HomeHearts

On Choosing Literature

HomeHearts — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:00:13 +0000

Choosing literature for our children is a daunting task. There are many book lists and books about books available seeking to help us choose the good part. However, literature selection is a very personal venture. Each family has to determine for itself how it will answer the question: what literature is good for my family?

The best place to start when trying to determine what IS good literature is Scripture.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and
if there is anything praiseworthy
- meditate on these things.

Philippians 4:8

In addition to prayerfully searching the Scriptures, be Spirit-led. There may be books on the list of our favorite homeschool “expert” regarded as “must read” that the small, still voice inside declares off-limits for our family. Listen to His voice.

Sometimes, a particular book will be better received when our children are more mature and have a solid Scriptural foundation on which to build. Each child has a different level of sensitivity to certain subjects. Again, pray for guidance about choices for each child.

The printing-press puts into the hands of parents a means of good which they may use to the greatest advantage in the culture of their home-life and in the shaping of the lives of their household. But they must keep a most diligent watch over the pages that they introduce. They should know the character of every book and paper that comes within their doors, and should resolutely exclude everything that would defile. Then, while they exclude everything whose influence would be for evil, if they are wise they will bring into their home as much as possible of pure, elevating, and refining literature. Every beautiful thought that enters a child’s mind adds to the strength and loveliness of the character in after days. The educating influence of the best books and papers is incalculable, and no parent can afford to lose it in the training of his family.

Home-Making by J.R. Miller

You’ll find reading lists, books about books and other resources for developing your child’s imagination and wisdom on our living books page.

Additional Reading

Making Friends of Books
A chapter from Mable Hale’s Beautiful Girlhood. “If a girl will choose her books from those whose ideals are high and whose language is pure and clean, unconsciously she will mold her life like to those portrayed in the books she reads; but if her book friends are the giddy, impure, unchaste kind, you may be certain that the girl will become like them.” Questions are included that can help a young girl make a wise choice.

No related posts.

Still on the Fence? – Things Learned

HomeHearts — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:10:39 +0000

We began our homeschooling journey in 1998. After agonizing, searching and praying, our inclination to homeschool was confirmed by words from a godly grandmother – “Why don’t you just homeschool?” No one knew what had been in our hearts; we had discussed our thoughts of homeschooling with no one. We knew where those words came from.

That was the first step in a long journey that has had little to do with math and language arts. That first step was the first in a journey designed by our Maker to change us into the parents we needed to be so that He could work through us in preparing our children for whom He intends them to be. Not that we have arrived! Oh no, the education is ongoing…and lifelong. Education is truly an art.

Other things we have learned along the way?

Education is not neutral. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Prov. 9:10). But there is a way that seems right to man…
“Socialization” is a myth and has no place in a Christian worldview. Rather, “he who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Our children will be effective “salt and light” when they have been effectively discipled.
Every mom is uniquely qualified to homeschool her children.

The success of our homeschooling efforts will not depend on diplomas from college institutions that declare finis, nor on the amount of money our children are able to pocket at the end of each month, nor on the titles they may or may not accrue. The success of our homeschooling efforts will depend on their hearts, and how closely each child walks in His steps.

Still on the Fence?

How-To Ideas from DIYHomeschooler

HomeHearts — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:12:11 +0000

We are frequently asked for more information on How-To homeschool, more practical ways to implement some of the ideas you will find on this site. That type of material can frequently be found at our DIY Homeschooler site. Here are a few examples:

Book Study: The Little Red Hen: Free eBook
Ideas for use include narration, word families, ordinal numbers, folk tales, and illustrators; additional resources include printables.
8 Writing Activities for the Younger Student
Writing ideas including tracing, copywork, and booklet writing, among others. Also includes templates for booklet making, copybook pages, letter-writing examples, and other printables.
The Fox and the Grapes: A Mini-Unit
Activities include copywork, phrase investigation, grammar, and dictation along with helpful sites.
Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales: Free eBooks
Links to all of the stories (except one) with a variety of additional resources including activity sites, copywork downloads, foldables and a book recommendation.
16 Prewriting Activities
Ever wonder what to do before your child is ready to write? Activities include recording a story, tell what happens next, and add to the story, among other ideas, along with additional resources and book recommendations.

For more How-To ideas, visit the How-To archive at DIYHomeschooler.

If you haven’t visited our DIY Homeschooler site, we offer you a warm and hearty welcome and ask you to pop on over!

3 Considerations When Setting the Atmosphere

HomeHearts — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:00:04 +0000

So much of what we do in educating at home revolves around setting up an atmosphere conducive to real learning. That means we need to be aware of what our children are thinking, what their interests are, and what it is they need to accomplish their goals. But we also need to provide an atmosphere that enhances our relationship with our children. If genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration, then homeschooling is one percent academics and ninety-nine percent relationship! After all, education is a broad term that touches on the heart, mind, and soul of our children including mental, physical and spiritual training. That training is best conducted within the confines of a nurturing relationship with our children.

Investment. In our home that relationship is strengthened when I take time to listen – really listen – to all that excites and interests them; when I take the time to look into their eyes when they speak to me; when I take the time to pass on that hug of encouragement or touch of understanding; when I take the time (and it does take time) to lovingly address matters of character before they develop into something more than a simple bad habit; when I look at each interruption as an opportunity for giving thanks for such joyful interruptions. In short, when I make an investment in my children.

To be joyful, loving mothers of children, our focus should be on the good of our children – their spiritual and personal growth. If we must stop what we are doing to correct a child, we will feel angry when we are thinking about ourselves and our need to accomplish a particular task. On the other hand, if the interruption causes me to thank God for the opportunity He has given me to bring this child up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), then I can receive that interruption joyfully and lovingly.

Teri Maxwell, Titus2.com
Love and acceptance. Another important point that helps strength those home relationships and enhance the atmosphere is the surety of an unchanging love. Just as there is no variation or shadow of turning in our Father, our children need to see the same characteristics in our love for them. They need to know that, while we may not appreciate their choices, or believe that they have acted wisely, we will love them no matter what they do. They need to understand, that just like the grace our Father offers us, they have our grace, and that our love for them is not dependent on their performance!
Contentment. Finally, a simple atmosphere enhancer is our own contentment as homeschool moms. You have undoubtedly heard the adage: If mom ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. Children have a way of catching our moods. In fact, the home has a way of thriving or wilting under our moods. Our contentment is catching; our children will live what they see us modeling for them. If we expect our children to be content, then they need to see us content.

Let’s be cheerful! We have no more right to steal the brightness out of the day for our own family than we have to steal the purse of a stranger. Let us be as careful that our homes are furnished with pleasant and happy thoughts as we are that the rugs are the right color and texture and the furniture comfortable and beautiful.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Ozarks

We offer other ideas for creating an atmosphere where learning can thrive:
A Learning Environment

Too Many Choices?

HomeHearts — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:42:22 +0000

Many homeschoolers, especially veterans, thrive on the freedom homeschooling affords their family. They can schedule breaks when and where they are needed. They can go back to cover material if it wasn’t clear the first time. They can skip ahead if the material is old news and already understood. They can choose materials from a wide variety of sources.

Other homeschoolers, particularly some who are just starting out, find all of this freedom intimidating! Are there no rules? Isn’t there a guideline to follow? How do I choose “the best” materials from everything out there? How can I determine if something will fit my child before I spend money on it? Do I have to figure out my child’s learning style to succeed? So for those who are struggling in this area, here are a few thoughts that will hopefully make your journey easier.

Keep the first thing the first thing. As Christians everything else in our lives flows out of our relationship with Christ. Some of the difficulties we get ourselves into can boil down to simply getting our priorities straight! Think Mary, instead of Martha who was worried and troubled about many things. Put your faith in Him, and let Him direct your path.

Starting out, it may be easier to follow something laid out for you. Just realize that you are trading ease of use for flexibility. (For more on this trade off, and what you can do about it, read Making the Case for Educating Ourselves.) There are many paths you can follow:

The usual way of doing things. Some homeschoolers prefer to use traditional materials with their traditional scope and sequences because they understand how these materials work. Many of the resources from Christian publishers aimed at the homeschooling market have great guidelines, some are even scripted so mom can pick it up and go. The schedule is all laid out in lessons to cover 180 days so there is no guesswork. As with most things, doing things the usual way cuts both ways. If mom thinks that homeschooling is about grading all of these papers, keeping up with the curriculum, or homeschooling taking up the entire day through dinner – it can lead to burn out! You can always use the materials but keep your own schedule, skip the pieces that don’t fit your family, do some of the work orally instead of using tests to check for comprehension or modify the program in any way you see fit.
Follow a different model. You can check out classical homeschooling, Charlotte Mason’s ideas, the Principle approach and other educational models. The same caveat that applies to traditional methods also applies to these other educational models. Following a method to the letter may not work for your family. But a model does give you a good place to start. The model also provides a framework that guides your material purchases.
Follow the curriculum. This doesn’t have to mean textbook. There are many materials and unit studies already planned out for you and geared specifically to homeschools, such as Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace, My Father’s World, Konos and Ambleside Online. Most have samples available online or by request.

Cathy Duffy’s book, 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, provides a survey to help you determine what “style” of homeschooling best fits your family. Knowing in advance whether you tend to prefer a more workbook-oriented or a more individualized-learning approach, for example, can help you determine the type of materials that will work best for your family. The book then notes materials that will fit your preferences.

Start tweaking. With time you’ll start to see what works for your family – and what doesn’t. Workbooks may be in or out. Reading lots of books may be interesting or draining. Strict scheduling may work or not. You can tweak whatever you are using and take advantage of the freedom homeschooling affords your family!

For more help narrowing down your curriculum choices, you might enjoy reading Overwhelmed by Choices.

Dr. Beechick Answers High School Homeschooling Questions

HomeHearts — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:02:14 +0000

We have added a link to a helpful article by Dr. Beechick to our Beechick Basics page.

Answers: High School Homeschooling is a short article that originally appeared in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Excerpted from Dr. Beechick’s Homeschool Answer Book, the article answers two questions: 1. What course of study should a high school homeschool student take to be ready for college? and 2. What about transcripts? Should we follow traditional high school courses? As always, Dr. Beechick’s answers are concise, practical and encouraging!

If you have concerns about high school and higher learning, please visit our Higher Education page.

You can read a very brief review of Dr. Beechick’s Homeschool Answer Book on our Beechick Basics page.

Answering Key Questions About the Family: Free eBook

HomeHearts — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:10:16 +0000

Homeschooling provides a unique atmosphere in which to raise a family. It provides an atmosphere that encourages men to be men, wives to be wives, and one in which children are allowed to be children. Of course, the example we live out before our children “is what most affects them.”

In this day and age, with a dearth of role models, it is difficult to begin to know where to start when it comes to living as a family. Answering Key Questions About the Family, a free 14-page download from Grace to You ministries, addresses these concerns from a Scriptural point of view.

In a study conducted several years ago, sociologists Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck of Harvard University identified several crucial factors in the development of juvenile delinquency. They created a test that can, with about 90 percent accuracy, predict future delinquency of children 5-6 years old. They listed four necessary factors in preventing juvenile delinquency. First, the father’s discipline must be firm, fair, and consistent. Second, the mother must know where her children are and what they are doing at all times, and be with them as much as possible. Third, the children need to see affection demonstrated between their parents, and from their parents to them. And fourth, the family must spend time together as a unit.

Dr. John MacArthur, Answering Key Questions About the Family

And homeschooling is uniquely designed to provide an opportunity where all four can flourish. But homeschooling isn’t a panacea. It is a tool. That means we, by abiding in Christ and in His strength, must be the acting agent.

We cannot allow the world to press us into its mold of divorce, division, delinquency, and all that goes with the failure of the family. If Christians don’t have families that stay together, children who are raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, parents who love each other, and homes that are centered on Christ, we can never reach the world with the gospel.

Dr. John MacArthur, Answering Key Questions About the Family

As this short, direct and to-the-point paper admonishes us – these are the things we should cultivate, these are the things we should pursue…wholeheartedly.

Are YOU Qualified?

HomeHearts — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:39:08 +0000

I am reminded of Moses, when God called him with a burning bush. Moses argued; he didn’t speak well in public. God was persistent, and finally Moses relented.

How closely that rings to my experiences. I was called to homeschool eleven years ago, when my daughter was three. But I argued…

Mary Biever, God Doesn’t Always Call the Most Equipped

But how do you teach reading? Algebra? Chemistry? But what about special needs, learning disorders, hyperactivity? But will they turn out ok? But what will my neighbor, mother-in-law, the church think? But what about…doubt?

I cowered in the winepress of my kitchen, just as Gideon cowered when God called him. How would we make the impossible happen? I didn’t realize that we couldn’t make the impossible happen, but He could.

Mary Biever, God Doesn’t Always Call the Most Equipped

Read the entire article from Mary Biever at Crosswalk.com.

You can read more about “Qualifications” here.

Qualifications

“I Can’t Do It Anymore”: Thoughts for Avoiding Burnout

HomeHearts — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:47:45 +0000

This past fall many families jumped into homeschooling for the first time. Others made a renewed commitment. But spring has sprung, children are antsy, mom is tired, frustration is building, interest is waning.

If this sounds like you – don’t worry; you are not alone! If possible, declare a week of spring break and use the time to refresh yourself, and renew your interest and commitment. If taking an entire week off is not possible, take a day, or simply find time in the day to set aside to focus on your needs as a homeschool mom, and the needs of your children and family.

Here are a few thoughts you might consider.

What prompted you to homeschool? If your convictions were born from answered prayer, turning back may not be a choice. Remember, if God has called you to do something, He will make a way. But you must listen to and obey His guidance!
What fruit are you seeing? If you look closely, can you see positive progress in some areas? Which ones? What is working? Sometimes the negatives cast a pall over the entire process. Look for the good!
Do you find yourself comparing your family and homeschool to others and falling short? What if you compared your family and homeschool to what God wants for your family and homeschool? Does that brighten the picture?
Are you homeschooling under your own power? Do you have delusions of “superwoman?” Whose voice are you listening to? The world has odd ideas about “success.”
Are you honoring the individuality of each child? Are your expectations of each child realistic? Do you feel you need to be at a certain place because the scope or sequence says so? Is your pace too fast or too slow?
What specific things are causing problems? What things have made homeschooling difficult? Make a list. Prayerfully discuss the issues as a family. Sometimes the troublemakers are the simplest to change! Here are common impediments:
- Schedule. Are you over-scheduled? Struggling under too much “stuff”? Do you have time each day to focus on relationships? Try combining subjects or children. Consider a unit study. Drop the superfluous things that your children can learn on their own without a structured program of instruction. Scale back outside-the-home activities. Spend more time together with your children. Take a day off now and then to just enjoy! Live!
- Attitudes. Character first has new meaning in a homeschool situation! Don’t allow bad attitudes, laziness, sloppiness or dawdling. Everything can be done well, on time and in neat order – even if it means accomplishing less, especially in the beginning as these new habits are developed.
- Methods. Perhaps your approach doesn’t fit one or more children. Perhaps a textbook-dictated schedule is overwhelming the family. Perhaps reading more books together as a family or working on projects would be more beneficial. Read about the various methods. You don’t have to make a sudden switch to something completely different. Instead, pull ideas from what you read and incorporate them into your lifestyle.
- Materials. Are you putting too much faith in the books you use? The materials we use are usually the first things we change because they usually get the lion’s share of the blame, and they are tangible. But switching books will not necessarily bring the type of change we are looking for if we are already frustrated.Really, any materials can be used for the most part, if you USE THEM instead of letting them use you. Instead of throwing the books out, remember that you don’t have to do all of the busy work. You can read through texts and discuss them instead of filling in blanks. You can work every other problem in math if your child “gets it.” If you do decide that a particular curriculum isn’t meeting your needs, determine WHY before you sell and buy something else.

Those of us who have homeschooled for some time now could tell you stories – of failures, discouragement, disappointments and times when we wanted to throw in the towel. But our commitment only strengthens when He brings us through each trial, large or small. Those trips “up against the wall” serve to mold and change our homeschools into what they need to be to effectively serve Him and our children. And when we come through them we know where our real strength lies.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption – that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.’

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

I pray you will listen to His voice as He shows you “You CAN Do It” – through Him!

Out of the Heart

HomeHearts — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:32:59 +0000

What you are is what you are when no one is looking. It is evident by the extra effort you put in when no one will notice. The energy you spend to do it right, when you are the only one involved. The motivation behind your actions, that no one will ever guess. The activities you engage in at night when no one will see. The thoughts you think alone, when no one will hear.

I remember the first time I learned this lesson, though I no longer remember the circumstances surrounding it. My brother and I were having a disagreement over something undoubtedly trivial. I hadn’t said a word; hadn’t opened my mouth. My grandmother commented, “Did you know God knows our thoughts? He knows every single thought we think.” Obviously, whatever I had been thinking, those words that had been swallowed, WERE known to the only One who mattered. And it wasn’t ever going to be “good enough” to keep them from tumbling out of my mouth. No, a complete heart change would be required.

Our children need to understand this fundamental lesson. They may get good grades at college or graduate with honors. They may be lauded for their brightness, or applauded for their talent. They may receive accolades from their bosses; promotions or big raises. They may become powerful by the world’s standards and control their destinies. They may look good on the outside, but God will know what is on the inside.

As in water face reflects face,
So a man’s heart reveals the man.

Proverbs 27:19

And they will take their cues from us. What we value, they will value. If we value good grades, they will value good grades. If we value a large income, they will value a large income. Big house? Fancy car? Great job? Rich spouse? Perfect hair, or figure or teeth? And we will have put an enormous stumbling block in front of them as though we ourselves tripped them at the finish line in the final race.

Classical education looks to the Ancient Greeks. Cultural literacy looks to the long gone moral values of America in the past. Government run schools look to “values clarification.” But everyone knows what is missing – the heart. And you won’t find a heart change in Ancient Greece, or any past culture or any moving target of “values.” You will only find a heart change by forsaking self-sufficiency in exchange for Christ’s all sufficiency.

Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.

Proverbs 27:19