TJED Mothers

Books to Read

2012-01-24T19:56:00.000-05:00

To add more to our reading collection and some fun this cold January, we went used bookstore shopping several times. After trading in books we don’t want, we brought in a bunch of great books! Here’s what we got today…many are books we’ve been looking for to add to collections.

Core:

A Child’s Book of Lullabies
Raggedy Ann and Andy in the Tunnel of Lost Toys
In a People House by Theodore LeSieg

Love of Learning:

Come Back, Amelia Bedelia by Parish
The Littles by Peterson
Paddington Helps Out by Micheal Bond
The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk by Thornton Burgess
The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren
Heidi by Johanna Spryi
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Ozma of Oz by Baum
A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L’Engle
The Case of the Exploding Plumbing {Encyclopedia Brown series #11}
Five Little Peppers Midway
Doctor Dolittle Tales
National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
Indian in the Cupboard by Banks
The Mystery of the Cupboard “
The Key to the Indian “
The Bobbsey Twins and the Horseshoe Riddle
Alice’s Adventures under Ground by Carroll
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
The Little Washington’s by L.E. Roy
Mary Poppins on Cherry Tree Lane

History

When Wagon Trains Rolled to Santa Fe
Flatboat Days on Frontier Rivers
When Men Panned Gold in the Klondike
Outrageous Women of Ancient History
Patsy and the Declaration {Daughters of Liberty Series} by Elizabeth Massie
Royal Diaries: Anastasia
Faithful Friend: The Story of Florence Nightingale

Cornerstones of Freedom Series: {we <3 this collection}
The Story of the Underground Railroad
The Story for the Battle for Iwo Jima
The Story of the Mayflower Compact
The Story of the Battle of the Bulge

Scholar:

We Shall Not Be Moved by Joan Dash
Phantom of the Opera {the red hardcover}
The Scarlet Pimpernal

I love seeing my children reading. I believe strongly in providing an environment rich in books to improve their minds. Used book store shopping is like treasure hunting and saves us hundreds of dollars on our collections.

What Homeschool looks like with a Tired, Pregnant Mom

2012-01-19T21:34:00.004-05:00

Of course, I can’t speak for other homeschool families, but here is what ours looks like right now. We have 8 children ages 15 (almost 16)- 19 months. I’m in the first trimester with baby #9 and some days I have energy and some days I have none.

Mentor Meetings

These begin either Sunday night or Monday morning depending on my energy level. During our mentor meetings we plan what they are to do that week. I have the kids set their goals in everything from math to reading and I add my opinion/challenge if I think they can reach a little higher or do a little more. They keep planners/calendars with their goals and add other things as they achieve them such as hours of service, etc.

The scholar aged kids get up early to do seminary and start their day’s worth of studies. I have two scholars age 15 and 14. My son is an emerging scholar or practice scholar at age 13.

Mornings Start with…

Morning devotional. I do not leave my room until I call everyone in for it. I’ve noticed if I leave my room before we have devotional I tend to get distracted by other things, so I’ve discovered this works best for us if I want consistency. With morning devotional we have scripture study. We are currently reading and discussing Esther. Next we have a morning song and prayer. The younger three usually rotate leading these things. We always end by standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and singing Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue.

DROP Everything and Read

10 Minute DEAR sessions as Jim Trelease suggests. Basically, you have ten minute “Drop Everything And Read” times at least once a day. We try to have several in addition to the assigned school reading they have.

Since we’ve started this in 2010, several things have happened. The children are all reading more. I also found that I get more reading in. But, most importantly, my two reluctant readers are finding their books fascinating and they thank me daily for providing this time to sit and read uninterrupted. They are now finishing books as well as improving their reading skills. And ten minutes isn’t that much time to stop for a break so I feel that it is well worth the effort it takes to stop and read. My husband has even mentioned he appreciates the break time and he enjoys getting time in for his reading.

Scholars are independent and come to me in the late afternoon to show me their papers and share with me about their readings. I really look forward to discussing their books with them and even sharing bits and pieces of mine.

Music & Language

I learned that it is so worth it to buy DVD’s or CD’s for their language programs. The kids are doing Latin (Henle) and they can rely on the DVD and CD’s for corrections and help. They are doing French with Rosetta Stone- another self-paced learning program. I’ve really learned to take the monkey off my back with these resources.

The oldest four children: 15-10 all take music lessons. Cailynn (15) plays viola and piano, Charisa (14) plays violin, Benjamin (13) plays piano and this year we hope to start him on the Cello, and Makenzie (10) plays piano and violin. I can really see the benefits in their playing music in connection to retention of their studies.

Speaking of getting Outside Help

We found a math tutor for the older kids. I’m so thankful for that help. While I work with the younger ones ages 10 and younger I know the older kids are still progressing too.

We also have the kids doing Andrew Pudewa’s grammar and writing systems and with the DVD teaching portion it has been wonderful. Again, they are self-pacing it and I’m always so amazed with their progress.

Older kids help with Younger Kids

They help read to them, or tutor them in math or science if I’m having down days. They love to come up with projects for them too. The benefits I’m seeing in this, for the past seven years, is aside from the obvious learning for both the younger and older children, is the connection and closeness the children have established with each other.

Mother Helpers

I was trained to do all things homemaking growing up and it has served as an invaluable skill in my life. It has given me an advantage over other women my age and allowed me to serve as mentor for others in this area. For four years I’ve been doing the same and the rewards have been showing forth for all. My older girls can cook or bake anything from fresh breads to creating their own successful gluten free foods to soups, stews, beans, etc. I believe strongly that teaching “life skills” is just as important for a child as are education and thinking skills. Chores also fall into this category and everyone in the home has chores except the baby. Ages 3 and up.

Family Reading

I have fond memories of gathering around the dinner table in the evenings while my mom or dad read aloud to us. They stuck with classic works such as: Ten and Twenty, Pinocchio, the Hiding Place, The Diary of Anne Frank, and the Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. Scripture reading was always something we had and it was just thought of as “what we do”. We have continued this tradition in our own family and once we began homeschooling we realized the educational benefits in this as well as emotional. Most people listen to stories or books and have a higher listening reading level than actual reading level. This has been proven true as all of our children enjoy the classics regardless of their age. We’re currently reading Mary Poppins aloud along with evening reading of the scriptures.

I remember when I began homeschooling seven years ago. I worried how I could possibly do it all. It seems silly to me now as I’m at this end, but it was real then. How would I handle pregnancy and homeschool? I learned right away to start having the family help more. Homeschool has touched our family in a way that nothing like it could. We have a close bond and connection. The children have an open communication with my husband and I. I love being the one to help tutor and educate my children for their life’s mission. Who better to do it than someone who knows them so well and loves them so much?

I see homeschool as being far more than education. I see it as also helping to light the fire for learning, to spark a passion for life, and to help them discover who they are and what their mission is in this life. Pregnancy doesn’t slow down the progress; it is just another learning experience for us all.

*Last image found on: http://organicschool.wordpress.com/

Book Quotes

2011-11-28T17:29:00.003-05:00

Source: mimuller.tumblr.com via Shiloah Baker on Pinterest

"You cannot fully read a book without being alone. But through this very solitude you become intimately involved with people whom you might never have met otherwise, either because they have been dead for centuries or because they spoke languages you cannot understand. And nonetheless, they have become your closest friends, your wisest advisers, the wizards that hypnotize you, the lovers you have always dreamed of."

~Antonio Munoz Molinas, "The Power of the Pen"

"Perhaps all of us belong in more than one story"

~Dustfinger in Cornelia Funke's Inkdeath

"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for."

~Socrates

Source: 364quotes.blogspot.com via Shiloah Baker on Pinterest

The Chores and Rewards Systems We Do

2011-11-26T17:45:00.000-05:00

I'm sharing with you the chore system and rewards we do that has been most effective for us. Enjoy!

Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel (The Homemaking Cottage & Company)

How we are Fighting the Attention Span war in our Family

2011-11-26T17:07:00.003-05:00

Most people will agree that there is a serious problem in our world today- the problem of decreasing attention spans. We can blame many factors on this problem such as: chemicals and toxins in our environment and foods, television, and the video game obsessions. The fact is we as a society have been letting it happen. I believe the way to turn anything around is to start with you and your sphere of influence- your family.

Joseph Epstein in his book, In a Cardboard Belt said the following, “My own speculation is that our speeded up culture- with its FedEx, fax, e-mail, channel surfing, cell-phoning, fast action movies, and other elements in its relentless race against boredom- has ended in a shortened national attention span. The quickened rhythms of new technology are not rhythms congenial to the slow and time-consuming and solitary act of reading. Sustained reading, sitting quietly and enjoying the aesthetic pleasure that words eloquently deployed on the page can give, contemplating careful formulations of complex thoughts- these do not seem likely to be acts strongly characteristic of an already jumpy new century.”

Did you know that you have more brain activity simply staring at a blank wall than

you do when playing a video game or watching TV? Can you imagine the healthy stimulating affects of reading for your brain?

“The test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sadly, I’ve notice many appalling things in my life with the increasing use of technology. The first is a lack of quality friendships. (See my post on Are Facebook Friends Stealing Your Reality?) And second is the decline in the ability for people to have conversations with differing opinions. People simple do not know how to have, share, or debate opposing ideas without fuming under the collar, or getting angry, or just remaining mute instead of calming share points of view. Part of this, I believe is that our culture is becoming more and more insistent that we “accept other’s opinions or who they are” without argument or opposition, or in other words that we must become apathetic and have to learn to accept that everyone other than us is right and that we are wrong. And finally, the average person does not have a desire to read deep and life changing classic works or literature as their focus is intent on keeping up with pop culture.

We cannot change everyone, but changing ourselves is a huge start. It is said that that by changing something about yourself as the ripple effect is so large that you can affect 25,000 people. Just you making a change is powerful enough to affect tens of thousands of people.

We have autistic children in our home, children with ADHD and other learning disabilities, but we desire to not succumb to these difficulties. In the Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, he shares hopeful and inspiring stories about how reading has improved not only intelligence and confidence in average children, but disabilities in those who have them.

Source: Uploaded by user via Shiloah Baker on Pinterest

Here are things we are doing in our family to change these things and to fight the attention span war:

• 10 Minute DEAR sessions- Jim Trelease suggests have ten minute “Drop Everything And Read” times at least once a day. We try to have several in addition to the assigned school reading they have.

• We read aloud to our children daily for 30 minutes to an hour.

• Taking breaks is important, especially for boys who have lots of energy. We try to take breaks every hour. Sometimes the kids will do their chores, other times just mentally regroup, and other times they will go for a run. All of my kids run ages 4-15 at least a mile. The older they get, the longer they run.

• We read classic books and the scriptures. We try to keep all books unabridged if possible.

• Television does not go on at all during the day. Occasionally in the evening, we’ll watch an hour’s worth of wholesome movies as a family. Some recent ones we’ve seen and loved are: Cranford, Return to Cranford, Larkrise to Candleford, and Marco Polo.

• We’ve rid our home of all electronic games with the exception of a few educational games on the computer which are played no more than 3 times a week or less.

• We encourage board games, puzzles, crafts, and games/play that use imagination.

• We encourage daily family discussion during mealtimes and other times to talk about our day, our thoughts, and to teach healthy debating while respecting other’s opinions and feelings.

• Our children play instruments: piano, violin, and viola. These help connect the right and left brain and therefore help with concentration and attention span.

Remember, above all, you are the parent and know what is best for your child. We are reminded in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Teaching them to master their mind, learn self-mastery in all areas of your child’s life, and how to respect others in their learning experiences are invaluable life skills. You too can make drastic changes and improve attention span and intelligence in yourself, in your family, and in the world around you through your example.

More Information

Read this article: The Closing of the American Mind: the students

Listen to the audio: Teaching Boys & Other Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day by Andrew Pudewa

Mentoring Lessons from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Men

2011-10-14T00:06:00.006-04:00

At the end of Little Women, Jo and Mr. Bhaer talk of establishing a school for boys. On the surface, Little Men is merely a sweet story about their school, Plumfield, and the children who live there. However, a closer look reveals it to be a rich and inspiring guide filled with lessons on mentoring and teaching.Today, I will focus on three of the lessons I have learned: Teach the Individual, Morals are Key Lessons and Love Your Students.

Note: I have chosen to use the words mentor and student to describe the teaching relationships I am referring to. However, parent and child could just as easily have been used. Please keep this in mind while reading.

Lesson 1: Teach the Individual

Both Jo and Mr. Bhaer knew that they were not teaching a group of children, they were teaching individuals. Even in group settings, they were careful to teach in such a way that they could reach each child. They also took the time to really know the children they cared for: their hopes and dreams, aspirations, faults, passions and desires. This knowledge helped the Bhaers to tailor individual lessons in ways that would benefit the individual child. The following passage illustrates this lesson:

“Emil was… quick tempered, restless and enterprising, bent on going to sea… [Mr. Bhaer] promised that he should go when he was sixteen, and set him to studying navigation, gave him stories of good and famous admirals and heroes to read, and let him lead the life of a frog in river, pond and brook, when lessons were done.”

After all this preparation, did Emil go to sea? I don’t think it matters. The point is: Emil grew to love learning because he was allowed to learn what he was passionate about. Should his passions change, I’m sure the Bhaer’s would be ready to set him on a new course of study.

A student who knows that he is listened to, understood, and cared for by his mentor is one that will work harder and achieve more than one who is merely told to “do lesson 3 and report back when you are finished”.

Lesson 2: Morals are Key Lessons

Rules at Plumfield were “few and sensible”. One would think that few rules might result in anarchy, but that was hardly the case. This was due to the heavy emphasis the Bhaers gave to moral instruction, even more so that that given to academics.

“Boys at other schools probably learned more from books, but less of that better wisdom which makes good men. Latin, Greek, and mathematics were all very well, but in Professor Bhaer’s opinion self-knowledge, self-help, and self-control were more important, and he tried to teach them carefully.”

Accountability was also important at Plumfield. Jo kept a notebook where she would record observations, both good and bad, of each boy’s behavior throughout the week. On Sunday evenings, she would meet with each boy and show him his page.

“If it is bad, I am sorry and disappointed, if it is good, I am glad and proud; but whichever it is, the boys know I want to help them, and they try to do their best for love of me and Father Bhaer.”

My parents once told me about a neighbor who was getting rid of his sofa. He put it out at the curb, with a sign marked “free” attached. No one even gave it a second glance. After a week or so, he changed the sign to $10. Someone stole his sofa that very night.

The point of this story is that no one will value that which we do not. By placing a heavy emphasis on moral instruction, even if it comes at the price of excluding some academic time, and by taking the time to hold accountability meetings, mentors are able to convey to their students the deep importance of such things.

Lesson 3: Love Your Students

Jo believed that “the small hopes and plans and pleasures of children should be tenderly respected by grown up people, and never rudely thwarted or ridiculed.” In other words she actively loved and respected them.

You can hardly go one page without evidence of the Bhaers love for the children under their care. Most touching to me is the way they love Dan. He is a boy that is perhaps both the most difficult to love and at the same time, the one who needs it the most. He come to them from the streets and is filled to the brim with anger and bad habits. He swears, fights and causes general mayhem in the house. After one particular instance, Asia, the cook, hopes he will get what is coming to him, but Mr. Bhaer instead gives him the task of repairing some of the damage he has created.

“Then Mr. Bhaer shook hands with him, and Dan went down more tamed by kindness than he would have been by the good whipping which Asia had strongly recommended.”

When Dan’s behavior reaches the point where he is far too damaging to the rest of household (teaching some of the other boys to gamble, smoke and drink), he is sent away from Plumfield. However, even this terrible consequence is done with love and the hope that he will one day return. When it looks as though the Bhaers have failed and Dan is lost forever, they refuse to give up hope. Ultimately, it is this love and belief in Dan’s inherent goodness that helps him to find his way back. Through this love, he is inspired to change and become more than he was.

Loving your students is by far the most important lesson in Little Men, and the one that makes the others effective. It’s like the old adage, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” It is very difficult to inspire anything: learning, behavioral changes, growth, without love.

It is love that makes it possible to know and teach individuals. It is love that changes moralizing to teaching morals. Love is the key to powerful and effective mentoring.

I have been trying to apply these three lessons at home with my own child and in other areas where I am called to mentor and teach. As I apply the teachings of the Bhaers by focus on loving, knowing and teaching individuals with a strong emphasis on morals, I am already seeing a shift in my mentoring relationships. It appears to me that Plumfield may have turned out another successful student.

Purchase either book at Amazon.com:
Little Women
Little Men

Affiliate links are being used.

Read more of Heidi at Frantically Simple.

What is TJED?

2011-07-26T01:42:00.007-04:00

I’ve been thinking about Mr. Allen all day. I remember the first day of his class, High School Sophomore English, more than 20 years ago. He was slightly crippled and used a cane to help him walk. Each leg swung far to the outside with every step he took. Slowly, he made his way to the front of the classroom. Like I did with all teachers, I quickly summed him up: slow walk, John Lennon glasses, long red beard, kind of “hippy” looking... Mr. Allen would be easy. I should be able to get away with a minimum of work and a maximum of goofing off.
I remember the first thing he asked the class, “How do people learn?” I wondered what the “right” answer to that was. How do people learn? By going to school? By taking tests? By doing homework? All of these answers were submitted by the class, but quickly rejected by Mr. Allen. After many more guesses, someone in the back called out, “We don’t know. You tell us.”
Mr. Allen replied with a “You don’t know how to learn? How sad.”
After the laughter died down, he told us the answer: “People learn through stories.”
I didn’t really believe him. Even as he went on to talk about ancient tribes gathering around the cooking fire to share their histories, legends and oral traditions, to the transformative power of religious texts, Shakespeare and even Dr. Seuss, I remained largely unconvinced.
I had always loved reading. I grew up in a troubled home and reading was my escape. From an early age, I read every kind of story I could get my hands on… but that wasn’t learning. That was fun, relaxation, or relief from the pressures of my life. Learning happened at school, right?
Fast forward a few years and you would find me sitting in an American History class in college. I was taking notes on a lecture about the Civil War. When I read the chapter in the textbook I felt intrigued, but listening to the passion coming from the professor was more than intriguing; it was inspiring. I wanted to know more about the Civil War. I wanted to be able to speak with such informed passion. The problem was I didn’t know how to get there. The thought of walking into a library and just picking up a book was overwhelming to me. With a subject so wide and deep, which books would give me the information I wanted? What I really needed, but didn’t recognize at the time, was a mentor, someone to help me find quality sources that would enrich my understanding and guide me through my effort to earn the knowledge I desired. I remember leaving the class that day feeling frustrated at wanting to learn more, to be more, but not knowing how. I got an A in American History, but didn’t gain much else.
I didn’t know how to learn. How sad.
Fast forward again, many years later, and you will find me as a wife and mother. My husband and I do not send our daughter, "Newt" to school, but have chosen to help her seek her education at home. I consider myself blessed to have been acquainted with the principles of Thomas Jefferson Education early in my journey, though I feel that even three years later, I am just now beginning to gain an understanding and appreciation for them.
Earlier this week, I tried to answer the question, “What is TJED?” It was a hard question. I wrote two pages about the 4 phases of learning and the 7 keys of great teaching, but never got to the essence of what a Thomas Jefferson Education really is.
Last Sunday I made banana bread. My TJED essay was like being asked about my banana bread and me replying that it had some bananas, sugar and flour, eggs and yogurt, crystallized ginger, chocolate chips and some other things I don’t remember.
A partial list of ingredients doesn’t even begin to tell what that banana bread was. It doesn’t mention the way that I personalized the recipe to fit my family’s tastes and values, like the farm fresh eggs and homemade yogurt I used in place of commercial products. It doesn’t tell about how the comforting smell of bananas and cinnamon filled my home while it baked. It certainly doesn’t mention how dense and rich the final product was, or how the spicy bite of ginger perfectly balanced the bittersweet coolness of melting chocolate on my tongue. And how could that sad little list ever begin to convey the feeling of warm satisfaction my family had after eating that delicious banana bread? Indeed, the only way for someone to really get a sense of what that treat was like is to cut off a big slice, slather it with freshly whipped cream and experience it for yourself.
The same goes for a Thomas Jefferson Education. The only way to really know what it is is to dive in and experience for yourself. All I can do is try to relate what it is to me.

TJED is freedom.
All morning as I’ve contemplated this idea, I’ve had a few lines from The Lion King’s I Just Can’t Wait to be King running through my head:
No one saying do this
No one saying be there
No one saying stop that
No one saying see here
Free to run around all day
Free to do it all my way!
I have come to recognize that even as young as she is, Newt has a right to choose what she learns. I could (and have tried to from time to time) force facts into her head, but that is not learning, that is submitting.
Of course, this freedom does not mean a free-for-all anything goes mentality – not in TJED philosophy and not in our home. We are guided by the principles and values we learn in our personal core classic. For our family, the core classic is the twin works of the Bible and Book of Mormon. As we study and discuss these works daily, they give us a framework on which to build our lives. From there, we can choose other good works and pursuits to further inspire and build us.
Through the principles of TJED, I have the freedom to study. It is not selfish to fulfill my own desires to learn and to know. As my daughter and I each progress in our personal studies, there is freedom to become whatever we desire and to learn what we will need to fulfill our individual life missions. There is freedom to learn at our own pace without the artificial limits imposed by the hourly bell, semesters and grades. Without those constraints, we are free to explore our individual passions and interests, whatever they may be.
Last summer, my daughter and I were jumping on our trampoline together when our conversation turned to books. I remember it clearly because it was one of the first fruits of TJED I had been able to really experience in our family. “Mom, you know what I think? I think The Lord of the Rings is kind of like the scriptures. You know when Sam carries Frodo? That’s a lot like Jesus sacrificing for each of us. Harry Potter is like that too, when he is willing to die for his friends. They make me want to try to be better. Do you know any books like that?”
What if I had not deemed those books “worthy academic pursuits”? Or worse, what if I had killed them with endless worksheets and literary analysis? I know they would not have become a part of my daughter’s soul the way they have, nor would she trust me with any feelings that survived the “educating” process.

TJED both builds and requires trust.
As I consciously try to keep from imposing my own will upon my daughter’s studies, she gains a greater trust in me. She trusts me to guide and teach, not dictate or require.
Trust is required in those dark times I lie awake at night fighting the demons of worry.
Is she learning enough?
What if she never decides to learn long-division?
Am I doing enough?
Am I doing too much?
Would she do better in school?
Is she behind?
And then I think of the children of A Wrinkle in Time’s Camazotz. Each was required to be perfect. Every citizen had surrendered his freedom to It. There was no worry, but there was no joy. That was the price of absolute conformity, of giving up their rights to choose.
I can not know that this path will lead my child to worldly standards of success, but I can know, because I see growing evidence of it each day, that it will teach her to think and to choose for herself. I know that freedom can be messy, painful, and challenging, but also joyful and immensely satisfying. I trust that with the help of her mentors, my daughter will choose the education she will need to be who she is meant to be.
TJED is hard work, but that doesn’t always mean drudgery.
Reading Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyertogether we learned

Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do and play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. And this would help [Tom] to understand why constructing artificial flowers or performing on a treadmill is work, while rolling ten pins or climbing Mount Blanc is only amusement. There are wealthy gentlemen in England who drive four-horse passenger coaches twenty or thirty miles on a daily line, in the summer, because the privilege costs them considerable money; but if they were offered wages for the service, that would turn it into work and they would resign.

Once again, it all hinges on freedom.
TJED is relationships.
It always saddens me when I hear people wishing that their children’s vacation would come to an end and they would go back to school. Working and studying together, having meaningful discussions and playing all contribute to a rich and full family culture. Though our relationships are far from perfect, we truly love to be together. My husband and I have recently sought to strengthen our daughter’s familial relationships beyond our own home with weekly Family History lessons at Grandma’s. While she may be learning about family group sheets and the census, the deeper lessons are about belonging. Today she came home with stories about one great-grandfather who was one of the forest rangers to rescue Smoky the Bear and another who made the coffin for the man who killed Billy the Kid. These stories become a part of who she is and how she views the world.
TJED is classics. The scriptures, Shakespeare, Dickens, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, A Wrinkle in Time, Tom Sawyer, mythology, poetry, biographies and histories, mathematics and science – all classics have a way of getting inside of us and we can not remain unchanged. The more we study, together or on our own, the more we learn about ourselves. When confronted with a difficult situation, we can draw on the character attributes of Pollyanna, Ralph Moody, Jane Eyre, Sophie Germain or even my own Grandpa Hill and gain strength. To paraphrase what my daughter told me, good books make us want to be a better people.
To a certain degree, each person is the author of his own life. We have chosen that TJED will be a central theme in our family’s.
It may have come twenty years later, but I have discovered the truth: people do learn by stories.
I think Mr. Allen would be proud.

What is TJED to you?

Meet Heidi, our newest TJED Mothers contributor.
Heidi is a stay-at-homeschooling mama to "Newt" age 10 and a best-friend, partner and wife to Walt. Nothing else she does will ever be as important.
Heidi blogs at Frantically Simple about homeschooling, parenting, real food, and life in general. Check out her new series there - For Thy Sake: Teaching Children to Value Family Work.

The author is using amazon affiliate links. Any purchases made through these links will result in the author receiving a small commission. All opinions and text are her own.

Enticing, Interesting Book Pictures

2011-05-18T01:39:00.001-04:00

These are not stock photos, merely pictures of the most recent book finds we have in our home.

Mother Helpers

2011-05-17T01:54:00.000-04:00

“Your home must run like a well oiled machine” is a comment I hear upon occasion when people find I have a large family, run a business at home, and homeschool. More often than not it does because I’m training my kids to help in all areas of home and family life, large or small. We have our off days like everyone else, but our norm is everyone working together to keep our home in line. The reason behind the madness is not necessarily to have a “well-oiled machine” but to train future adults who live their lives as thriving adults, active citizens in their great nation, and who are not lazy but who appreciate the value of hard work. These qualities are essential for every child to learn for a happy and productive life as a child, teen, and adult...

The rest of the article I've written can be read on Homemaking-Cottage.com.

Books, Books and More Books

2011-05-16T01:39:00.000-04:00

Its so exciting for a bibliophile to live in the land of books. There are at least six used books stores in our area not including the thrift stores.With eight homeschooling kids I feel it is imperative to have a family library.

“I cannot live without books” Thomas Jefferson once said. No one should live without books! Books uplift. Books inspire. Books teach. The teaching done through books encompasses many areas: vocabulary, life experiences, knowledge, learning, and the list goes on and on. There is no doubt that books are important.

A library is, according to Webster’s Dictionary, “A place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale.” A Family Library is more than just a collection of books that a family accumulates. A family library is a library of books that a family accumulates for themselves and their posterity. Great care should go into the collecting of books for this library, because the family knows the worth of such a library. Many great men in history had their own extensive family libraries. Thomas Jefferson sold his collection of 6, 487 books to re-start the library of congress. That is an admirably sized library!

Why have your own library of books?

Why go through the expense and trouble of creating your own family library? There are many reasons, but I only plan to include the more important ones.

The first reason is so that you and your family are always learning. “It is a great mistake to think that education is finished when young people leave school. Education is never finished.” Mrs. Child in The Mother’s Book. (More of this article here at the TJED website.)

I found the above books at a bookstore that specializes in old books. The Oz & Dr. Doolittle books belong to one of the following collections.

List of "canonical" Oz books
By L. Frank Baum

1 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 1900

Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, get swept into the Land of Oz by a cyclone. She meets a living Scarecrow, a man made entirely of tin, and a Cowardly Lion while trying to get to the Emerald City to see the great Wizard. Also reprinted by various publishers under the names The New Wizard of Oz and The Wizard of Oz with occasional minor changes in the text.

2 The Marvelous Land of Oz 1904

A little boy, Tip, escapes from his evil guardian, the witch Mombi, with the help of a walking wooden figure with a jack-o'-lantern head named Jack Pumpkinhead (brought to life with the magic Powder of Life Tip stole from Mombi), as well as a living Sawhorse (created from the same powder). Tip ends up on an adventure with the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman.

3 Ozma of Oz 1907

While traveling to Australia with her Uncle Henry, Dorothy is swept overboard with a hen named Billina. They land in Ev, a country across the desert from Oz, and, together with new-found mechanical friend Tik-Tok, they must save Ev's royal family from the evil Nome King. With Princess Ozma's help, they finally return to Oz.

4 Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz 1908

On her way back from Australia, Dorothy visits her cousin, Zeb, in California. They are soon swallowed up by an earthquake, along with Zeb's horse Jim and Dorothy's cat Eureka. The group soon meets up with the Wizard and all travel underground back to Oz.

5 The Road to Oz 1909

Dorothy meets the Shaggy Man, and while trying to find the road to Butterfield, they get lost on an enchanted road. As they travel they meet the rainbow's daughter, Polychrome, and a little boy, Button-Bright. They have all sorts of strange adventures on the way to Oz.

6 The Emerald City of Oz 1910

Dorothy Gale and her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em come to live in Oz permanently. While they tour through the Quadling Country, the Nome King is tunneling beneath the desert to invade Oz.

7 The Patchwork Girl of Oz 1913
A Munchkin boy named Ojo must find a cure to free his Uncle Nunkie from a magical spell that has turned him into a statue. With the help of Scraps, a living Patchwork Girl, Ojo journeys through Oz in order to save his uncle.

8 Tik-Tok of Oz 1914

Betsy Bobbin, a girl from Oklahoma, is shipwrecked with her mule, Hank, in the Rose Kingdom. She meets the Shaggy Man there and the two try to rescue the Shaggy Man's brother from the Nome King. This book is partly based upon Baum's stage musical, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, which was in turn based on Ozma of Oz.

9 The Scarecrow of Oz 1915

Cap'n Bill and Trot journey to Oz and, with the help of the Scarecrow, overthrow the cruel King Krewl of Jinxland. Cap'n Bill and Trot had previously appeared in two other novels by Baum, The Sea Fairies and Sky Island. Based in part upon the 1914 silent film, His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz.

10 Rinkitink in Oz 1916

Prince Inga of Pingaree and King Rinkitink and their companions have adventures that lead to the land of the Nomes and, eventually, Oz. Baum originally wrote this book as a non-Oz book entitled King Rinkitink.

11 The Lost Princess of Oz 1917

Concerning the disappearance of Princess Ozma, the ruler of Oz. When she is discovered missing, four search parties are sent out, one for each of Oz's four countries. Most of the book covers Dorothy and the Wizard's efforts to find her. Meanwhile, Cayke the Cookie Cook discovers that her magic dishpan (on which she bakes her famous cookies) has been stolen. Along with the Frogman, they leave their mountain in the Winkie Country to find the pan.

12 The Tin Woodman of Oz 1918

The Tin Woodman, Nick Chopper, is unexpectedly reunited with his Munchkin sweetheart Nimmie Amee from the days when he was flesh and blood. Along the way, Nick discovers a fellow tin man, Captain Fyter, as well as a Frankenstein monster-like creature, Chopfyt, made from their combined parts by the tinsmith, Ku-Klip.
13 The Magic of Oz 1919

Ruggedo, former Nome King, tries to conquer Oz again with the help of a Munchkin boy, Kiki Aru. Meanwhile, it is also Ozma's birthday, and all of Oz's citizens are searching for the most unusual present for the little princess. This was published a month after Baum's death.

14 Glinda of Oz 1920

Dorothy, Ozma and Glinda try to stop a war in the Gillikin Country. This was Baum's last Oz book, and was published posthumously. Most critics agree this is Baum's darkest Oz book, most likely due to his failing health.

Doctor DoLittle Series
By Hugh Lofting

The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920)
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922)
Doctor Dolittle's Post Office (1923)
The Story of Mrs Tubbs (1923)
Doctor Dolittle's Circus (1924)
Porridge Poetry (1924)
Doctor Dolittle's Zoo (1925)
Doctor Dolittle's Caravan (1926)
Doctor Dolittle's Garden (1927)
Doctor Dolittle in the Moon (1928)
Noisy Nora (1929)
The Twilight of Magic (1930)
Gub-Gub's Book, An Encyclopaedia of Food (1932)
Doctor Dolittle's Return (1933)
Doctor Dolittle's Birthday Book (1936)
Tommy, Tilly, and Mrs. Tubbs (1936)
Victory for the Slain (1942)
Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake (1948)
Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary (1950)
Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures (1952)

I recently went used book shopping with a girlfriend of mine and she remarked that she doesn't really know what titles to look for when she goes shopping. I completely know how she feels because before I met my book mentor I didn't know where to look or even have a store of knowledge of any classics books with the exception of a small handful. My hope is with this blog that you are becoming more and more aware of many titles that you were not aware of before. I invite you to share your book lists or blogs with book ideas so this can be a collaborative effort as I enjoy learning more titles or books too.~

Classic Book Titles

2011-05-16T00:59:00.000-04:00

My daughter Charisa who is in Scholar phase had decided on which topics she wanted

to study with the timeline she is studying. My responsibility has head mentor is to help find classic book titles (mostly stories) in these topic, for scholar age or adults.

The first place I went to was Facebook, of course! {smile}

September 11, 2001
9/11 have them read the actual 9/11 commission report...it is filled with tons of details, and they mapped together the string of events, and it will make you cry or at the least sick in your soul, as they have all the 9-11 calls and describe it.

The Great Depression
Grapes of Wrath for the Depression Era
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman

Japan's Nuclear Accident
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Meltdown: A Race Against Nuclear Disaster at Three Mile Island: A Reporter's Story by Wilborn Hampton

World War 1
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Red Baron by Freiherr von Manfred Richthofen

Gold Rush
Fool's Gold A Biography of John Sutter
The California Gold Rush (Landmark Books)

Civil War
Across Five Aprils
Red Badge Of Courage - Civil War and a fantastic book
Uncle Tom's Cabin
G. A. Henty for civil war
Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington
Robert E. Lee and the Road of Honor (Landmark Books)

Learning the stories behind the events is more powerful than just reading dry facts from a textbook. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "A person's voice has always held more power over us than words alone."

She's already nearly finished with the Eleanor Roosevelt book and is so excited about these topics. That makes a mentor mama soooo happy!

If you have any ideas, please share. :)

Book Finds

2011-04-10T20:10:00.000-04:00

I found a new (to me) used bookstore and was so excited about finding all these classic books to add to my collection! :)

Classic Kids Book List That EVERY Child Needs: List Five

2011-04-10T14:30:00.000-04:00

This is part four in the series as the book lists I have to share are VERY long. Keep checking in for new lists. Some of these books you may or may not recognize from your own childhood. One thing I love about book lists is being reminded of good books I may have forgotten about. Time to rekindle some pleasant memories and make new ones with our children today.

Here is the next book list:

Series Books:

Geronimo Stilton series books (47 in the series)
Black Lagoon (picture book) series by Mike Thaler
If you Give a Moose a Muffin series by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond
Hank the Cowdog Series
Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol
The ValueTale Series by Spencer Johnson (writer) and Ann Donegan Johnson and illustrated by Stephen Pileggi (43 books in all)
Mary Poppins series by P. L. Travers
Angelina Ballerina book series

Good Reading:

Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
Project Apollo Mission to The Moon Charles Coombs
Welcome to No Man's Valley, Laura McCarley
Way Down Deep Strange Ocean Creatures by Patricia Brennan Demuth

Good Reading for Younger Kids:

Seven Little Rabbits by John E. Becker
Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne and H. A. Rey
The Random House Book of Stories from the Ballet by Geraldine McCaughrean
Felix Feels Better by Rosemary Wells
A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert L. Stevenson (Goldenbooks series)
The Amazing Bone (Reading Rainbow Books) by William Steig

Authors
David Wiesner who is known as the wordless author.

And just for fun, here is a YouTube video about the author of Mary Poppins:

TJED is based on Classically based books and mentoring. Start buying and reading the suggested books and see which ones will work for you and your family library. For those who missed where I got these book lists, I received from a good friend who is well versed in classic books for kids and has a house filled with bookshelves full of classic books for children. Several afternoons she had me come and copy down the titles so I could start my collection. Thank you, Linda! I've also been finding titles on my own that we are adding to our collection.

Happy reading, everyone!

5,000 Year Leap Colloquium

2010-09-26T16:27:00.000-04:00

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." ~Mark Twain

We had the 5000 Year Leap for this month's Colloquium. I read it a couple of months ago, but it is worth re-reading. I found this 5,000 Year Leap Study Guide with Group Questions online and while we didn't have enough time to go over all the questions it is an excellent guide.

I love colloquium. The thoughts, opinions, and ideas that are passed around during this time by intelligent people is inspirational. I always leave uplifted. I have two colloquiums that I belong to. One I am head of and one I participate in. The first one has the following books outlined for us to read:

A House United by Peck
Les Miserables by Hugo
Laddie by Stratton-Porter
Jane Eyre by Bronte
The Future of the Internet by Zittrain

And the second group is reading the following:

October: John Adams by David McCullough **Meeting Oct. 6
November: The Real Thomas Jefferson by Andrew M. Allison
December: The Forgotten Carols by Michael McLean
January: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
February: Dearest Friend: Letters from Abigail Adams

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~Charles W. Eliot

Spontaneous Inspiration

2010-09-02T14:11:00.004-04:00

Often on our family's personal blog, I write a day book post. Sort of a journal, but they were kind of boring and so I decided to post about daily, weekly or monthly holidays in order to give a sort of introduction and writing prompt for my journal entries. I like it, it gives me something to think about, learn something new and then I head into my typical discussion of thoughts and the kids. Its a great start to blog posts. Use it if you like, works for me.

So today is V-J Day! Yup, Didn't you know that?

Ok... I admit it. I had to look up V-J Day? What is that? It commemorates the day we took Victory over Japan in WWII or more specifically, "The term has also been used for September 2, 1945, when Japan's formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay."

Well imagine that! So I shared it with my kids, cause after all, I learned something new and I wanted to share that. It seem to take root in my oldest, though it was heartbreaking for him to learn that Japan was a "Bad guy." He likes Japan, especially Sushi and Samurai warriors. Yup... off he went to get our book on WWII to see if its correct. Inspiration at work. And my son is now pouring over it, and a flood of questions is pouring out and apparently a trip to the Library... again this week... is in order.

In Washington on August 14, President Harry S. Truman announced news of Japan's surrender in a press conference at the White House: "This is the day we have been waiting for since Pearl Harbor. This is the day when Fascism finally dies, as we always knew it would." Jubilant Americans declared August 14 "Victory over Japan Day," or "V-J Day." (May 8, 1945–when the Allies accepted Nazi Germany's official surrender–had previously been dubbed "Victory in Europe Day," or "V-E Day.")
Please enjoy this Spontaneous Inspiration today, do you have ways that seem to spontaneously inpire you and your children to learn something?

The Start of the Commonwealth School

2010-08-27T00:09:00.003-04:00

This year we decided to join a Commonwealth school. It is sort of like a formal mom's school. While originally designed for Scholar Aged children, this school likes to invest in its Core and Love of Learning stage children as a means of teaching new families what a TJED home and community looks like, thus creating a stellar TJED Scholar program in the future. At least, that is the intention. Keep in mind that I am quite a novice when it comes to Scholar aged activities as my oldest is only 9.

So for a half day a week (Scholars do a full day) the kids are brought together in a TJED style.

I am not really in the know as to what the Core children are doing. Seems like Church nursery to me and my littlest is participating in that (he's 3).

Then there is the Love of Learners (generally ages 6-10) though my third is almost 6 and I elected to have him to the LOL classes (otherwise known as Juniors). Then there is a "Introduction to Scholars"Class group (Transition Stage) and finally Scholars.

Basically I don't really know what is going on in anything but Love of Learners. We start off our days in Love of Learners as follows.

9:15 am- School morning devotional- Prayer, songs, saying our School Mission statements, announcements, Pledge of Allegiance (though not necessarily in that order!).

9:30ish- Juniors- I WONDER time- We wonder about things, write it down and the kids are encouraged during the next week to go and seek out some answers and return and report.

Then for about 40 minutes we break into two 20 minute classes and do some science. The mom's take turns and give what they feel inspired to give. All the while the activities should be stimulating and fun. I would say it should feel like the kids are having too much fun to feel like they are learning. Thus accomplishing both the mom's and the kids objectives, in a way.

The the real mom's school begins- Some of the moms have signed up to share "what is their's." For me, I have taken on the role of hadworking instructor. I wanted to implement some Waldorf Handworking into my classes, because I am really into it. Thus, by sharing what is ours, we can not only share our wisdom and knowledge but also our excitement about the subject. That is not something that comes easily when you aren't as into something.

Classes being offered this semester are:

Westward Ho- A pioneer themed

Backyard Adventures- Bugs, Scat and Animal tracks, Kick ball, Track and Field, and a Bicycle Rodeo.

Drawing Dragons and Castles

Handwork- A mini album (Scrapbooking)

What's on your plate (nutrition)

Kitchen Science- Experiments with vinegar and other baking and kitchen science.

Some future classes include but are not limited to-

Chocolate

Beginning Knitting

Working with wool- washing, carding,beginning spinning and naturally dying wool

Role playing adventures

Introduction to sewing

Many of these also include field trips and are full of hands on activities.

We also have two field trips planned. One to the Berry Patch Farm in Brighton, CO for Pumpkin Adventures and also the Hiwan Homestead, in Evergreen, CO for some pioneering activities. We plan to finish up the year doing a world wide Christmas Celebration.

So we finished our first two weeks and so far we really like it. The school has a couples colloquium that is run by the men and our first book is Uncle Tom's Cabin. SWEET!!! That was on my list for this year if you remember. Anyhow, I just thought I would share what we were up to at the commonwealth school. I hope you are doing well in your new/old adventures this new "school year."

Portrait of a Lady: Quotes and My Thoughts

2010-08-25T15:13:00.001-04:00

Book Review of The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

While I felt the book was slow going at the beginning, I persevered and am so much the better for it. It was, all in all, an excellent book.

This was the first book I decided to write in the margins my thoughts. I've underlined books before, but this time I moved up to the next step. So, I thought I would share the parts of the books that I found moving or interesting and also the thoughts I had when reading. These are random at best, but perhaps you'll find them interesting.

"He was pleased with everything; he had never before been pleased with so many things at once. Old impressions, old enjoyments, renewed themselves; one evening, going home to his room at the inn, he wrote down a little sonnet to which he prefixed the title of "Rome Revisted." A day or two later he showed this piece of correct and ingenious verse to Isabel, explaining to her that it was an Italian fashion to commemorate the little occasions of life by a tribute to the muse."

What a delightful idea to begin again; to write verse as a tribute to the muse. I think I will begin this tradition in our home.

"The world lay before her-she could do whatever she chose. There was a deep thrill in it all, but for the present her choice was tolerably discreet; she chose simply to walk back from Euston Square to her hotel."

It is quite profound when it comes to your consciousness that you are a free being- free to choose whatever you may no matter how insignificant or important. What a blessing from God that He allows us to be free beings and therefore free also to accept the consequences of each choice.

"Madame Merle had once declared her belief that when a friendship ceases to grow it immediately begins to decline--there being not point of equilibrium between liking more and liking less. A stationary affection, in other words was impossible-it must move one way or the other."

That is also true in other aspects of our lives--health, weight, and spirituality. If we are not progressing each day, we are regressing.

"He said to her one day that she had too many ideas and that she must get rid of them. He had told her that already, before their marriage; but then she had not noticed it: it had come back to her only afterwards. This time she might well have noticed it, because he had really meant it. The words had been nothing superficially; but when in the light of deepening experience she had looked into them they had then appeared portentous. He had really meant it-he would have liked her to have nothing of her own but her pretty appearance. She had known she had too many ideas; she had more even than he supposed, many more than she had expression to him when he had asked her to marry him."

Another example in literature of why overlooking serious personality flaws and even differences when dating can be disastrous later on. Many times it leads to an unhappy marriage.

This is going on the list for my girls to read before they begin looking for husbands. I want them to learn the difference between true love and the importance of listening and heeding the advice of those closest to you who have only your best interests at heart. As with other classic books this book illustrates the painful consequences of not doing so.

Lamps in the Bedroom to Encourage Reading

2010-08-16T02:13:00.000-04:00

“Happy is he who has laid up in his youth, and held fast in all fortune, a genuine and passionate love of reading.” -Rufus Choate

To raise an intelligent, voracious reader as a parent our job is to create an environment conducive to reading. In each child’s bedroom it’s a simple as having shelves for books that are easy to for the child to reach and enjoy the books. My two favorite ways to store books in the children’s rooms are bedside tables with a good shelf and galley shelves made of rain gutters. (See directions.)

Next is providing a lamp for them to read at bedtime. Lamps can be an expense to put one in each room if you go out and buy all new. I enjoy buying used lamps. I’ve never paid more than $3 per lamp for my children’s room. At a garage sale I found a double pair of decorative iron lamps with shades. For my youngest two daughter’s room I found a $3 pink lamp with a sequin shade at a thrift store. Keep an eye out for a good deal on lamps and avoid breaking the bank to add these additions to your home. The best part is if one gets broken, you don’t have to feel so frustrated because you didn’t spend too much on it.

In our home, each night at bedtime, mom, dad or a sibling will snuggle with the younger children and read 1-2 books by lamp light. If we let them read on their own after that, we turn out the lamp 10-15 minutes later. The older children read until sleepy by the light of their lamps.

We use 40 watt bulbs to allow enough light to read by without brightly lighting the entire bedroom. If you can find lamps with the off switch on the cord, it makes it easier for the child to turn out the light without having to reach too far.

It has been proven that even ten minutes a day of Sustained Silent Reading is enough to increase test scores quickly and tremendously. I’m not necessarily after good test scores as much as I am hoping to encourage and nurture a love of reading that will benefit my children the rest of their lives.

Learning: The Epiphany Rate

2010-07-29T14:45:00.002-04:00

“It is not what a boy has, but what he is, that makes him valuable to the world, and the world valuable to him.”

A couple of months ago, I bought the book, “Ten Boys Who Lived on the Road from Long Ago” by Jane Andrews which was written in 1898. Each chapter shares stories and insight into a twelve year old boy’s life from more than four thousand years ago all the way to the boy who lived in 1888. Andrews shares information about how each boy throughout the ages dressed, lived, schooled and worked in the form of stories.

During the first part of the book the kids were not as thrilled about my pulling it out to read. We would read one chapter at a time and then move on to the next reading book. Despite their resistance, we learned a lot about history, geography, old names of countries like China, traditions, and old weapons. Instead of learning from a dry, watered down text book, we learned through stories of young boy’s lives and it had more impact on us.

By the time we got to the end of the book, the children all commented how good the book was. I smiled because I remembered the times that they would complain because it was dry and the language is sometimes hard to understand. None of that was important in the end. What was important was how the book changed their perspective and increased their knowledge.

In implementing the Thomas Jefferson Leadership education model in personal and family education I love Dr. Oliver DeMille’s idea of the ER or “Epiphany Rate”. He said it’s not the word count or how many books you read that’s important it’s the “Epiphany Rate” or how many times something connects in your mind, makes sense, teaches, or helps you understand. The Epiphany Rate should be your gauge when reading. When I heard that on his recent audio “Lessons from Four Types of Leadership Education” it really made sense to me. I thought of the recent books that changed my life because of the power of the written word, books like the Count of Monte Cristo, and all that I learned about life and even myself as I read the book. Dr. DeMille says this is what we should look for when reading a classic book- the ER or “Epiphany Rate” and it is one I’m now paying attention to when reading books with my children and myself.

Mom's Need Inspiring Too.

2010-07-29T00:00:00.012-04:00

As I have mentioned in a previous posting, this is the first year that I am incorporating a plan, albeit a simple one, for my own personal education as a integral part of my children's education. Perhaps, I am moving beyond the core phase myself. It just felt like time. Not that I wasn't doing things that further developed my own personal "well," it is just more formally planned and known by those around me. Before... it was rather spur of the moment. I would share something I read to the kids. Show them something new I learned and always made it a point to share with them when I learned something new. This year... I am formally doing my own studies... still working out what exactly...but still... Mom is "homeschooling" too.

Like many homeschooling moms, I practically devoured any homeschooling information out there. Which of course, made things overwhelming given all the philosophies and options out there, but in doing so, I began to notice a pattern. The ones that seemed most appealing to me all seemed to overlap. Before TJED, the philosophies of Rudolf Steiner (Waldorf Education), were the most appealing but very different than my traditional educational background (aka- My conveyor Belt Education). Much of it just felt right and in my limited study of it seemed to flow naturally in our family. And when I discovered TJED... the two seemed to flow together and TJED was, for our family, a answer to many missing gaps.

Today... I was reading one of my favorite Waldorf Inspired blogs, The Magic Onions, it had a post on the importance of the continual education of Parents and Teachers. It's words spoke so clearly to me. Especially at a time when my personal development is at the forefront of my thoughts these days. Let me share with you some quotes (in red) that I found very inspiring.

Blogger, Melisa Nielsen, shares a quote from Rudolph Steiners, Rhythms of Learning. "The Self Education of adults is essential for the Waldorf approach to educating children, because Waldorf does not consist solely of methods, techniques, or structures, but rather the development of human capacities – those of the children but also, and more importantly, those of teachers and parents.”

I love the phrase, "the development of human capacities." Isn't it wonderful that there isn't a end to that capacity?

Don't you just love the blessings of the internet (and I admit it has its evils too). I think it is vital to remember the Philosophy of "Inspire, not require" doesn't only just apply to how you educate your children. I get so bogged down on requirements, that I placed on myself ,and when I see postings and informations such as this and the other I will mention... it is a breath of fresh air. I need a good homeschooling community of not only real life friends but virtual kindred spirits that inspire me to greater things.

Another awesome posting today I read on Mama Seasons, (nice to know other mamas get "the funk" too. Check out this quote she found:

From the unschooling site:
“If you think you can’t provide a rich, stimulating environment for your kids, maybe they are better off in school. Send them.
But if you know that the whole wide world is rich and stimulating, then GET OUT THERE! DO things, BE with your kids. Find cool places to go. Bring new things home. Quit b#@%**’!
If you knew you only had a year more with that child, what would you expose him to? Where would you go? What would you eat? What would you watch? What would you do?
If you had only ONE year—and then it was all over, what would you do? Four seasons. Twelve months. 365 days.
Do that THIS year. And the next.”

Can I just tell you how much I needed that. I can only hope that a life lived to its fullest, is one that won't be regretted. Just how much I need to let go and have faith in the learning process. Back to the Magic Onions, she goes on to talk about just that. Read the posting and think about how it applies to your style. While it is of course from a Waldorf perspective you could easily replace the word Waldorf with "educating children" or even TJED

“The self-education of adults is essential to educating children, because educating children does not consist solely of methods, techniques, or structures, but rather the development of human capacities – those of the children but also, and more importantly, those of teachers and parents.”

Now take a look at this additional Rudolf Steiner Quote. I am going to interject some TJED corresponding stuff in red.

“If one observes children who, through proper upbringing, have developed a natural reverence for the adults around them [CORE Phase}, and if one follows them through their various phase of life[TJED_ Core, Love of Learning, scholar, Depth and Mission], one may discover that their feelings for reverence and devotion in childhood gradually transform during the years leading to old age. As adults, such persons may have a healing effect on others, so that through their mere presence, tone of voice, or perhaps a single glance they spread inner peace to others.[Perhaps this can be attributed to a completion of each phase, few or no gaps or repair work to be done] Their presence can be a blessing, because as children they have learned to venerate and to pray in the right way. No hands can bless in old age, unless in childhood they have been folded in prayer.[For many families, this is a vital part of the Core Phase]”

The beauty in this, is that even though we are having to do all of this "repair work" for ourselves, our kids don't necessarily have to... depending on you. I know... pressure. But remember... "It's about YOU, not them." Focus on healing you and and that inner work you do now will affect your posterity. Ok... enough for such a late night. Just thought I would share some inspiration I found today.

Note to self... get a copy of
“Rhythms of Learning” by Steiner
and check out the unschooling site.
It's good to be homeschooling. Now its your turn... share with us your inspiration. What is inspiring you to develop your personal education?

A Book by Edgar Guest

2010-07-23T18:12:00.000-04:00

“Now” - said a good book unto me -
“Open my pages and you shall see
Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine,
Gold and silver in every line,
And you may claim them if you but will
Open my pages and take your fill.

“Open my pages and run them o’er,
Take what you choose of my golden store.
Be you greedy, I shall not care -
All that you seize I shall gladly spare;
There is never a lock on my treasure doors,
Come - here are my jewels, make them yours!

“I am just a book on your mantel shelf,
But I can be part of your living self;
If only you’ll travel my pages through,
Then I will travel the world with you.
As two wines blended make better wine,
Blend your mind with these truths of mine.

“I’ll make you fitter to talk with men,
I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen,
I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek,
I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak -
This place on your shelf is a prison cell,
Let me come into your mind to dwell!”

Mother's learn Too

2010-07-18T16:34:00.003-04:00

Our family plans on starting structured time schooling again August 2nd and that doesn't mean just the kids going back to school. The philosophies of A Thomas Jefferson Education that influence our homeschooling involves me too. One of those philosophies involves mom.... "It's about YOU, not them." If they don't see me studying then how can I expect the same of them? All too often though they see my studies in scrapbooking and knitting as craft time. While I may be researching techniques to apply or following a pattern... to them it looks like fun and not the work that they are accomplishing. So I thought this fall during our structured time, there would also be "schooling for mom." What is glorious about this is that it forces me to take the time to learn something that I have been putting off or to read something I haven't. I thought for now, a modest goal of reading four books and a topic to delve into and then share with my kids would be a mother-sized goal for me. So when we go to the Library, I have a task of books to seek out as they do. They can see me study in a way they do and not just in the fun ways.

So lets start with the four books. I figured I should get back to working on the Thomas Jefferson Education 5 Pillars Certification books and also put the requirement that I write a book report about each one.

Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrew

Holt, How Children Learn

Lewis, The Abolition of Man

Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin

So.... what about this project? I figure that it needed to be something that I want to learn a skill in. Perhaps something that would put me out of my comfort zone.... just a little. I was thinking perhaps Photography. Perhaps I could sign up for a class through the rec center or community college, but then I wondered if it would inspire in me a huge dissatisfaction with our camera. Well that is one option, but what else?

I also really need to learn to sew. The kids wants so many costumes and what nots... it would be nice to have the talents to do those things. But once again, I worry that the kids will think I am having more fun than them. Hehehehe! Part of my reason for doing this is, that not only do I want to make cool things but I also want Cassie to have these skills going into her adult life (and some basic sewing at least for the boys too) as I didn't have them. So perhaps a class at JoAnn's fabric or the Rec Center.So for now, I have at least two topics to ponder and decide on. So how about you? What do you plan on learning this coming fall. Don't forget to take time to continue learning yourselves.

The Need to Learn of our Country's History & the Constitution

2010-07-08T15:34:00.002-04:00

Our country is in a mess right now and things are getting worse by the day. One of the biggest problems is that few people in our country know any of its history let alone the constitution. The elected officials are disregarding the constitution and trampling over the rights of the people.

That government is, or ought to be, instituted for the common benefit, protection, and security of the people...And that, when any government shall be found inadequate or contrary to these purposes, A MAJORITY of the community hath an indubitable, inalienable, and indefeasible right to reform, alter, or abolish it, in such manner as shall be judged most conducive to the public weal. (Annals of America 2:432 --Virgina Declaration of Rights section 3)

Because of the ignorance on the side of the people and willful ignorance to the Constitution on the side of the elected officials the government has crossed the line of government. Instead of getting control of the oil spill and many other important issues going on in our country the government is more focused on taking away more rights of the people. Just yesterday I heard of the "worry and concern" the government has over obesity in America so they decided to add a tax on all sugary beverages such as Coke or Gatorade. This is only trivial compared to what is going on in the Arizona and border control issues.

It is time to awaken the sleeping giant. We as parents, homeschooling or not, need to learn all we can about our Constitution and history and then teach it to our children. We need to adopt the attitude John Adams did...

The science of government is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the art of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take [the] place of, indeed to exclude, in a manner, all other arts. I must study politics and war, that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.

Where to begin?

"The first thing you could do, please, is get 'The 5,000 Year Leap,' says Glenn Beck. "Over my book or anything else, get 'The 5,000 Year Leap.' ... It is the principle. It is so easy to read. It's the book Ronald Reagan wanted taught in high schools and Ted Kennedy stopped it from happening. That should tell you all you need to know. ... When you read these principles, your mouth will fall open. ... The scales will fall off your eyes on who we are. ... It will help you understand American free enterprise. You'll be able to defend it. You'll be able to know what makes it possible for 6 percent of humanity living under our free economy to produce one-half of the Earth's developed wealth every single year."
(Thanks to WorldNetDaily.com)

Here is a sad, sad example of where our country is today...

We Had the Baby - Baby #8!

2010-07-07T17:00:00.004-04:00

So, we were told that the baby was a girl and while the boys were disappointed we prepared for a little "sister". We bought all pink and purple, frills and bows. It was one of my best pregnancies ever. I was running until my 7th month. After 9 weeks of bed-rest and contracting I got back on the elliptical for the last 3 1/2 weeks of the pregnancy. (Baby was overdue by 5 days).

Braedon Carter Baker was born after 1.5 hours of labor 7 lbs. 10 oz. and 20 inches long at 2 a.m. end of June... Much to the relief of his shocked and exhausted mom, dad, his 7 excited siblings, Daddy's chain of command and the gym staff and everyone else that knows us...IT'S A BOY!!! {Not a girl as we were told!}

Ben was tickled "blue" and so was Benjamin. Everyone else was excited too, except little Bella who insisted a girl would be better. :) I think she's used to her brother now.

FYI- Because we are so thrilled about our new son, we're having a sale at the Homemaking-Cottage.com

Coupon Code: new-baby for 50% off Deluxe Subscriptions

What's Mine is Mine: Part 2- Writing is mine

2010-05-22T21:29:00.004-04:00

I got an email from one of my blog readers (nice to know I still have some) asking how I keep track of all my ideas. I will have to add a photo of my bag that has what is "mine" in it. I counted out 6 paper journals and 7 blogs. Is that crazy or what? I hadn't really put them all together before. Now let me just be upfront and specify that when I say writing I mean words, not grammer and all that. No... Just free expression of me. Lets's change up an old quote to state... " A blog is for free expression... not good impressions." Who am I kidding... a little good impression and a comments from readers make me so excited... but I digress. So I took up journal writing as a means of inspiring my kids. They write in their journals daily, have nature journals and I encourage them to write things down for me, "cause Mamma is forgetful." Hehehehe! But for me, it took off. I love looking at journals, handmaking journals from my scrapbooking stash. Perhaps I will get into book making... need to add that to the bucket list. I love looking at other's blogs and I even have a collection of blogs. So many that I never have time to read them, but they were put there because there was something on them that inspired me. Perhaps they inspired me to write, do, or make something. The kids each have private blogs too... how's that for "inspire, not require."

I will start with my blogs because most of my journals are an extension of one of the blogs.

1. Blog: Healing Kindredmamma is my private, only for me, though nothing too intensely personal as the intensely personal stuff is in my paper journal tucked in my bag. Hmmmmm.... Maybe I won't show you a picture of my bag and stuff. Anyhow... it is for me... it is Kindredmamma in the RAW. Usually a mad amount of writing when overwhelmed with strong feelings I would rather not share with others. So it isn't a consistent blog or journal... just as needed.

2. Blog: TJed Mothers... Here I am a contributing writer. It is centered around our homeschool philosophies pertaining to a Thomas Jefferson Education. But my paper journal is far more active as I am constantly writing thoughts as I read books on education and just my general homeschool thoughts.

3. Exploring Colorado And Beyond This blog is a hobby blog. And it is developing more and more, though most of the information it currently has is also found on my main family blog, A Kindred Family. It's counter part paper journal is included with my educational journal above and also a nature journal with sketches and writing while out in nature.

4. A few others that lost their drive. One for Scouts and one for health, one for a side scrapbooking thing that hasn't panned out yet. Not really worth mentioning until I get excited about them.

5. A Kindred Family- My main family blog, now closed to the public, but only for invited guests. Its contents are mainly focused on the family unit as a whole and each child of course. After all... we need to make the grandma's and papa's happy. But it also has my interests woven with in it all.

6. Two Crafty Cousins- The craft blog, of course, lovingly shared with my Jedi Master, Cousin Ann. And it has mostly paper crafting projects of ours, but I think soon you will see more. I have several I need to post still. My craft journal is huge... mostly project ideas, patterns, scraps and inspirations. Not necessarily top secret...but mine. I also have a sketch book that I might sketch out ideas in or notes and measurements on something I am working on.

7. Will be starting a companion blog to my new Esty Store... Working on getting that ready.

Additional paper journals

1. Book Journal. Filled with lists of books to check out, favorites, lent and borrowed books. Quite the composite of notes and scribbles.

2. The Book of Jeremy's medical speech stuff notes, articles and all things pertaining to therapy and appeals.

All of these blogs and paper journals are filled not only with their purpose but thoughts and musings as well. In looking it all over...I think I have created a monster. What will my posterity think if they were to compile the variety of journaling I have created and see the big picture of my life. I think it would be some work to put it all together in one spot. "Good Luck," I say. "I did my part... I journaled as was counseled by Prophets... The rest is your problem!" And I of course add a chuckle to that. It has kept me sane and enriched... I just wish it would inspire my kids to write more than it has. But time will tell. So there you have it... a bit of craziness into "the world... according to Heather." See mom, the world really is according to me.... at least in part.

Oh and on a side note... I had three out four F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S days of homeschooling this last week. It may not happen again but I just had to mention it. Every day is different but those days I felt particularly successful... Maybe they will happen again next week.