the rest of the day, week...his life. We don't stop talking about a lesson when the lesson is done! This is the part that this super-planning Mama forgets and begins to force scheduled time to the point of bitterness.

It occurs to me, as I think this through, that the problem with using anything but just the Bible for Bible lessons is that anything less than the whole involves an agenda. Whether it's Judah Bible, that I've used, which pounds home seven very important principles over and over, or a purchased workbook/focus study. That makes the CM philosophy of reading the whole Bible and the Bible alone (for Bible) very appropriate, encouraging and appealing.

Using the NT list, we'll get through the gospels by spring. I used excel to list out the lessons by approximate date. It's also a nice "coincidence" that we started it this week with the nativity stories. Works for me! I also took our "Child's Story Bible" (which we love for historical content, relevance and connectivity to the rest of scripture) and cross-referenced the index with the scripture passages.

One last thing I'll mention is "Discovering Doctrine" from SCM. It is an ebook for notebooking Bible according to ten doctrines that every scripture applies to at least one: Bible, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Man, Sin, Salvation, Angels, Church, Future Events. This, like Biblical Principles, is a great way to facilitate discussion of Biblical truths.

There you have it: Bible via Charlotte Mason. At least for this CM beginner!

The Secret to Homeschooling Freedom

I recently downloaded an article from Homeschool Freebie of the Day (you can still get the article here) entitled, "The Secret to Homeschooling Freedom" by Joanne Calderwood. It's subtitled, "How the self-teaching method can revolutionize your homeschool!" We've all heard of self-teaching, as homeschoolers, and I'm sure we all have varying degrees of understanding as to what it truly means. I remember early in my homeschooling days, being told indefatigably, that all homeschooled children would be teaching themselves by fourth grade! Like it just automatically happened as a result of homeschooling! No planning for it by laying the proper foundation. No practicing it with an eye toward any "goal". And no specific direction for reaching that point. Personally, we've used "on-your-own" time, and I confess to sometimes acting as though it was my vacation! Subsequently, those times were sporadic and admittedly neglectful.

I have to say, I'm beginning to understand more correctly, the need, motivation, and results that may come from having children self-learn. Sure, there are extra benefits of more time for mom to get that laundry done and bake bread, or more importantly, be with younger siblings, but what are we really talking about? Instead of the issue being all about "me", suddenly I'm seeing a different picture. One of excellence and purpose. This way of thinking and doing fits perfectly with our foundation of Biblical Principle Approach (The Principle of Self-Governing) as well as our desire to instill habit (good habits!) as a way of life.

Shame on me for never considering that my now fourth grader would need training to study. Or even learn the purpose of record-keeping. Shame on me for setting goals for my children and never letting them in on 'em. Shame on me for doing more for him than I should and thus, not allowing him to do all he could for himself!

As I consider the ideas put forth in the article, I realize that, like any good revelation, the thought process can be defining. I honestly feel as if God has given us a gift of revelation! After I absorbed the information from the article and prayed it through, I sat down with son and told him what I was seeing. He didn't bat an eye, but rather considered it as the next logical step in his "growing up". So, game on!

I'm now working on his own record-keeping pages for his notebook, then I'll be transferring some of my planning sheets for the next quarter over to him to use for his daily work. We'll take a step-by-step approach at first, with him beginning by checking off and owning each task. Then, he'll record his daily efforts. Lastly, he'll plan for his own days. I'm not certain how much time will be between these efforts. We'll take it a week at a time and see. We will also still do a few subjects together: Bible, History read-alouds, and Math. Also possibly Science (Exploring Creation With Botany) as daughter has listened in on our lessons and has picked up quite a bit that she is obviously interested in!

I believe son will truly blossom (do son's blossom?) with this thinking. I'm also encouraged that it will allow our time together to be less taskmaster driven and more Mommy driven, as this has bothered us all from time to time! I'm sure it won't hurt daughter, either!

Now daughter, who just turned "the mighty FIVE", will also begin her training by checking off each subject she accomplishes each day. That will be her job.

If you can't tell, I'm really excited about this next step in our homeschooling journey. God always provides a way, the resources, and the grace and mercy we need to live each day. It doesn't get much better than that!

Updating Our Bible Time

I've put myself through the ringer about our Bible time. The first week of lessons, it became clear something had to change. To say I was dissatisfied about covers it. I love our "Judah Bible Curriculum", specifically the scope and sequence. However, what we have done the past two years (routinely) was not coming together with daughter now in the mix.

Some things have been greatly on my heart as of late: having son develop his own time of study, devotion and prayer, leading towards his own quiet times and his growing in his relationship with the Lord, and continuing to teach more directly character and habit. I've also not felt right about having separate Bible times for the kids. As I debated possibly replacing what we did last year with something else, a friend spoke wise words which set me free: "Don't be a slave to anything! Especially curriculum." Amen, Sister!

So, I determined that my newly directed focus (hopefully from the Lord!) would indeed provide son, and daughter, with the things on my heart. Here is our revised plan:

Monday
Read: "Child's Story Bible"--absolutely fabulous, by the way!
Narrate: daughter first/then son
Daughter: Coloring page
Discuss: story (background)
Read: "Our Young Folk's Josephus: (for historic context--here, or 1st thing Tuesday.)

Tuesday
Read: Bible passage
Narrate
Daughter: Coloring page (cont'.)
Write: Memory verse (to card)
Daughter: Trace/copy memory verse
List: Key words from passage

Wednesday
Review: Passage & history
Discuss: Character of Christ, as it relates to passage. (Biblical Principle/Theme for year)
Action: Pray memory verse (or passage)
Write: Prayer (Prayer Journal)

Thursday
Review: Books of the Bible & Habit ("Laying Down Rails") goals (review/accountability)
Habit: Focus on selected habit/Set goals
Learn: Quite Time/Bible Study (Choose one method--or aspect of method--to apply to passage.)

Friday
Overflow day. We do limit our time per day, for the sake of all so don't always get everything done!

Ten Days

We are just ten days from the official start of our next learning year. I'm up to my neck in paper, but I know what I'm doing with most of it. I've prepped and freshened our school room. I've shopped for what few supplies we needed and I've pulled together some First Day gift bags. I've worked on our daily habits and even loaded my i-pod with new audios, music and old favorites for our in between time listening pleasure. I've planned a birthday party for our last weekend, I fought through the coughing-hacking plague. We've nearly completed our summer list for all intents and purposes. And everyone...everyone...is getting restless. The true sign that all-things "play" gets old even when you're 4 and 8.

I still have to update our timeline; the figures are all cut out. I need to finish assembling our last lapbook from the previous year. I've got to finish a couple of great books I'm reading and do more deep cleaning sweep through my house, (sarcasm alert) because everyone knows you can't start school with things out of order (eyes rolling). I have a burning desire (also) to lose ten pounds, bake enough bread to get us through the winter, crochet everyone new sweaters, have all grey hair miraculously revert to it's previous splendor, and be 35 again (don't ask). But in all reality, I'll have to settle for everyone having clean underwear that day.

I'm facing up to the calendar I'd previously decided on. Starting this early does have it's down sides, but I'm pretty sure the frequent breaks will make up for it. I like all the things we're planning and pray that the Lord is in it all, going before us every step of the way!

Scheduled Reading

I'm very excited about a plan I came up with to conquer our reading woes. Now, our reading woes are probably different than most. Ours are not related to whether or not we want to read, but the bloomin' fact that we want to read too much. Of course, the idea that there could ever really be TOO much to read seems ludicrous, however we love to read and have a LOT to choose from.

That said, and the very fact that most of our curriculum is literature based, we could easily drown in books. My solution involves using a blank calendar. I've chosen all the books that we will read for each subject based on availability and time. I've recorded one for read-aloud and one for son to read on his own, for each topic. I've assigned them days on the calendar based on the size of the book. Then I've split the number of pages by the number of days to read each title.

Now we know exactly what to read and when. There is no floundering in search of the perfect book. No forgetting I meant to get a certain book and having to settle for something else. And NO letting valuable reading time slip by! There are always two books being read. We've begun using this method over the last month and are very pleased. One thing I have realized though, is that I should keep Saturday and Sunday free for catch-up reading for there are days when reading doesn't happen. (I initially used those days for scheduling.) Of course, I want to bean myself in the head when that happens, but I'll try not to get to frustrated. I've been quite happy how willing he is to read on Saturday and Sunday, too. Reading is becoming more of a daily habit and less of a weekday school task/chore!

I made son his own copy of the calendar for his notebook so he knows exactly what to read and when. I did not break down the pages for every book, but will do so periodically as a gather them a month in advance. Overall, I'm hoping this will add to his ability to self-govern his time and responsibilities. We'll be doing that a lot this year as we add his sister to the fray.

I truly believe that this will keep us on track better time wise. We didn't finish our Truthquest volume last year because of not scheduling the subjects (why we are now reading history!), so I have great hopes.

A Notebook of Notebooking Pages

I love using the notebook method for our schooling, but there are side effects. One is lots of paper and copies. Another is the stacks that come with lots of paper and copies. Then there is also the lost or damaged paper and copies which leads to the replacement copies of the paper copies and that means more paper, more ink, etc. Whew! I get tired of stacks of paper. Worse than that, I get tired of constantly having to come up with notebooking pages. I would much rather plan for them and have them ready, even if it's a year in advance. This takes some organizing.

With some forethought I'm hoping to keep all those copies representing hard work on my part, organized and ready for easy access. I'm trying another notebook. This one I'm organizing by date. More specifically, by month. For some reason, organizing by subject did not work for me. I think that had to do with my subject notebook getting too big. I wasn't consistent in keeping things together and I didn't want to lug them all around, all the time.

I'm working hard to come up with notebooking pages for the various subjects and levels I need. This is not part of the job I enjoy, but part that is very valuable and necessary. I've learned that using notebooking as a criteria for selecting my curriculum can be helpful. For instance, this year's geography, "Trailguide to US Geography" also has available a multi-level notebooking CD.

I'll share more about our notebooking choices in the future, as time allows.

Next Year's "School" Calendar

Like most things "homeschooling", it's taken me a while to catch on to the fact that I really do need a set calendar for the year. That is, unless I want to be frustrated and guilty every time we collapse from overdoing, only to realize it's because we haven't taken a much needed breathing break.

So what does the "perfect" calendar look like to me? It starts early. Ends early. Has plenty of kid and mommy breaks. Allows for "surprises". Fits with holidays. And did I mention, ends early? As in May?!

So the plan is to start the first Monday in August and be done by Memorial Day. In between, we'll have one-week breaks every seven to eight weeks. We'll also schedule every other Friday as a M.U.D day. Make Up Day. As in buffer. As in "I'm on my period" day, or we're going to the zoo. Know what I mean?

I printed out this wonderful blank calendar from Donna Young, and marked it up first with holidays and birthdays that we take off. These include the biggies and a couple others. Then I went through and counted weeks to see where week eight would fall. On the second eight week period, the break would fall the week after Thanksgiving week, so I adjusted the period to seven weeks so we can have Thanksgiving week off. I did this for the rest of the year, watching my holidays.

I then counted up my days to be sure we would meet the requirements for our state. We have 9 extra days. By the way, a lady who works with my husband told him that her neighbors had to spend the night in jail because their son had too many absent days at school, not meeting the "requirements". I'm not sure I believe it, but it wouldn't really surprise me.

With that done, I turned my attention to the fun stuff. That would be the Fun Days Calendar. I only have the rest of this calendar year available, so I went through it picking fun days to remember or celebrate in some memorable fashion. One example of a fun day I shared was this. Here's what I'm looking at:

August
5: National Friendship Day
17: Davy Crockett Day
19: Potato Day (I'm picturing hash browns for breakfast, french fries for lunch, and Crash Hot Potatoes for dinner!)

September
3: Wizard of Oz (published) Day
13: Chocolate Day
17: Constitution Day
18: National Play Doh Day
22: National Elephant Appreciation Day
23: First Day of Autumn
24: Dr. Seuss Day
26: Johnny Appleseed Day

October
10: Pac Man Day
16: Dictionary Day
21: Apple Day
22: Nut Day
25: Make a Difference Day
31: Reformation Day

November
3: National Sandwich Day
11: Mayflower Compact (signed) Day
14 Teddy Bear Day; & Claude Monet Day
17: Homemade Bread Day
19: Gettysburg Address Day
24: Creation Day (in response to Darwin Day)
26: Charles Schultz (Peanuts) Day

December
2: International Day to remember the abolition of slavery
4: Monopoly Day; & National Cookie Day
16: Boston Tea Party Day
17: Maple Syrup Day
21: Pilgrim's Landing at Plymouth Day
22: Beatrix Potter (death) Day
28: Pledge of Allegiance (recognized by Congress) Day
30 Rudyard Kipling Day

BTW, August 31st is International Blog Day!

As you can imagine, some will only bear*** mentioning, while others will be "celebrated" (Cookie Day!!! Mmmm!) We had a lot of fun with these, this past year. They don't take much time and we all enjoy them. I have some we'll enjoy over the summer as well.

So that's how my next year's calendar came to be...and before the year even starts! Now that's progress!

***FYI:

BEAR/BARE

There are actually three words here. The simple one is the big growly creature (unless you prefer the Winnie-the-Pooh type). Hardly anyone past the age of ten gets that one wrong. The problem is the other two. Stevedores bear burdens on their backs and mothers bear children. Both mean “carry” (in the case of mothers, the meaning has been extended from carrying the child during pregnancy to actually giving birth). But strippers bare their bodies—sometimes bare-naked. The confusion between this latter verb and “bear” creates many unintentionally amusing sentences; so if you want to entertain your readers while convincing them that you are a dolt, by all means mix them up. “Bear with me,” the standard expression, is a request for forbearance or patience. “Bare with me” would be an invitation to undress. “Bare” has an adjectival form: “The pioneers stripped the forest bare.”

Nine & Five

Fourth grade/Nine Years Old:

Bible & Character: Judah Bible, 4th year
History: Truthquest History, American History for Young Students Vol. III
Geography: Trailguide to U.S. Geography (1st half of states) and in conjunction with Cantering the Country; Indiana State History & Geography (extended study)
Literature: Poetry of Eugene Field, Lewis Carroll, William Wordsworth, & Alfred Noyes & Charles Dickens, Heidi, Hans Brinker & the Silver Skates, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Treasure Island & The Secret Garden
Math: Right Start, Level E
Spelling: Spell to Write and Read
Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing, (cross curricular)
Art: Artistic Pursuits, Book 2
Music: Opal Wheeler books, & Music & Moments with the Master
Science: Exploring Creation with Botany, by Jeannie Fulbright
Typing: Computer program

Also using: Copywork, Narration, Memorization, Art Appreciation Calendar, Calendar Fun, Hymn Study, Poem a Day & introducing journaling.

Pre-K/Kindergarten/5 years old:

Bible & Character: Noah Plan Kindergarten Lessons
History: Noah Plan Kindergarten Lessons (emphasis on what History is)
Literature: Noah Plan Kindergarten Lessons: Lullabies, Poetry of Christina Rosetti, Fairy Tales, Mother Goose, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit, Aesops Fables, Uncle Remus, Bambi, Little House in the Big Woods & possible FIAR selections
Math: Right Start, Level A
Spelling, Reading: Spell to Write and Read
Penmanship: Cursive First, w/emphasis on manuscript

And if she is so inclined to join her brother...
Art: Artistic Pursuits, Book 2
Music: Opal Wheeler books, & Music & Moments with the Master
Science: Exploring Creation with Botany, by Jeannie Fulbright
Geography: Trailguide to U.S. Geography (1st half of states) and in conjunction with Cantering the Country; Indiana State History & Geography (extended study)

Strategy

It's funny what you can get away with when you don't tell your children what you are up to. My son had no idea I was doubling his math lessons for the past week or so. He's had no idea that I waited till his favorite part of math--geometry--to pile it on just so we could finish sooner.

He knows now. He was so surprised and delighted to find out he was doing so much more than he thought. AND, that he was going to be finishing lessons sooner because of it.

Strategy. We moms can use a little strategy now and then, don't you think? Now if I can just think of a strategic way to get everything else done...

Books: Using Your Resources

If you've known me for very long, then you know I'm not only a Bibliophile, but a picky one at that. Once I discovered real living books, due in large part to homeschooling, Truthquest, Jan Bloom and Gladys Hunt, the rest, as they say, was history.

Bibliophile: noun
a person who loves or collects books, esp. as examples of fine or unusual printing, binding, or the like.

I've collected a blue-million books--all of the highest caliber--most having been published prior to 1965 (when the Bible was banned from public schools, and the re-writing of history began). As my personal library has grown, so have we...encountering the most incredible of literary adventures, characters, and historical truth and fancy.

Like many decisions that homeschoolers face, the idea of using the resources we have, in this case books, usually arrives on the scene. For many, it will arrive too late. To avoid that happening, there are a few things to consider regarding the best use of these treasures. With some thought and planning, you can change your focus, save money, and get a maximum impact for your efforts. If you have shelves of books and no strategy to read them, they are as dust in the wind. And dusty, too!

We are all too aware that there are only so many hours in the day--so many days in the year, so many years in childhood.
A reading plan for the long haul, is a great idea.

You might say, at this point, that your family are big readers so you don't consider having a reading plan a necessity, yet as the children grow and more and more demands are being made upon your time, reading aloud, library visits, choosing good books, may all slip by the wayside.

Now, this is in no way about guilt, or regret, but about opportunity! As we've overcome previous planning bungles, I more clearly understand the value of a more thoughtful course of action. I suppose one of the first things that can bring us to this point, is the passing of picture books. Suddenly our little readers, move to paragraphs, chapter books, larger books, etc. Not to return to former "glories", as you will. You find yourself going through your picture books; purging, packing away, remembering, or having no memory of a certain book at all! It's the same for all levels of reading.

How you organize your books will be the one thing that has the greatest impact on your reading. Most families have shelves in every room. Many times this is out of necessity, for many it's habit or even tradition. Every child should have books in their room, for example. That is a long held tradition. If that is important to you, then you need to consider that in your planning.

First, you must have a list of every book you own and it's author. If you are spread-sheet crazy, you could include genre, year of publication, and reading level. Having a list will help you lesson-plan, choose wisely, buy more strategically, etc. Library Thing is another choice. They limit the number of books you can put on a list. You can either buy a subscription, or make multiple lists.

Books that are specifically for school subjects need to be separated by those subjects and arranged in order of their use. If you study science based on a chronological creation sequence, astronomy books will probably be first. We study history chronologically, so our history books are in that order. Books don't get missed, or forgotten. They are only passed up if age-appropriateness is a factor and since we will cover all of history twice before graduation, we'll be revisiting the same shelves.

It is important to include biographies in these sections, as well. If you have a biography of a scientist, put it where and when you will study it. If you're more likely cover it in history, than science, put it with the history books. This is also where a list can help because you can't have a book in two places at once!

Another good example of books to place in chronological order would be missionary stories and biographies. Then you are more apt to read them at the place in history where they had their impact.

One of the biggest hurdles for me was collections; book sets. I began collecting Landmark books and had them in a beautiful row on the shelf. They weren't with the history books, so guess what quickly became apparent? They were being forgotten. Getting them moved to our history shelves was necessary (and still ongoing at my house!).

Include historical fiction in your history shelves. This category can have a rather large spectrum: picture books on up. While most people would separate their historical fiction, since we "teach" with ours, it's more helpful to have it at our fingertips.

So what about the rest of your fiction? My shelves bear the same range in book types and reading abilities as most. I always kept them in alphabetical order by title, but that only showed benefit when listing them or trying to find an elusive volume for history (before I changed my system of order!). One of the whole points of this post is this: Keep your fiction books in order of reading age!

If you really want certain books to be read before "it's too late", then they have to be in the "next" section: that section that your child looks to next for their book choices.

Here's where the long term plan comes into play. With your books in this order, as a child grows in their ability and taste, they move from section to section, without missing that gem of a book that was at one time too difficult for them, but is now just right!

This thought does take a bit of maintaining. You don't want books put away in the wrong section. You may never find them! But if you have a system easily available to your family, you'll be pleased with the results. We use a basket that the kids put their books in so that I can put them where I want them. This habit has helped to show them order and reason.

Now that you have your books in a usable order, how do you actually go about reading them? The obvious answer--the strategy-- would be to set aside time and times for reading! I know that is not always the easiest thing though. Here is where I learned to make some of those excellent choices that come with being a homeschooler! Have your children (and yourself) acquire the habit of always having a book with you in the car. Exactly how many hours a week are we in the car?!!

Do you read? Do you read for yourself? Most do to some degree, but this is also a great habit. One which your children see and emulate. Monkey see, monkey do. Let them see you reading the Bible daily, they'll want to read their Bibles. Let them see you reading other great books, and they, too, will want to read really great books.

And reading aloud! If you haven't begun reading aloud, it's never too late to start. You will never regret it! Here is a great resource for inspiration, as well as the books I listed at the start. We began a more regular read-aloud time with Lamplighter books! Wow! They have created a passion within us, for reading together! Then, consider having your read-alouds with you where ever you go. Carry them around the house with you; in the car, etc. You never know when you will have ten minutes on the way to friends to read aloud (that is, if the husband is driving!) or a few minutes of play break gathered together in the yard!

And since we are talking about habit, develop the habit of giving. Give your individual children time to read each day. What a fabulous gift! Thirty minutes out of their day will not kill anyone or deprive them of play. They will come to love that time of quiet adventure. It is also a more adequate rest than say...none!

If you are choosing the very best of books for your children (a whole other post!) then it will not take much to have them chomping at the bit to read more!

Let's fact it! We take books with us. We carry the really good ones in our hearts and minds; remembering what great stories were told and the joy of meeting each hero and heroine. I distinctly remember the first time I read the "Chronicles of Narnia" at age 10. It was the start of my great love for books. My husband, on the other hand, has rarely read a book (besides his Bible) in his life! That seems so tragic to me. Missed opportunities? I don't really know, but now, even he enjoys our read alouds!

Get those books in order and read! What are you waiting for?

Flying By the Seat of My Pants

It's amazing to me how God uses certain things to spur us on to better things.

It finally hit me. Everyone talking about finishing up their year and planning for next year. My decision to go year round seemed a little more than daunting, and certain regrets have crept in. I realized that I don't care for the idea of not having an end...and not having a fresh beginning.

Suddenly, I'm motivated. But we've taken our time this year. We haven't rushed. We've done very well...and we haven't. I feel behind and haven't been able to even imagine an end in sight.

I like a big picture. I know that about myself, but for some reason, I haven't given myself one and have found myself floundering. I don't like floundering.

I just read a great series from SCM talking about long term planning. Then another great bolt of lightning hit me. I...me...the planner...has no plan! No big picture. I visited Donna and printed out some blank planners and started filling in columns for son's remaining school years and subjects. I wrote in what would happen when, and what materials or curriculums I thought I'd use. I now have a big picture. I have to say, it's very freeing and it's so nice looking at when we're going to do state history, composition, and biology. It's nice having a plan, regardless of whether that plan will change.

After I finished the Big picture, I started a weekly (broken down into days) plan for finishing what we've started with the objective of finding an end to our year; a completion. A jumping off place. A bench mark. Is that enough figures of speech!! :)

I thought we'd be able to finish our "year" before nice weather; REALLY nice weather. We're not. It looks like we're going to go through June. This is going to be the year Mommy messed up with the schedule, but it won't happen again. I've learned my lesson. So we'll be schooling AND gardening at the same time this year. It's going to be a lot of work. But for some reason, I don't think it'll be a bad thing. I'm looking forward to it because I'm looking forward to following a plan.

So far, this week has been one victory after another. We've revisited our "Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day" which we left half done back in Sept or Oct (even though we absolutely loved it!). We've picked up our "Burgess Bird Book" which we were reading aloud (and also totally loved), along with our bird study. It had also been abandoned. We've bumped up the pace on our "Truthquest History" and "A Child's Geography". We've become more focused on our notebooking than we have been for quite awhile. And, last but not least, we're doing it all per a plan that actually has an end goal that is not too far from sight.

I think again about focusing on the things that God accomplishes, rather than what I accomplish, and I remember that He is still doing a great work within me. He's building me up, providing me with the means to do the job put before me, and He's preparing me for what comes next. God's Providence again and again.

As we've started our days earlier, worked a little harder, and a little longer, we've had a coming together in regards to study habits, scheduling, and even our meal time. Momentum will be our enemy or our friend. I'm sure we'll have both good days and bad, but for now there is only one other thing I have to think about...

There's just 3 days left till the convention!

Preparing Judah Bible Lessons Using E-Sword

Finally! Here is the much requested post on how I use E-Sword to prepare my Judah Bible Curriculum (JBC) Lessons. (You can read about our Bible lessons here.)

If you've already downloaded E-Sword, check for updates (they just had one at the end of Feb.) and you'll be set to go. If not, you can do that here. Of course, you'll want to familiarize yourself with it a bit, but you'll find it very user-friendly. I'll share some of my own tips and tricks along the way.

The Setup:
After downloading the original package, I selected the versions of the Bible that I wanted to use. ESV (English Standard Version) is our main version. I also had to have Webster's 1828 Dictionary, Strong's linking to the KJV (which comes with the main download) and the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK). These were "musts" in my book! Without them, I couldn't find what I needed for teaching. All are available for free from E-Sword. And much more!

I have my Bible and Dictionary (on the left) of about equal size. [Oh yes! You can adjust the size by clicking on the outlines and dragging, just like in Windows!] The right is reserved for Topic Notes, Commentary, & Study Notes. This is my biggest, because this is where all the work comes together.

I set my lessons up in what is called the Topic Notes. Here you can title your study and keep it. Other options include linking it directly to the passage of scripture, but this doesn't work for more than one verse. I usually title my lessons like this: JBC 3:3:6. This tells me it's JBC (Judah Bible Curr.) Year 3, Theme 3, Lesson #6.

After I put an actual title on the blank topic notes page, with the actual names of the theme, lesson and the scripture passage, I begin with Day 1. I have found that by breaking the lesson into days (I number them), prevents me from trying to cover more than one IDEA each day. This is a Biblical Principle Approach (BPA) thought that has kept me from overwhelming my children.

I do not usually follow "weeks" as JBC is scheduled. Though I TRY to stick to a week, for continuity's sake, if a lesson takes us 10 days, or three, so be it. This will usually be apparent as soon as you review the scripture passage to be studied. There are certain things that I include in every lesson. I have broken those down by days, or daily.

Narration:
We narrate at the beginning and end of each portion of scripture read. At this point in time, we are only using oral narration, but will be adding written beginning next year (4th grade). I could go on and on about this, but I'll send you over here, for the sake of brevity.

Timeline:
Looking at where on the timeline, or Chain of Christianity (COC), we are with this passage. My COC looks like the following and is a combination of the original COC, and my own thoughts on the importance of certain historical times and places. We look at this briefly for each lesson (or week). We especially note how God's Word may tell the story of a "prophet", but also include the last link--the "Restoration: As for Me and My House" link, as we ask what lessons God wants us to learn. My links on the chain have changed as we've grown. They now include:

Creation
The Patriarchs
Moses and the Law
The Flood
Prophets, Priests and Kings
Jesus and the Cross
Paul, and the Early Christian Church
The Bible Restored
Columbus, and the Explorers
The Pilgrims
One Nation Under God
Westward Expansion and Erosion
Restoration: As For Me and My House

Putting the Week's Lessons Together:
First, I look up the passage that I'm lesson planning. Once I have it selected and before I copy the passage over, I mark it up! I'm a big "marker". I write all over my Bible (& books) when I read. Underlining, circling, highlighting. You can do some of this right in E-Sword and it will remain there! Then when you copy the passage(s) over to your lessons, the markings will be there. Then, of course, you can add more marking as you consider the relevance of your lesson and the ages of your children. As I copy the passage of scripture over to the topic notes [*Hint*: You have several options for copy and paste, including drag and drop. I like the "2 papers with red star" button, above your "Bible" that allows you to choose the format you want your verses to appear in.], I also use my actual paper Bible! I have so many of my own notes and marking there that are a great reminder of previous thoughts and prayers. Since I've learned that this process can be long, it's nice to know the passages ahead of time and study them throughout the days and weeks; keeping notes with my more portable paper Bible, before I sit down to prepare the lesson. My husband has taken to only using his laptop now. He even takes it to church with him. Weirdo! :) Now, once the scripture is copied over, I mark some more and even add in my own "spoken" commentary. I do this in red so I don't...ummm...get confused! Ha!

Leading Question:
After I've reviewed the whole passage, I will come up with a Leading Question. The leading question is the ONE thing for the whole lesson that principally stands out. In other words, if I could only have them learn one thing, what would it be. Another way to look at it, is something that "leads" the child through the lesson to a particular conclusion or thought. It is usually not looking for a specific answer, but a process of reasoning that builds their knowledge, heart and character in the Lord. Examples would include: "Why is the past important to understanding the future?" "What is our responsibility toward God?" "How does God reveal Himself in times of peace?" This was one of the more difficult things I had to learn, because I was used to "yes" "no" questions. It takes practice, for sure!

Discussion & Notebooking Questions:
After I have the scripture in place and marked, I will add any other thoughts & questions I wish to share or discuss. Then I'll finish that days plan with a question geared toward that particular section of scripture. I do this for each day, leading up to answering the leading question. I take all the questions for the week and put them on a Word doc with writing lines. Son answers each days question as it comes and then adds the sheet to his notebook. Here is an example of that.

Bible as Literature:
Now, on Day 1 of the lesson, we always cover "Bible as Literature". This is something that I also learned from BPA and since we read a lot but don't yet do "Literature" as a separate topic, I add in this bit.

Basically, we just look at five elements. We identify the type of literature: letter, biography, historical narrative, poetry, etc; and who penned it for God. We'll talk about the setting for our passage, and the plot and theme. Discussing the theme is a good way to perpetuate the leading question. They are usually linked. Lastly, we'll talk about the characterization, or who God is dealing with in this particular passage. This really takes no time at all and gets us thinking about the Bible as a whole story and message from God.

Scripture Memorization:
On Day 2 of the lesson, I introduce the memory selection. Son will write it out on a 3x5 card and insert it in his memory box. You can read more about our memory box system here.

Biblical Principles & the Providences of God
Our Judah Bible lessons would not be complete without looking at the Biblical Principles of the lesson, and the many Providences of God throughout the passage. These are key elements to Biblical Principle Approach. You can read about the seven foundational principles here.

We do this on Thursday, where ever that may fall in our lesson. Because God is so awesome and His word so perfect, we could easily cover every principle we could think of with each lesson! I've done this...it's time consuming, to say the least! I recommend selecting one or two principles as the focus. As you begin to learn the seven foundational principles, you will begin to see other principles shine forth: another benefit of this Bible study methodology. When you find yourself with a profound Biblical truth, you have a "principle". We have a particular one that we are focusing on at least for this year. It's even on my blog. It is something that the husband shared with us and God has used to greatly guide us in all our daily activities.

"A loving relationship always equals obedience,
but obedience does NOT always equal a loving relationship."

We've had a few "wow" moments with that one, and that's the idea of learning and focusing on Biblical Principles!

When we look at God's Providences, we are also looking at the nature of God; who He is and how He works. We do that by focusing on the five P's:

God's Promises
God's Purposes
God's Preparation
God's Protection
God's Provision

As you learn these, you will see evidence of them throughout every subject in HIStory and, of course, the Bible. It truly reinforces how Mighty is our God!

Using Definitions in the Lesson:
Let's face it, there are some pretty "big" words in scripture! I find myself checking definitions just to make sure "I" know what they mean! This is important to BPA lessons (which, if you haven't figured that out yet, Judah Bible is). It builds a foundation of understanding and reasoning through research. This is a great way for kids to begin to see that it's easy to find out about something you don't know. You could go a bit crazy with this, but I try to limit it to 1-3 words per week. I'll use the Webster's on E-sword and copy over the entire definition [drag & drop!]. Then I'll go through and delete any that don't pertain to the particular use of the word. Next year, I'll have son (who will be 9) begin to look up the words himself in the BIG Webster's! This will be a great notebooking exercise.

Using Hymns or Choruses:
Often times the Lord will bring to mind a hymn or chorus from the passage we are studying. I'll just include the lyrics somewhere in my topic notes so that I remember it. [It's great that you can highlight and copy from almost any program, or the web, and paste it into E-Sword.] I love this opportunity to more fully embrace what the Lord is teaching us; to bring it "home", so to speak, and make it our own. We sing daily and can't get enough.

Using Greek or Hebrew:
This is somewhat new to us. I'm beginning to get a better grasp on understanding that our English translations don't always have the same fullness of meaning as the original languages. With the Strongs #'s linking to the original languages, you just roll over the # and see a box pop up with the info! It's very helpful! They don't have duel languages, side-by-side, yet. At least that I know of!

Character Lesson:
We've been incorporating character lessons in our week for about two years. This year, however, I'm using our Bible lesson as the catalyst. We either examine a particular character trait from the main figure in the scripture we are looking at, or a character trait that we are being directly instructed about. [We use the "Bible" (see top menu), "Search" feature.] It is also adding a great personal emphasis to our learning! There are a lot of sources for various character lessons, but the main one we began with was characterjournal.com. After using these lessons for awhile, it's easy to see the main components and come up with your own lessons. They will always include:

A definition
How the trait is demonstrated
Scripture
Examples
"I Will" or application statements

We do these lessons on Fridays.

Other E-Sword Elements:
I've already mentioned the Bible versions, the Dictionary, and even the Greek and Hebrew (which are also available through E-Sword). Another thing I occasionally will look at is Matthew Henry's commentary, though I'm not a big fan of commentaries for they are fallible. It can help your thought process.

I enjoy the TSK because you can see what other verses in the Bible deal with the same info. I like to have other passages, especially from OT & NT, whenever possible--it is one book! These things are very easy to use in E-Sword. Any time you highlight a verse in the Bible window, then click on the supplement, it'll open up to that passage, or reference point. Everything is copyable into your topic notes. Can't beat that!

Another thing I use a lot is the Search feature. If you click on "Bible" at the very top, then "Search" you can fill in and find just about anything you want. This is particularly useful with the Character Lesson, for you can do a key word search, or if you can't remember where a verse is!

There are so many helpful tools available, I've only begun to check them all out and I've been using this program for almost three years.

Another thing I'll mention is fonts. I changed my Bible font, and Dictionary font to be different from the default Topic Notes font. That way, when I copy scripture over, and type my own notes between, you can more clearly see where one ends and another begins. You can do this under "Options".

Using a Template:
Since I use the same elements each week, including the formatting, I created a template that I "fill in" each week. This keeps a bit of continuity for me and helps me remember things such as when I want to look at the Timeline, or when to narrate. You can do this by creating the format (which is just a lesson without the content), saving it under the name "Template", then opening it, and copying the contents to a new topic.

Printing:
I print out the entire lesson and keep it in my notebook, but you don't have to. In the topic notes, if you don't wish to print your whole lesson, you may highlight a certain section, then when you press the "magnifying glass on paper" button, you can print just what is highlighted. This really helps if you are only printing one day's worth at a time.

If you are using Windows Vista, you may have printing problems. The best solution, in that case, is to copy your document over to Word and print from there.

Special Note on Saving Your Work:
Be sure to periodically hit the "disc" button to save. Though it operates on auto-save, I have lost whole lessons before when my computer has died. It's not quite what Blogger auto-save is. It never hurts to be cautious.

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Here is a sample of a finished lesson. I hope that this has been, and will be, helpful to you. I had planned to do this with screen shots, but getting into that was more than I bargained for. If there is anything that I've left out, or if you have more specific questions, feel free to ask me in the comments. I'll answer them there so that I can keep track. JBC is great, E-Sword is great, and God's Word can't be beat! Put 'em all together, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, and you can have some great Bible lessons! God bless your time in the Word!

Every Day or Periodic

I believe with Spring finally around the corner, I'm turning my own corner. I'm coming out of the hum-drum mode and sparks of thought are flying. Lots of itty bitty light bulb moments are helping me reach new milestones in my planning, homekeeping, and daily caretaking of my family.

Spark #1: We are more daily driven as a family, than periodically driven. I'm referring to routine and the ability to easily move from one task to the next. I'm beginning to see that things I do daily, whether for lessons or homekeeping, come much easier in both time and motivation. At the same time, things we do less often, don't always happen. It's those things that have become obstacles and have restricted our progress, to a degree.

Lesson learned? Well, this may seem dumb to those of you to whom this comes naturally, but I'm slow. Anything I have down for once or even twice a week (especially if not a two-day back to back) is not happening. Re-think, re-do. One "for instance" on my list was art. Even having a different sort of art each day did not help. What DID help was having one part of art always the same everyday, plus something different. This came very naturally with Bible, and I've also applied it to history and it works like a charm. It's routine.

Spark #2: Laundry! Throwing in laundry everyday and even sorting it does NOT work for me. I'm now on to laundry system number 47--One load. Just one load. Everyday. To completion. That means put away. It's ALL about getting it put away! That still leaves me with gathering it once a week, but I'm NOT depraved enough to do THAT everyday--yet. AND! What I've discovered is that the kids don't mind folding and putting away their clothes when there isn't a 100lb basket full each time I ask them! Who'd a thought?

Just Thinking: How I Decide To Add Something To Our Week

I am very analytical by my God-made nature. I must start with the details of a problem and work up to the solution--piece by piece. The smaller the pieces to start with, the easier the going. Often the process is not a thrill, nor is it automatic. What goes on in my head can't always come out on paper. This is one reason I love lists, but apart from making them and collecting them, I don't "use" them. I really spend a lot of time thinking things through. And processing. I'm processing now.

It has been often a source of frustration to see and hear, and be so passionate about so many things "homeschooling". Good ideas and wonderful opportunities really are a dime a dozen, but can I do them all? Some say they will not allow themselves to be pulled into that. They feel it is a trap that is too discouraging. That may be so, to a point.

I suppose in my own head, I look at these things different. The first thing that happens when I hear an idea is an emotional reaction. Either I love it, or hate it. Next, I decide if that is something I would want to do with my children. After that it's, "can I do this with my children?" And then, of course it's, "shall I do this with my children?"

My most recent "process" of the brain has me asking new questions: "Did God put this opportunity here for us?" or, more thought provokingly, "Does this agree with our Biblical teaching philosophy and our desire to seek God's will in our lives and learning?" I'm also asking myself if it's a once in a life-time chance--a "season" that I will not be able to get back. If there is no negative, or objection, I find myself asking if the opportunity is "foundational", a "building block", or "experiential".

A foundational opportunity might be teaching phonograms. You can't very well move on in "life" without it. A building block would be grammar. It's great to be a fabulous writer with all your punctuation right, but in the grand scheme of things will it make or break you--or more importantly, will it affect who you are in Christ? While learning to read would (you couldn't read His word on your own), the grammar would not necessarily.

The last thing is experiential. Many things come along in homeschooling that fall under this category. That's one of the reasons we do it, correct? We can give our kids so many experiences in learning that ps kids don't get--that WE never got. Here's the rub, however.

I've got this great opportunity. I'll use nature study as an example. I'm attracted to the idea like bees on honey! There are lots of reasons to like it.

It shows us God's design, His creation, His very nature.
It epitomizes health and happiness.
There is nothing "bad" about it.
"I" never got to do it.
The artistic elements are appealing
It's a God-thing, not a world-thing.

But then there's the arguments:

I haven't an idea how to do it, or wouldn't be good at it.
I don't have time, or I can't do it all.
I'd have to give something else up.
I don't live by a forest and stream with walking trails, or on a farm.
I live in a fenced in suburban yard with no trees, no parks, no nothing.

For me, nature study falls under experiential. Is it important to life? Many would argue no. But for some reason, and I'd like to think it's a "God" reason, I think it might be. Would being outside in God's creation affect my kid's character? Draw them closer to the Lord? Teach them something incredible? All things I ponder. And the biggie, "Do I believe God really provides all that we need to do a task which He has given us to accomplish?" If it's really an opportunity put before us from the Lord, will he not provide the bugs, dirt, plants, paths, weather, TIME, leading, etc.?

And what will I give up? I've prayerfully decided to put aside grammar, for a season of nature study. The experiential is trumping the building block--this time. If you look again at the arguments for and against, you might notice what I noticed when I just wrote them. The arguments against are "I" centered. The arguments for are more "God" centered. Not all, but enough to be obvious to me who wants God and eternal things as a focus. Is nature study an eternal thing? A lot more than basketball, or video games. It's definitely a God thing! He made it, didn't He?!!

There is a season for things. This is the season of childhood. Getting dirty, exploring and adventuring. It's not our season for Grammar. Grammar can wait. Rolling down hills and catching bugs can't. So we're going to give it a try. We won't be perfect or do it like others do. We'll keep it simple and pray and hopefully enjoy it. I'm pretty sure we'll be the better for it.

So there you have it. I was just thinking, and thought I'd share. And now that I'm done processing, we're actually going to DO it! :)

Teaching Bible

For the last two years we have been using the Judah Bible Curriculum. This, to me, is more of a scope and sequence based on Principle Approach, than it is a "curriculum". There is nothing "done" for you, other than the topics laid out over a four year rotation. The notes are a guide for teaching principally and historically, with one objective being to see all of scripture as ONE story.

When we bought it, it immediately became apparent that it was going to take work. I was committed to teaching principally and Biblically. I wanted my children to understand God and scripture in a way that many adults don't. I yearned for their hearts to be wholly His and their wisdom to be of heavenly things.

But it takes work. It takes weekly effort. Often hours of preparation. The thing is, it's His Word. It's not planning a lesson on Mozart or Little House on the Prairie. It's His Word. To me, there can be nothing more important.

It saddens me when I hear people wanting to find something easier. I know I struggle with this in many of our subjects, but with Bible I can't go there. It's that important to me. That time as much nourishes me, as I know it will nourish my kids. The idea that God has as much for me to learn as two little ones, humbles me.

Very early on I realized that it wasn't so much about teaching the Bible, or even learning the Bible, it was about growing relationships rooted and grounded in the King of Kings, the Creator, the Alpha and Omega, the Son of Man, the Lamb of God.

I know that many believers just don't know how to go about teaching Bible. I know I've struggled at different times and to varying degrees with my own time in the Word, and imagine that most do as well. This was, therefore, an opportunity to change that. Because I'm practical by nature, having the scope and sequence was a great start. Also, having a meaning to our homeschool--a methodology which both exemplifies purpose and learning style, gave me the "how". This was our Principal Approach. From there, I knew it had to be just me and the Holy Spirit. And no! that's not always comfortable and it's definitely not easy. And yes. Sometimes I look at "packaged" programs and my brow furrows, but I say "no". And sometimes I even try to do it in my own power. It doesn't work.

The other day on a loop I saw someone selling Judah Bible and their comment was that they were replacing it with a history program. Bible is HIStory but Bible is not "History". They are very different for learning purposes. I was telling my husband that if I could do nothing else, I would do just Bible and it would be enough. Historically speaking, folks used to only have the Bible to teach with. They learned to read with it and they learned about life from it. Why is it not often good enough?

When we talk to people about homeschooling and hear the inevitable "I could never do that", I always tell them truthfully that God gives you what you need to accomplish the task set before you. Whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually, He supplies.

One resource I feel very blessed with is E-Sword. If you are not familiar with it, it is a free Bible package download. A ton of different versions are available as well as Webster's 1828 Dictionary (which is the only legitimate dictionary, as far as I'm concerned! :)), commentaries like Matthew Henry and the really awesome Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. You can have the Septuagint, the Textus Receptus and much more.

I can start a "topic" for a new lesson, drag and drop scripture, definitions, and commentary notes right to it. I can write all my own notes and questions, search the scriptures, highlight and change the layout, then print it. In other words, it's invaluable! We may think we are starting with a bare slate when we choose a program like Judah Bible, but with God there is no BARE slate.

Maybe the fact that many don't want to teach it is a reflection of what is happening in many churches. I don't know. It seems like that makes sense, but it's sad for whatever reason. My hope would be that in any homeschool community, whether at home or via computer, that mom's would help, support, and lift up each other in teaching God's Word. Share your plans, your struggles and your light bulb moments. Share how the children are growing in their relationships with the Lord. AND that they would never settle for "good enough".