What is a Lapbook? A Lapbook is a proven method of enhancing, creating and displaying a summary of what a student is learning and has accomplished during a particular unit of study. Technically, it’s nothing more than some folders and paper booklets (but arranged and folded in unique ways that correlate to the subject)! These may include maps, vocabulary, creative writing, coloring/drawing, questions & answers, graphic organizers, and more.

Knowledge Box Central’s Lapbooks are VERY different from others on the market. This is because Cyndi Kinney has applied the science behind “Color Psychology” and shape recognition to these products. Each color has a psychological value, and these are used to help your student to improve his information retention. Knowledge Box Central has seen amazing results in studies where they have used these techniques, and you can see the same results within your own homeschool.

Another aspect that sets Knowledge Box Central apart from ALL of the other lapbook providers is that they are the “Home of the $5.00 Lapbook!” That’s right! ALL ebook single-lapbooks are ONLY $5.00, and packages/Apologia Lapbook Journals are ONLY $10.00. Why? Because Knowledge Box Central is passionate about serving the homeschool community and wants to make sure that EVERY homeschool family can afford high quality lapbooks.

On their website, you will find Lapbooks and Lapbook Journals that correspond with all of the Apologia middle and high school science books, as well as ones for Jeannie Fulbright’s elementary science books. You’ll also find Lapbooks for character studies, American Girls books, all time periods in history, classical composers, Presidential election process, U.S. government, and more!

Knowledge Box Central Giveaway

It’s a Free for All!

How would you like to try THREE of these Lapbooks for FREE? Knowledge Box Central is offering all of our Hip Homeschool Moms readers three free downloadable Lapbooks.

• • Country Study Lapbook

This Country Study Lapbook can be used when studying ANY country! That means that you can use this ebook over and over again for years to come! Works well for any age/grade level.

• • Presidential Election Games & Trivia Lapbook

Use this hands-on tool to learn about the election process and trivia about past U.S. presidents. Depending on the maturity level of the child and the parent involvement, this product could be used with all grade levels.

• • United States Symbols Mini-Lapbook

U.S. Symbols are fun to explore. This lapbook was designed with the K-6th grade student in mind, but it could be used with higher grades with some small adjustments.

All you have to do is go to THIS LINK, and fill in your name and email address. You will receive an email, asking you to confirm, and then you’ll receive a link to your free ebooks. Knowledge Box Central will follow up with you by sending great specials and coupons weekly through their newsletter.

Find Knowledge Box Central on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Be sure to thank them for sharing these great Lapbooks!

Looking for a place to list your loot?

Come check out . . .

Giveaway Day!

Bloggers & Giveaway Hosts: Come on in and link up those awesome giveaways homeschool moms would love to enter!

Homeschool Moms: Have fun entering all the great giveaways listed here this week!

If you are linking up a giveaway, be sure to first read our link-up guidelines HERE!

*** PLEASE NOTE ***

Giveaway sites that do not link back to Hip Homeschool Moms in some way

will be moderated

My Top 5 Android Apps.

How to Make Origami & How to Make Paper Airplanes - Our curriculum this year was heavily focused on Geography and world cultures. Origami was introduced to us because of our studies but now we all enjoy seeing what we can create from a simple sheet of paper. We found How to Make Paper Airplanes at the same time and, let’s face it, I have three boys….it was a hit! Both apps are from the same developer, Mobilicos, and are very similar in look and feel. Each offers a variety of options giving you step-by-step animated instructions varying from simple to more complex creations….we like the origami one a bit better though as there are actual written instructions along with the animations and there are more options for beginners!

How to Draw – Easy Art Lessons - This one has been great for my oldest–my 10-year-old budding artist. I tend to find it difficult to find educational apps that keep him engaged, and this one plays right to his strengths and interests. I like that it gives step-by-step instructions, but the goal is to have you make your own drawing, not just trace along on the screen. My boy loves this one!

Remember Me Bible Verse Memory System - There are a few different activities my kids are involved with that encourage them to memorize scripture. There are also verses we learn as a part of our studies at home. This app has been a great tool in keeping all the kids’ verses in one place, working through flashcards, allowing them to click a box once they’ve memorized the verse and still testing them from time to time to make sure the scripture has stuck. There’s nothing really flashy about this one, but it has been a wonderful help to them!

Talking Kids Math & Talking Kids Math Level 2 - These are better-than-average math drill apps that all three of my kids enjoy. The penguin is cute and the app is more interactive than a lot of the dry, boring math drill apps…especially for Android. It’s not perfect, but we’ve tried lots and lots of basically similar apps and this is the only one they don’t groan about!!

Countries of the World - Again, because we’ve been doing so much Geography this year, this one was a MUST! This developer, Socratica, has a bunch of great educational apps (50 states, US Presidents, Periodic Table, etc.) They’re simple, user friendly and packed with the kind of information I’d like for my kids to know but have a hard time making exciting enough to make them want to learn. This takes the fight out of them, which makes mom happy!

My Top 5 iPhone Apps

BrainPOP Featured Movie - This is so much fun! With the free app you are given access to a new video and interactive quiz. The animated videos span 7 categories and are packed with information and easy to follow. I’m always amazed by how much information my kids pick up from these videos!

Motion Math: Wings - Hands down, my favorite app for mastering multiplication facts!! This app shows the problems with visuals, not just numbers….and this helps my 10 year old who still really struggles with his multiplication skills. This isn’t just for multiplication either, it’s just where I’ve noticed it making the most difference for us!

BRAIN QUEST - What’s NOT to love about BRAIN QUEST?? The traditional flip-card sets are a road trip/rainy day staple in our family, so we jumped all over a BRAIN QUEST app! The free app gives you access to the first 100 questions of each of the 5 grade levels (1-5). You have to pay a fee (9.99) to unlock all 600 questions for each of the 5 grade levels. You can also pay to unlock just one level individually (2.99). Each grade level takes your kids on a different sort of voyage….an absolute hit at our house!

SkyView Free – Explore the Universe - This is a truly fantastic app, and my best example of the powerful educational tools that are readily available to us thanks to smartphones and super-smart app developers! SkyView lets you locate points of interest in the sky, identifies constellations, integrates with the sky right where you are and gives you great facts and information along the way. This isn’t just one of the kids’ most-loved apps it’s one of their parent’s favorites as well!

Scholastic Reading Timer – I don’t know why something so simple has been such a hit at our house, but it is! This is a straightforward stopwatch-type timer that allows the kids to start, stop, and take a break as they need to and keeps a weekly log for each of my boys. Since homeschoolers are allowed to participate in Pizza Hut’s Book It program, this app has been a great way to keep track of the independent reading goals I set for each of the boys. It’s just a timer, but we’ve used it a ton and we’re thankful to have it!!

Do you have any family-friendly favorite apps you’d like to share? We’d love to hear about them so we can try them out!

Danielle is a born and raised, big-city Southern California girl that has been joyfully transplanted into a beautiful small town in Southern Montana! She’s married to her stud of a high school sweetheart and together they’re raising three handsome, rough and tumble young men. Their family loves the Lord and feel like homeschooling is just one of the many ways they have endeavored to give their whole lives to Christ. Danielle loves to read and doesn’t go anywhere without her Kindle! She also loves to cook, organize, hike in beautiful weather and spend entirely too much time playing with all things tech-ish. Danielle also harbors a fairly new-found love of all things DIY! You can find her blogging at Organizational Hysteria.

Our last hop for the month of May!

Is anyone else’s year just FLYING by?!?

How-to. Resources. Humor. Encouragement. So, You Think You Wanna Homeschool? has it all! Whether you’re a new homeschooler trying to figure out how to get started or a veteran in search of additional resources or encouragement, this eBook has something for everyone!

So, You Think You Wanna Homeschool? is divided into two sections: one for new homeschoolers and one for pros. Full of easy-to-follow steps, links, and an awesome appendix, you’re bound to find something pertinent to your family’s situation inside!

To celebrate its launch, the eBook is available for just $4 through June 3rd!

Now, on to the HOP…

Don’t forget to grab the Hip Homeschool Hop button located at the very bottom of our page!

Is this your first time joining the Hop? Welcome! Be sure to check out our link up guidelines before you join the FUN.

Last summer we logged over 3,600 miles on the road with our girls, so here is a list of our favorite “road trip veteran” tips.

Compare the cost of driving vs flying. You have to factor in food, gas, rental car, baggage fees and hotel night stays, especially on long drives you can’t make in a day. Depending on the size of your family and destination, flying might be cheaper if you can find a good airfare deal.

Sign up for hotel/motel email memberships. There are many places that give free wi-fi and free breakfast if you book online with a membership number. We have even gotten room upgrades if the hotel was fairly empty when we checked in just because we have a membership. After 10 – 14 hours on the road a bigger room is a big treat.

Make sure your oil has been changed recently, fluids are topped off and put a can of “Fix A Flat” in your trunk. Nothing can destroy a trip like a preventative maintenance car issue.

Allow ample time for wiggle/bathroom breaks. Our family has found if we only stop to use the restroom it takes a minimum of 15 minutes. If the girls are not asleep our basic routine is to drive 2 hours, take a bathroom break, drive 2 more hours and stop again. On that stop we use the restroom, get gas and eat. Repeat and adjust as necessary. When they are napping we can get a whole lot farther down the road between stops.

We have a portable DVD player, but it ONLY gets used on road trips. It stays in our house so it’s never used for errand running or stuff around town. Our girls get very excited to choose the DVD’s that are coming in the car for the road trip. Also, they don’t get to watch the movies or shows right away. We have to drive at least 2 hours before the DVD player comes out.

Hit your local Costco/Sams/BJ’s for snacks that travel well. I try to buy things that are a temptation and horribly overpriced at convenience stores. Beef jerky, granola bars, trail mix, snack size chips.

Pack a small cooler with your beverages of choice (don’t forget bottled water). I also pack go-gurts, fruit and string cheese for other snack choices.

We like soda so I also grab a couple of 12 packs on sale before we leave and we re-stock the cooler out of that rather than on the road.

Have something you ONLY buy on road trips at the convenience store so it can be fun for the kids. For our family it’s a big bag of powered donuts and those little bags of 2/$1 peanuts.

Check out the Target Dollar spot or the equivalent when they are clearancing out little note pads, pencils, games, stickers and so on. Stash those in advance to pull out as a surprise on the road.

Check to see if there are any cool factory tours or historical sites on your road trip. If you can swing it, use that as one of your stops. It can really break up the monotony in the drive.

If your kids are all able to read there are all sorts of games you can play as a family. Google road trip games and you will find a wealth of information based on age.

Let the kids help in choosing the toys they would like to bring. Our girls each have a cute personalized, zippered bag they are allowed to fill up, so we encourage them to choose wisely.

Put all your family toiletries/medicine in one zip up travel bag. We have everything in travel containers and I keep it all together. After 12 hours on the road you do not want to be looking for a missing toothbrush or medicine.

We have a portable, collapsible crib and a kid-sized air mattress (that came with an electric pump). Both can be packed up nicely in small bags and have gone with us on countless rode trips, and even on multiple flights to China. The crib was a little over $100 and the air-bed was less. Those purchases, which we thought were a bit frivolous and expensive at the time, have ended up being well worth it. Our two girls love them and it gives them a sense of comfort and continuity, that they have their own beds that can go with them wherever they go.

Don’t drive OVER TIRED!! If your eyes are droopy, if you are getting mesmerized by the oncoming traffic lights or whatever, then wake up your driving partner and have them talk to you or pull over. No trip, no destination, no non-refundable hotel reservation is worth your family’s life!

(This is located in Paul’s Valley, OK and a great little stop in a small town)

Do you take family road trips? What tips can you share?

Louanne lives in Texas with her awesome husband and two daughters. She loves Jesus, cookies, reading and scrapbooking (when she has time). She homeschools and also runs a mentorship program for at risk children through her church. Louanne also enjoys finding coupon deals, making gifts with her Cricut and Taste of Home cookbooks. Louanne blogs at www.dwimble.com.

If you read here at Hip Homeschool Moms, you know that our family has been home educating for a very long time. One of the things that I haven’t particularly cared for where some of the more prolific language programs are concerned, is the individual rather than group focus for learning. While I think there is definitely a time and place for this, I prefer a more integrated model initially so that everyone within my home has the opportunity to be exposed and possibly spark an interest. My parents are linguists, so there is ongoing discussion about modalities, a natural vs. traditional approach to language, and all sorts of other “fun” stuff that they are passionate about! In short, true fluency in language requires lots of things.

I believe Dwane Thomas has developed a stellar program for achieving a comprehensive, working knowledge of Latin. His website, which any one of us can certainly read, is one of the most thorough and helpful I’ve had the privilege of perusing in quite some time. While I don’t want to be one of those people who simply repeats what is already there, I will point out some things that stood out to me, and hope that you will take the time to consider his product.

1. Dwane is passionate about Latin! Why do I know this without meeting him? Well, for one thing, he offers the first 4 lessons free. When I look at websites and products, I am quick to notice those that simply want you to buy vs. those that are honestly passionate about what they offer; desiring to ignite that same passion in others. Dwane’s sidebars are full of links, comments, and full support in order to pursue learning Latin. He offers suggestions for integrating it into daily life, allows you to see how he integrates it into his own home with and for his own children, and is obviously committed to the individuals that have registered a vote with their disposable income into his vision.

2. His approach is a full, concise, calculated, and confident one. When he introduces himself, he immediately offers his qualifications, as well as vulnerabilities in his own ongoing pursuit of two languages that he is still working to master. I found this to be very refreshing. Through his own vulnerability and confession of some learning issues, he immediately sets the student at ease, focusing on the fact that anything worth pursuing is going to take effort! He assures students that repetition is good and that this is not a race. He has worked very hard to combine all of the modalities that he himself has been exposed to while learning language, in order to provide a solid, trustworthy foundation from which students can learn. He wants you to hear, see, speak and read. While this may seem lofty, I can assure you that his short, portable, and repeatable lessons, are just the ticket for being able to accomplish this. He believes in the student and has a very affirming, confident style.

3. Making language relevant from a distance isn’t easy! Dwane has a sincere and unique ability, even though he is behind a camera, to make you feel as if he’s right there with you. As I stated, the lessons are very short, easy to process, and obviously, repeatable. The worksheet that comes along with each lesson is concise and serves to review, while reinforcing what he just taught. One thing that also stood out to me as a mother, was that the lessons are offered in a very clean, easy-to-read font and the answer key was actually in red, rather than the same color. This is a valuable asset when you are looking to correct your work. He works to take each concept one by one so that they are assured of being easy to understand. Standing in front of a camera to teach can be disastrous. Dwane is relaxed, confident, personable, and a wealth of knowledge. I loved how he used his teaching segments to weave in other facts and ideas that used a subtle approach to reinforcing the relevance of Latin even in today’s world. He doesn’t isolate the subject matter from everything else. This is a “biggy” for integrated learning and a whole life approach.

4. He knows his audience well. It can be discouraging as a home educator, to make a huge monetary investment into a product, only to find that it isn’t a good fit. I so appreciate that Dwane breaks down his modules of learning into brackets that can be purchased for $25.00 each. Again, the consideration of his target audience was seen right away and only further added to my confidence in my decision to purchase this product. After all, I can help my children further pursue Latin for the cost of one evening of pizza for dinner!

5. It works! Look, if we’re all honest, we can think of teachers we were “in-the-flesh-present-with” that were still not able to relate to us. I can’t stress enough Dwane’s gift of connecting. I’ll use an example. I have a 12 and 10 year old that I asked to sit in on the lessons. They’re both boys. My 12-year-old has “had a life goal to learn Latin,” which was news to me; and was very attentive to the video. My 10-year-old was being polite initially. They were both laughing and very much at ease with Dwane’s humor and style, and later on, I heard the 10-year-old conjugating the verbs under his breath to himself. The jewel? I heard him tell himself he could do this. Priceless! Yet another time, he asked me if I remembered an interesting fact that Dwane had shared with them about the state of Pennsylvania’s name coming from Latin. This has sparked an interest in knowing more about the history of a state he’s unfamiliar with currently.

Dwane has a quote on his website that says, “I want my kids to be able to read in Latin before high school.” Most people would look at this and possibly think he’s nuts.

Based on this mother’s personal experience, I say BRAVO. We, over here, are hooked!

I hope that you will commit to visiting Dwane’s website and will give serious consideration to his product and what it can do to enrich your family’s learning experience.

Follow Visual Latin on Facebook and Twitter.

Teri is a believer in God, family, community, and lover of leadership education the Thomas Jefferson way. Teri writes and also speaks about lessons learned on her educational journey with 5 rambunctious sons, ages 22 down to 9, one hero Hubby, and celebrating day to day life with lots of humor, within the human race. You can find Teri blogging at Tommy Mom.

Visual Latin Giveaway

Today we’re giving away a complete set of Latin I (Lessons 1-30) on either DVD or digital download, winner’s choice.

Enter here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yossi explained that the Arab method takes a cutting or shoot from a live tree and places it in a hole dug for the new tree. The shoot is then placed in the ground, watered and given the necessary fertilizer to grow. Eventually the tree grows and bears fruit. This is the Arab method of growing an olive tree: cut, plant, water, fertilize, fruit.

The Jewish method begins the same as the Arab method with a cutting.  However, that is where the similarities between the two methods end. The Israelis place the little shoot into a soil plug in order to tend it in a nursery until it is deemed strong enough to be transplanted. While in the nursery the little sapling is watered, fertilized, and the plant is cared for to ensure it grows strong. In due time the gardener sees that the plant is ready and he transplants it into the field and eventually it too bears fruit.

At this point Yossi stopped and asked if we had any questions. I did, “What is the difference between the two trees in the end?”  He paused and said, “The quality of the fruit.”

The Lord left us the commission to “go and make disciples”. How can we ensure that our little plants grow up to be strong disciples and in turn make disciples?

Mark 16:28 gives us clues,

• • Teaching them to love and obey God and His Word
• • Pray for them
• • Equip them to teach and disciple others

Imagine what the church “olive grove” would look like in the next generation if we took the time now to tenderly care for, water, fertilize and see to the proper growth our children and those we teach in other settings. You can play a part in making sure that those you are caring for are strong and bear good and strong fruit.

Here are some steps for those of us tending our gardens to take.

• • Spend time in the Bible ourselves: nothing replaces what God’s Word can give us
• • Pray: for ourselves and others
• • Rest: this is the hardest, especially for us busy moms, but it is a command not an option
• • Be prepared when we teach: the better we prepare the more our students will learn.

I am excited as I see so many young people coming to age who have had an “Israeli planting.” They were tenderly cared for, and transplanted at just the right time. They have come from homes that were not perfect, nor raised by ideal parents, but where they were loved, taught, and trained. These young people are making a difference in their world and so will your children. The question arises, what will be the quality of their impact (fruit).

One day we will all stand before the Master Gardener, and He will examine the quality of our fruit. Oh, let us hear Him say to us and those who we have discipled, “Well Done.”

May God bless you as you tend the young trees in your nursery,
Dianna Wiebe

Dianna and her husband, John, live in Wyoming and are parents to four grown children. Dianna is the primary author for Grapevine Studies, the stick figure Bible curriculum. Dianna brings an energetic and creative approach to her studies that enables her students to learn through direct interaction with the Bible.

Pick up a Free Sample eLesson from Grapevine Studies and find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Copyright permission is granted to use this article only if it is accompanied by the copyright and all following links.

My friend Jennifer recently started a Lilla Rose business with her girls.  She and her girls came to visit and brought some of their products with them.  We had so much fun looking through all  of their inventory! They had so many beautiful clips, bobby pins, and hair clips that it was terribly hard to choose!

Because I have long hair and live in the South where it’s really hot during summer, I decided to try out some clips and you-pins.  I figured I could use those to keep my hair up when it’s so hot that I need my hair off my neck and out of my face!  The you-pins that I bought are pictured below.  They are really beautiful!  I use them to put my hair up in a bun.  I love to put my hair up in a beautiful, loose bun.  I think it looks really “summery” and classic.  With the star-shaped you-pins, though, it definitely has a modern twist!  These you-pins are sparkly and glittery, so they really show up and show off your pretty up-do!

My daughter really loved some of the flexi clips.  She has short, thin hair.  She likes to put it up so it looks pretty, but it’s hard to find barrettes that will stay in her hair.  Jennifer and her girls showed us how to use a flexi-clip for her hair, and it actually stays in!  There are different sizes from mini to mega, so there should be one that will work with just about anyone’s hair.  In fact, we used one of the mini clips to fix her American Girls doll’s hair.  It looked lovely!

They also have other products such as hair bands, o-rings, and hair sticks.   They even sell badge-holders and necklaces.  The badge holders would be great for gifts to ladies who work in an office and have to wear a badge.  Those badges aren’t very beautiful, but the badge holders can make them look like jewelry instead of a plain old badge!

If you would like to visit Jennifer’s site to take a look at all of the beautiful products she offers there, I know she would love it!  Find her site, Pretty Hair with Lilla Rose, here. Take a look at the flexi sizing and styling videos too. This will help you decide what size you need to buy (if you choose to buy the flexi clips) and will show you how to use them!

When you “like” Jennifer’s page on Facebook, be sure to tell her that you found her information on the Hip Homeschool Moms site!  She’ll be glad to hear from you!  I hope you love your products as much as I love mine!  Have a beautiful summer!

Wendy lives in the South with her wonderful hubby and 3 great kiddos! She is a Christian, homeschooling, work-from-home mom. She and Scott were high school sweethearts and have been married for more than 20 years. Her oldest child has autism, and Wendy began homeschooling her at age 2. Her son, a typical boy, would rather do anything than school! Her youngest child is a little social butterfly and people lover. Wendy loves reading and quilting and will hopefully return to scrapbooking some time soon. You can visit her personal blog at Homeschooling Blessings.

Lilla Rose Giveaway

This week, we’re giving two Hip Homeschool winners each a $16 gift certificate redeemable for a flexi-clip or any Lilla Rose item of the winner’s choice (valued up to $16). Gift certificate is good at Pretty Hair with Lilla Rose.

Before you enter, take a few minutes to watch the sizing and styling videos so you’ll know which size flexi-clip you’ll need if you win. When you comment below, be sure to mention the size you prefer if you choose a flexi-clip. Also mention if you are left-handed – Lilla Rose makes left-handed clips so that the center design isn’t upside down!

Ready to Enter?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to…

Giveaway Day!

Bloggers & Giveaway Hosts: Come on in and link up those awesome giveaways homeschool moms would love to enter!

Homeschool Moms: Have fun entering all the great giveaways listed here this week!

If you are linking up a giveaway, be sure to first read our link-up guidelines HERE!

*** PLEASE NOTE ***

Giveaway sites that do not link back to Hip Homeschool Moms in some way

will be moderated

I listen to myself throughout the day. I listen to my response to the unending barrage of questions from my children as I’m trying to teach that impossible-to-grasp page of math. Again. You know those questions:  Can I go outside? Can we have a snack? Can we color now? Can I help you make lunch? Can we play this game? Can I go the store with you? Can I read now?  My response? Sadly, and most often, it’s a not very thought out and simple to answer, no.

No is easier.

If you think about it, no involves less work. No means not having to get up to get a snack, not going outside, not playing, not having extra work at the store, not having to read one more chapter, not diverging from the schedule. No is all too easy to respond. Or, to muddle it even more, we respond with those in a minutes, maybes and I don’t knows. Those are even more vague.  Our children’s hearts are at stake, mothers! They absolutely deserve our attention even in the midst of the craziest homeschool days. It takes just a second or two more to really listen and really answer. That’s it.

Our children deserve an intentional answer.

They need our no’s to be well though out and not just a quick response. And then, they need there to be a sprinkling of yes responses. It’s a balance between yes and no, but instead of just blurting out the quick no, it’s rather met with an answer from a listening parent. Yes, you may have a snack. Yes, we can go outside. Yes, we can study this today. Yes, you are important. Yes, you can help me cook lunch.

Be involved.

Not half-awake involved. Be the decisive involved mother that our children deserve. They need our yes and they need our no answers. There isn’t room in our short time of parenting and homeschooling to be wishy-washy – we need to strive to raise our children to be a generation of adults that can make a decision, stick with a decision, and examine a decision thoughtfully. We teach them through our intentional example in decisiveness. We can be decisive in whatever type of homeschooling that we follow – from unschooling to classical to charlotte mason to unit studies to school at home. When we are decisive we not only teach our children to be decisive, we also teach them that they matter, that their hearts matter, and that they are important to us.

Does it mean that we can never have times of I don’t know or not right now’s in our day? Absolutely not. After all, if I’m knee deep in trying to explain an algebra problem to my eighth grader and I know that stopping would create more work, well then I’ll probably respond with a just wait. But, it will be an intentional just wait I’ll get to you in three minutes response. That’s okay. Those times are needed in our busy homeschool day. This post? It’s about examining the overall theme of our answers and making sure that we’re not responding out of ease and autodrive.

Listen to your responses today, on these ending days of May. How many times do you automatically answer no to your children? What happens when you stop, get down on their level, and answer with a decisive answer? What happens with yes? Because, more often than not, the yes answers are for times when you as a mother will get to be involved with your children. And, if your life is like mine, you’ll find yourself blessed with the joy that answering with yes brings.

Rachel lives in the half-a-year frozen land of Minnesota. She’s a Christian home schooling momma to seven fabulous kids, and is the wife to an amazing cancer-surviving husband. In January 2011 her youngest son, Samuel, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease so you’ll also find her passionate about gluten free living and Celiac Disease awareness. Between home schooling, blogging, running her family, and, of course, drinking coffee, you’ll also find her driving her girls to classical ballet or her boys to soccer. She’s passionate about seeking joy and living a faith filled, intentional life. You can find Rachel blogging at Finding Joy

Let’s take time to make some bloggy homeschool friends today!

Looking to meet like-minded Homeschooling Moms?

Stop by and browse through our Ultimate Homeschool
Blogroll, and add your page if you aren’t already listed there!

 

Now, on to the HOP…

Don’t forget to grab the Hip Homeschool Hop button located at the very bottom of our page!

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On this awesome team we refer to as Hip Homeschool Moms, I would be the reigning matriarch of the group. Or yes, I’m “old.” I view my fellow mom writers here as Queens ruling over their own courts. Yet, we come together to communicate a shared vision of the Kingdom called “EducationWithinTheHome.” The common ground, if you will. It’s a place we all need to look for, seek out, and rest in more often; because it, along with other topics of discussion, is losing ground quickly to factions, bickering, and arguing within American culture. Don’t get me wrong! I love a great debate. True debate, however, serves a purpose and honors structures, etiquette and the other individuals participating. So how does this apply to my home educating experience?

Well…

There was this kid.

He was born for greatness and tremendous mission, just like every other human being to have ever graced this planet. How do I know this? Because I believe in a God that thrives on uniqueness and individualism rather than mass production. Look to nature with species, breathtaking colors, geographies and varying topographies if you doubt this.

He was a normal kid, with normal problems and challenges. Re-read that sentence. Twice.

He had a speech impediment until he was nearly 11, he didn’t read until the age of 10, and he was not overly social. He had his family and a handful of people he loved.

Flexibility wasn’t a character strength.

The challenges here, should be clear to see. He wasn’t a great formula or conveyor belt model. In fact, if I had a dollar for every individual that came to me and asked if I knew my child couldn’t read…I would have quite a sum of money in the bank!

If you add to this, every opinion ever given by well-meaning individuals, about how we should be “dealing with these things” within our home, his life, our family culture; we would have quit. Not just schooling, but cultivating. Amidst all of the discussions about curriculum, learning styles, methodologies of teaching, and the “how-tos”, whys and what-fors…are people. Individuals. Lives destined for greatness!

Back to this kid.

One day, through a very spontaneous unscheduled phone call received from a dear friend; he met William Shakespeare. And it rocked his world.

Then, he got up on a stage, and rocked ours.

Never, ever, ever, in a million lifetimes of motherhood, could I have anticipated this.

Guess what he did, when he unearthed this passion?

Brace yourselves.

He read-while-listening.

And he watched.

And then he did the above over, and over and over again. Rinse and repeat.

In the meantime, I was the mom. I chose to cultivate relationship, reinforce values, and convictions and celebrate his uniqueness. I never did this perfectly. When I sweat, and gave in to those around me that were still doubting, or didn’t understand, or wanted to give advice, I went to my incredible husband. Why? Because we are building this family and culture together, by the grace of God. And those other people? While I love them, they don’t live here…each.and.every.day. We do.

One of the greatest privileges of choosing this form of education, is the growth, challenge and instruction that it affords me. I hope you notice that. It’s me, not them; and the curriculum is life. Life and the culture that we are afforded as a unique, one-of-a-kind family.

So in February, after years and years of reading, watching, writing, studying; “this kid” went for an open call. He was amongst those possessing college degrees, and cards that afford them the privileges of being associated with the Screen Actor’s Guild. He went looking for experience, and possibly a part.

What he came away with was a lead. As you read this, he is in the middle of a Shakespeare season, playing Proteus in “Two Gentleman of Verona.”

So here’s the take away…for me and you.

Let’s celebrate the common ground; which is mothers and fathers committed to forging relationships in order for greatness to shine. There’s diversity in style, methodology and identity in that commitment. Let’s honor the institution of families that are willing to say, “We’re in this for the long haul, because we believe in the culture that we’re creating together.”

When we do that, we will testify to love; and love changes the world.

That, my friends is the curriculum!

Teri is a believer in God, family, community, and lover of leadership education the Thomas Jefferson way. Teri writes and also speaks about lessons learned on her educational journey with 5 rambunctious sons, ages 22 down to 9, one hero Hubby, and celebrating day to day life with lots of humor, within the human race. You can find Teri blogging at Tommy Mom.