The Excellence of Wisdom

Why Homeschooling Matters

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:09:00 +0000

I know I have been absent on here and I apologize. I really don’t have time to keep up on this blog regularly. We are moving right along. Lilly just finished 5th grade TT and is excited to be doing 6th grade math {she will be home one year from Ethiopia next Sunday and was unable to really speak much English at all – we are very proud of her!}. Jordan just finished 4th grade TT and is equally thrilled to be doing 5th grade math now.

We are more than half way through our school year and once this snow melts – we will begin to take some field trips. We are still praying on what our homeschooling will look like next year and once I know I promise to share our decision.

I am reminded almost daily why the decision to homeschool has been one of the best we made as a family. It is not because I get to teach them how to read, write and add. It is because all day long I get to train them on how to develop and strengthen their godly characters. Every day something comes up where I need to rely on God to help me show them what their choice to sin is doing in their lives and to our family. Every day I get to learn from how the littlest sin can grow into a mountain in our lives if not dealt with quickly. Some times this is way harder than it sounds. Because it means not only am I dealing with their sins but mine as well. I am constantly reminded more is caught than taught. I must walk ever so closely to God for them to see Him in me and through me. Without His grace doing this 24/7 would be impossible and if I am honest totally not desirable. But because I fall down on my knees humbly more and more each day knowing I have nothing to give them and He has already supplied everything I need – I can face each day with hope and joy!

HE IS FAITHFUL AND GOOD ALL OF THE TIME! AMEN!

A friend shared this video and all I could say at the end was AMEN!!!

Many of you have asked me questions about homeschooling your high school students. Today I found the following videos.

Go here first and you can learn more from her at www.ppea-homeschool.com. When you watch Linda’s video on youtube* you will see many others she has posted there – all are very informative and helpful!

Then on *youtube look up homescholar she is a wealth of information!

I hope you are all doing well and finding the joy in the journey to train up your children to be the salt and light of this world!

Let me know if you would like me to keep sharing the devotionals I receive just for homeschooling families.

Teaching our children to work…

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 13:24:00 +0000

The following was sent to me by our local homeschool group and sadly what this article shared isn’t very hard to see all around us.

If you could name the most important thing you could do for your teenagechildren to give them a leg up and an edge in this world, what would it be?

Ensure them a college education? Enroll them in team sports? Make them take
music lessons?

Would it surprise you to know that the most important thing that you can dofor your teenager is to teach them to work?

We are raising a generation of children to remain... children. According to a leading magazine, 70% of men are not mentally mature even when reaching their 30s. A hundred years ago this wasn't the case. What happened to ourmen?

FDR and the New Deal happened to them. In his attempts to stop the flow of people into the workforce, Roosevelt extended school age attendance to 18. Instead of young men becoming men, and girls growing into mature women with life skills, they sit in a school house until they are 18 years old, mentally and emotionally stagnating.

We as parents have added to this stagnation by:

Indulging our children with endless gratification instead of instilling within them a sense of industry, thrift and work.

We have decimated the family unit and can no longer find the time to sit at
the same supper table with our children to eat.

We have enslaved ourselves to debt and no longer have the means to pass on a long-term vision or goal that our children can get behind.

Join Bill Heid and Brian Brawdy as they interview the third of seven homeschooled children, Lance Seppi. Lance is an inspiration and a beacon pointing to the character that can be instilled within our children when we expect them to be more than they ever dreamed possible through hard work, initiative, and capitalizing on hidden talent.
http://www.offthegridnews.com/2011/01/07/the-ways-we-have-ruined-our-children/

I pray you are well – our homeschool year continues to move along – we have officially completed 95 days. I’m glad we will finish in early May this year. The snow in our area has been beautiful…you can see the fun we had together as a family here.

NOTE: If you are interested in photography or have a child/teen who is hoping to learn more about taking better photographs or learn how to use editing programs – share my photography blog with them. Every week I am hosting tutorials and giving an assignment to follow along with. You don’t have to blog to join.

Bethlehem Dinner–A family Favorite

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 04:47:00 +0000

Friday night (Christmas Eve) our family will enjoy our third Bethlehem Dinner. A friend of mine shared this post 3 yrs ago that started our desire to enjoy this wonderful idea with our children.

Here are some photos from our dinner two years ago and you can read this post to see exactly what we do:

This year will be Lilly’s first time sitting through our traditional meal on Christmas Eve. She is very excited to experience it and to hear Scott read the story of Jesus’ birth, last supper and the ultimate sacrifice of His life from the gospel of Luke.

I would love to hear how you celebrate the birth and life of our Savior. Will you have a birthday cake for Him? Do your children read His story in the gospels to your family? What makes Christmas special in your home?

Our children do not believe in Santa Claus. They know this holiday is about the birth of their Savior and King – Jesus Christ our Lord – the gift of His life for theirs.

From our family to yours Merry Christmas! Thank you all for sharing 2010 with us. Wishing you all a very blessed 2011! Praying God continues to shine upon your families and give you great peace, comfort and joy as you trust and obey Him as the parents entrusted with the raising of His children.

Totally Lost

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 13:10:00 +0000

Ahh another devotional (this post is going to be a bit long – not my usual on here but I have stuff I need to share even if just for myself) that is perfect for where I am at the moment with homeschooling. I set out this year with all the right materials and intentions. We even had a school room instead of our kitchen table. Everything was set in place. We began doing light work in late July and have already completed 80+ days of school.

Yet, at the moment I can see, I lost my way. I lost the joy in doing all that I hoped to do with them and planned for the year. I am tired of the daily struggle to find balance as mom and teacher. I am a bit worn down from the season we are in as a family with 7 adopted children who need more than most children emotionally and spiritually. I never really had time to think about – what it would like to have this many children? Because it was never part of my plan or ours. I didn’t get to plan a single thing out. It just happened as we continued to say yes to God – one by one they filled our home. I never had time to prepare for all the changes or their individual needs. Nor did I have time to get to figure out how it would work adding more children into our schedule and school room. Nor did I ever get to consider what it would feel like for me to be responsible for raising this many children and the time it would take to do it well.

God knew that was a good idea to keep me from knowing what I do now or I would have truly fought His plan for our family or messed it up royally.

I lost my way. I have tried to figure it out. I want to figure it out. They need to me to have a plan. They need me to catch up and find out where we all are. Well, guess what?

I can’t. I don’t have the wisdom needed for a job this big.

But thank GOD He has all the answers and knows exactly where we are going. Thank GOD that He has gone before our family and is lovingly showing me the way.

I hated to find out that I have been resisting the way lately. I was broken beyond words yesterday to learn how far off the path I have gone as their mom and teacher. But that is all part of His plan to help me find my way perfectly back to Him and heal in areas that needed His soothing love.

He knew that I would end up feeling this way eventually. That our whirlwind adoptions would finally catch up to me. He is not surprised by my lack of joy or desire to homeschool at the moment. He is not surprised by where I ended up either. He knew that I would get to this place – right here – right now feeling lost and overwhelmed. Because He knows I can’t do a thing without Him.

I didn’t realize how much I was avoiding because I was trying in my own strength. I didn’t realize how much I was pretending was working for me either. Nor did I realize how it was effecting our children and the rhythm of our home. I closed my eyes and hearts to the parts I did not want to see or face.

But God. My two favorite words in the bible. He has rescued me once again and wrapped me up in His love – as only He could – so that I can look at all that is before me through His truths.

As I shared on our family blog – I am a winner. I am loved simply because I am love. I talked about a little leaven and how raising children to grow up humble is one of the toughest jobs I have ever faced. This week I also shared a huge dose of laughter – which God also knew I desperately needed.

I received this devotional from Alpha Omega Publications today – words I needed to read and a prayer I needed to pray. The verse shared at the end of this devotional is for me {for you too}. It is my life verse since the day I found my way into a relationship with Jesus. It is the very first verse spoken to me and I have needed to cling to it many times over the last five years. I’m clinging to it again right now. I want to live out what I teach the children – that for God all things are possible. In God even the trials can be filled with joy. In God we can rest through a storm. In God we can have peace no matter the situation. In God we can walk by faith –doing what He asks of us - trusting Him, obeying Him and letting go of all that we face knowing He that has begun a good work in us will not finish until the day of Christ Jesus. That He is faithful and His grace is sufficient for everything!

Some days, even the best homeschool teacher has trouble communicating a lesson. Whether you're teaching equations in algebra or diagramming sentences in grammar, a change begins to occur in your child when he does not comprehend the information you are covering. You've seen the look — a blank stare, a squint, eyebrows up in the form of a question mark. The body begins to fidget, and unintelligible utterances come from his mouth. He doesn't have a clue what you are talking about and is totally lost. What are you going to do?

When I was new to homeschooling, I walked away in frustration or assumed my child was not paying attention. I tried repeating the same information or using a louder voice. With infinite variations, the battle went on until I realized the problem was not with my child; it was with me. I was the teacher, and I had failed to teach. I needed to try again and approach the information from a different angle — a new learning style or additional visual aids.

Thankfully, God doesn't lose His temper or walk away from us when teaching life's lessons. When we begin our fussing routine or get that lost look, He gently wraps His arms around us and takes us back to where we last understood. Lovingly, He leads us to godly counsel from Christian friends or words of wisdom from the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit customizes each particular lesson until we grow "in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

Do you feel lost today? Let the Lord guide you back to where you should be. "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Jesus, thank You for always knowing where to find me. Without You, I am totally lost in teaching my children. Show our family where we need to be and how to keep our eyes on You. In Your name, Amen.

I am blessed beyond measure that my husband did not judge me yesterday when I shared my heart and all that I am feeling. I’m blessed that he immediately began to encourage me and wanted to come up with solutions so that I could find balance in being their mom and teacher. He also gave me the greatest gift when he said, “if for whatever reason this isn’t for you and you need us to change course - don’t think you failed them or me. No matter what – together we will seek God’s best for our family and you.”

With that I cried and let all the tears fall. I needed to let go of the guilt and shame I have been feeling inside about how I have not met my own expectations for this year. I had to let go of the shame I was putting on myself that I was letting our children and my husband down. Sure they have learned a ton already but I know in my heart of hearts the truth – that I was doing it because I had to – not because I wanted to. God sees the motives of our hearts. Mine were not aligned with Him. Nor is God trying to shame me. That is something I do all by myself and have for way too long. I have listened to the lies of the enemy of my soul and it is time to fully claim who I am in Christ – LOVED! Fully and completely no matter how often I mess up – no matter how many times I get lost along the way – because my God will direct my paths! He will lead me on the good path and will surely supply for all of my needs. His grace is sufficient.

I am not sure what the future holds for our family and homeschooling or how it will look next year. But I do know one thing for sure - no matter where God leads I will be behind Him and letting Him lead the way. I know it to be The Way, The Truth and The Life!

My prayer for each of you today is this – if you have found yourself lost and unsure of yourself as a teacher and a mom – God is ready and able to help you too!

Pick and Draw

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:45:00 +0000

I’m thankful for the laughter and fun time I had with the children as we played a new game given to us by Rich Davis called Pick and Draw. Before dinner last night we played four sets of faces. Rich I hope these make you proud! We had a blast learning to draw cartoon faces. This will surely become a family favorite!

You separate the cards into categories. Then what we did is the following – flipped over one from each category and started with the face and ended with the hair. As you can see we added eyebrows and ears to our drawings. Mine is the first one under the cards.

Even though I told Gabriel to take up tons of space on his paper he still managed to draw tiny pictures each time. Which personally I think is much harder to do!

Drawing #2

The first one is mine.

Abigail did an amazing job at all of them – but this one is funny!

Jordan definitely was having fun with each drawing!

Drawing #3 This one is my personal favorite of my drawings for the night!

Abigail and Gabriel both did a great job! He definitely worked at taking up more space on this one

Drawing #4

The kids all said this one was really hard for them. However, they did a great job trying and we all laughed as we shared our finished drawings.

The biggest laughs came when Lexi joined in and drew an awesome cartoon character from our cards!

This is a great way to help your children learn to think outside of the box. They get to make the rules and decide exactly how each face will end up looking! Our children loved playing this game together! We shared lots of laughs!

Rich was very generous and sent me a second set to give out to one of you. All you have to do to enter is share this give-away with your readers {friends and family}, and comment on our family blog on my Thankful Thursday post. We will select one winner tomorrow – announced there. Be sure I can get in touch with you!

Quiet and Busy…

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 17:54:00 +0000

I am so sorry for neglecting this blog. We are well into our homeschool year and much is happening in our lives. In the last month my father in love was once again diagnosed with cancer. This time it is incurable {lungs} and we are working to find the best alternative treatments for him.

I also started a photography business and LOVE it! I shot my first newborn session last week and have several family photo sessions the next few weeks. If you live in the area and know anyone who is about to deliver please pass along my information. I would love to capture this special time in their lives!

I am working hard to keep focused and get done what I plan each week to teach the children. They are doing great even with all that is going on.

Our focus this year has shifted – we are really stressing math and grammar skills. We are also working diligently on map skills and learning all about U.S. Geography.

Yesterday was so gorgeous I took the children for a leaf exploring adventure. I captured great shots of our time together and they will be up on our family blog later today.

I promised the children for two weeks that we would do a leaf art project – well yesterday we finally got to it. They loved it and had fun making them extra special for daddy who was away with his parents seeing a cancer specialist in TX.

This is a fun and easy art project!

We are beginning our Thanksgiving tradition and spending time talking and thinking about all the things we are grateful for in our lives. The top of the list with each of the children is God selecting us to all be family. Precious and I am so richly blessed and loved!

Last year we made a leaf chain with each child writing all the things they were thankful for. You can see our crafts from last year HERE!

I pray you are all doing well and remembering to cling to His grace each day, soaking in His word and love for you and then pouring it out onto your family throughout the day!

The math we use is Teaching Textbooks. The younger children do the Kumon workbooks. We use Rod-n-Staff level 2. Our children also do Easy Grammar Daily Grams. They love it and are thriving in both subjects.

Being Transformed

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 18:55:00 +0000

One of our family verses is Roman’s 12:1-2

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

When I read Laura’s {10 Million Miles} goals for homeschooling their children, her words reflect our hearts so perfectly, that I wanted to share them with you here as well. I met Laura only for a few minutes at the Relevant Conference this past weekend and she is absolutely lovely!

Perhaps when naming our homeschool, we’ll settle on metamorpho, the Greek word for “be transformed” that Paul used when he penned,

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Somehow metamorpho bundles together the vast bouquet of who’s, what’s, where’s, when’s, how’s and why’s that Ryan and I desire to teach our children. In short, our home-school objectives are: Love God and Be Like Him! If we can teach our children to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, to heed His Word, to love Him and so become like Him, we will – (wow) - we will thank the Lord with humble hearts.

Here’s our simple plan to keep us single-hearted as we go.

We teach:

1. The glorious deeds of the Lord (what God has done in our lives)

2. The might of God (the nature of God)

3. The wonders God has done (what God has done in history)

4. The testimony and law of God (how God wants us to live)

So that they (our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on throughout time):

1. Should set their hope in God

2. Not forget the works of God (which is the basis of their trust in Him)

3. Keep His commandments (the life they will live because of their trust in God)

(Thank you, Noel Piper, for explaining these timeless Psalm 78 directives in Treasuring God in Our Traditions. You’ve helped to clarify our hearts’ desire!)

Aren’t their family goals simply beautiful and a true picture of a surrendered life for our KING? Scott and I feel the same way. Our hope every day is to teach our children the deepest meaning of His love and how to allow it to transform them, propel them and mold them to be just like Jesus!

Our hope and goal is that they will walk worthy of His calling.

Our hope and goal is that no matter what career path they choose later in life – that their aim is all for the glory of God.

It doesn’t matter if they are the smartest child, if they are not wise.

It doesn’t matter if they are the best athlete, if they rely on their own strength and get prideful in all they can achieve.

It doesn’t matter if they are the greatest “------“ if their hearts are not set on His plan for their lives.

Without God lighting their path and setting their hearts aflame – everything they do, achieve and become – will have no effect for eternity. And sadly, that is a life wasted.

If what I’m about to say or do will not have an impact on your walk for eternity then I should keep silent. Wise is the person who is quick to listen and slow to speak. Wise is the person who chooses to lift up and not tear down. Wise is the person who shows compassion and grace towards others. Wise is the person who seeks to understand and never judge. Wise is the person who is still before God – listening for His plans and not telling God their own. Wise is the person who waits on the Lord and is patient while trusting God to complete the good work He has begun. Wise is the person who humbles himself before the Lord. Wise is the person who lives to love…allowing love to cover a multitude of sins.

Our goal is to raise wise adults.

Learning daily to live in the shadow of His wings – letting His wisdom dwell deep in our hearts and overtaking our thoughts! Where His love is poured in and out…over and over again!

Thank You Lord for your grace. Thank You for the wisdom You give us to parent our children and teach them how to be wise in a world needing sharp arrows to blaze a trail of truth. Help us to keep our focus on You – who You are, what You have done, and what You are doing in our lives daily. Help us to praise You and worship You more. You are more than enough for me. I am humbled by Your love and care for us. Thank You in Jesus’ most blessed name. AMEN!

2010 Homeschool Blog Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:16:00 +0000

To nominate a blog – click on the photo below :-)

Please consider nominating our daughter for best teen blog.

Thank you all for visiting here and helping to make our homeschool journey so much fun!

How do you?

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:53:00 +0000

Teach your children to study?

How do you teach them to prepare to take tests?

How do you teach them to learn the material we are reading and working on?

What resources, tips do you have to help me and others learn this without reading tons of material!?

Thank you all in advance! This stage of testing is new to me. First year I have to prepare a child for testing and I am not sure how to do it.

I can’t believe it is OCTOBER – hello??? Where did September go? Although, we are thrilled Fall has finally arrived!

Blessings to you all!

U.S. History…Amazing Story

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:08:00 +0000

Please watch and share!

Then go here

and please sign the declaration!

Thank you and God bless!

I WILL – I CAN

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:20:00 +0000

The other day I saw this on my friend Darlene’s blog and I decided to print one out and laminate for every one that attends our school here!

I think this poster says it all so perfectly! God never asks any of us if we want to – just wants to see that our hearts are willing to say YES and…

The above posters hang above our blackboard in the schoolroom as a daily reminder where our hearts need to be!

This hang on our kitchen pantry door! Lest they ever forget the rules and need a reminder on how to be loving to one another.

LOVE = OBEDIENCE!

Thus God saying first – LOVE the LORD your GOD with your FULL HEART and soul!

Before anything else He asks us to love Him.

Because He knows if we love Him – will obey Him. Which is a direct command from Jesus in the NT.

“If you love Me you will obey Me.” John 14:15

You don’t obey those who you don’t love and put first before yourself. Thus, the reminder by Jesus, that no one can serve two masters. Nor can anyone love the world and God. We are either a foe or friend to Jesus. A daily choice. We either love God or ourselves and this world. There is no in-between.

I also LOVE this which each of the children have in their desks laminated. They can see clearly if their hearts have been in the right place during our day and especially during our school time. (I found on 1+1+1=1 but can’t remember the link since I downloaded it over a year ago. Carisa – help please :-)

These are all great tools – however the best sharpening tool I know of is straight from His word. Hide His word in their hearts daily and trust that He is doing a good work in them!

We are using our Seed Family Worship CD memory verse sheet and cards (that I printed out and laminated). Each week I print out these and the children have all week to memorize the verse. They are LOVING IT! Every Friday I have them stand before our class and recite the weekly verse and all the ones we memorized so far. They are doing a great job!

I pray this has encouraged you to keep pressing in and on towards the goal of Christ Jesus!

With deep respect for all of you training them up in the way they should go! Be blessed and bless others!

PS Yesterday we went to the zoo and had a great time. I will posting photos of our time there later today on our family blog.

I Said Yes!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 11:30:00 +0000

To Jesus entering my heart 5 yrs ago.

To Jesus ruling our home and lives.

To God who called us to adopt two sweet boys.

To read the rest of this post – click here!

She Teaches…

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 11:15:00 +0000

OK, I think you are all going to get a kick out of this one.

Naomi as you have seen is one smart cookie, funny and sassy. She has the biggest personality in our home. She makes us laugh every single day and brings so much joy into our lives. She is a treasure for sure!

Well the other day I asked her to occupy her siblings who needed a “time out” while dinner was being prepared. So she helped herself to the word box and began to teach her siblings. As you can see they needed to raise their hands. Some were upset because she never called on them. Some were upset because Noah would not stop calling out the answer (the children all know to get called on you must raise your hand and wait to say the answer when your name is said – someone obviously doesn’t want to adhere to this rule). Some were upset because she would say the word before asking what it was. The older children were wonderful sports overall and as the saying goes – “The best way to learn something is to teach it.”

Naomi even said, “good job” each time they got the word right.

Assessment for Preschool

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:47:00 +0000

As I shared with you all last week, the greatest idea to help keep things running smooth in our homeschool with three little ones in the house is to have Lexi spend two hours teaching them.

Well, since this is all very new to her. I wanted to be sure to assess what they knew and didn’t, to give Lexi an idea of what to focus on most in the next few weeks. I want to build up their weak areas and help them learn new things – which will help her keep their interest.

I used Carisa’s from 1+1+1=1 assessment tool (which you can get right here) on Friday. I spent about a half hour with each child alone. I printed everything out, got all the supplies we needed and headed outside so the rest of the children could play while I took the time alone with the child being assessed. The children loved the individual attention and didn’t even realize I was testing them.

I learned a ton about them by taking this time and using the assessment tools. I added in a few things too once I saw their weak areas. Sorry no photos – I forgot to bring my camera outside with us. :-(

Just in case you are interested here are the results:

Naomi (who will be 3 in October)

Did amazing with tracing on the black dotted line from one point to the other. I taught her how to hold the pencil correctly and she was able to do it. Which surprised me since this is such a fine motor skill and one she has never worked on before.
Can count up to 13 without missing a number – then up to 30 with missing only a few numbers.
Can count 1:1 up to 10 (I had her count 20 object by touching them)
Can find print on different pages of a book.
She knows every color consistently no matter what shade of color it is.
She knows all of her shapes and says them clearly.
She knows her first name, didn’t know what middle or last name was.
Pencil grip is weak but can do it.
She is able to complete a ABAB pattern. I used 8 colored objects and put them in sequence order, then asked her what comes next – she told me right away and put it in the right place. Then I drew a pattern of square, star, square, star, etc. Asked her what came next – she did it again right away.
She is unable to use scissors at all. Again her fine motor skills need some work.
She was able to name almost every Capital letter on the page – she missed T, G, X, and N.
She missed these on the lower case page: q, s, d, g, x, b
When I asked her to name the numbers on the page – she first started telling me letters. I explained to her these are numbers please name them as I point to them. She got only three correct (3, 4, 5). The rest she did not know.
The last page was color in the white area on four objects. She did a great job and stayed in the line and almost colored the areas completely.
Overall I think she did a great job!

Noah (will be 4 in December) he didn’t do as well and I was not surprised by that either. In my experience boys take longer to grasp certain ideas and skills. Nor was he as interested as Naomi to finish the complete assessment. He kept asking me if we were done. He didn’t stay focused very long. (Thus me not being able to teach with him in the school room).

Counts up to 10 without missing
Counts 1:1 up to 3 – he skipped all over the place and told me he was done several times. It was precious and cute.
Unable to complete any form of ABAB pattern (I used the same methods with Naomi above).
He can find different print on pages of a book.
He knows all of his shapes perfectly. I am sorry I did not video tape it – you would all LOVE to hear him say rectangle. Funny!
Knows his colors consistently but white. Hmmmm…LOL!
Again only knew his first name. I don’t think we have focused on what a middle or last name is. So not surprised here at all with any of them. He and Joshua told me their nicknames for middle and last name. I got a good laugh at that.
Pencil grip is not good at all. He holds any writing utensil like a caveman grip and if I changed it he couldn’t color or write. He went right back to caveman grip. He eats the same way no matter how much we try to change the way he holds the utensil. Any suggestions?
He did OK on the tracing the dotted line. You can see where he drew the line and several places are way off. He lost interest in doing this one by the 2nd line.
He is a DANGER with scissors. I might even wait to teach him how to use them for another year. Don’t be mad…he really worried me with them! And yes they were little children scissors.
When I tested him with capital letters I wrote down what he called a letter first if he got it wrong. E was “F”, U and I he just didn’t know, G was “C”, N was “M” and M is right next to N on the page. He did not know what S was either.
The lower case page I did the same thing: he did not know q, e or g, s this time was “c”, d and b he had backwards, however, he got b right when I pointed to it alone, n was “m” again.
Coloring in the white area – he got bored by the 2nd object and barely filled in any white area. Maybe four marks in each one.

Joshua (he will be 5 in December) did great – which thrilled us both. We both giggled all the way through the assessment because we were having so much fun doing this together! YEAH!

Counts 1:1 up to 13 touching objects
He couldn’t complete the ABAB pattern either no matter what way I tried to do it with him. We will be working on this one a lot.
Counts to 29 without missing – right after 29 came 40 :-)
Can find print on different pages
Knows all of his colors and shapes consistently
His pencil grip is wonderful! Which for a lefty is NOT easy.
He also struggles with the scissors. Not dangerous like Noah but needs to practice this one more.
Did such a good job on tracing the black dotted lines Scott couldn’t even see where he did it! :-)
He only missed S and M on the capital letter page.
Lower case page he missed p and m, he too called s “c”.
The number page he mixed up 9 and 6. Common mistake.
He did an amazing job coloring in the missing white areas on the four objects. He is precise and doesn’t like any white showing. :-)
I was so proud of him and he couldn’t wait for me to show Daddy his work when he got home.

I hope me sharing this with you – helps comfort some of you who are worried that your child is far behind or doesn’t know certain things. It is OK! They will all catch up. This assessment will help you see where you need to focus more.

Today the children are doing number puzzles, alphabet flashcards, playing number games and doing letter bingo. This week I will have them use the pre-school lapbooks I made last year for them as well.

Have a blessed day friends! What are you doing this week with your toddlers?

Great High School Resource

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:41:00 +0000

Check it out here.

Praying you are all having a blessed weekend!

One Bear, Two Bear

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:50:00 +0000

Three Bear…Four!

I have been super creative (not really) in my teaching this week…which really means I gave the older children worksheet work to do in the morning so that I could focus on the three youngest. Then when the littlest ones are napping I teach the five older ones. It has worked out great while Lexi is away. I get nothing done around the house – but that’s ok none of you can see the dust piled up or the dirt all around…so it’s cool…right?

First, we did coloring alphabet sheets that I was happy to find on Jolanthe’s blog this week.

Joshua who will be 5 in December is doing a great job with coloring! I’m so impressed with how well he stays in the lines (his are on the far left)! The second set is Noah who will be 4 in December and then Naomi’s who will be 3 in October.

It is very funny listening to them talk while coloring, “you are scribbling.” “No I’m not.” “Yes you are.” And this conversation goes on until I explain they need to be LOVING to one another. Thank you very much!

Then I took out their words which you all saw on the video last week – they all did great this time! Noah even got most of the alphabet cards right! :-)

Next we spent time with my bear bin…first I sorted them by color. Then we counted them. That was so precious to hear them counting their bears. If only Joshua could sit still in my classroom like he does in the kitchen it would be great. Or if he would not break things while he is supposed to be napping. Or go into his siblings rooms who are also napping. Or if he would watch where he is going instead of walking into walls, falling down steps, walking into trees or right off the slide. You get the idea…he is all boy! At least now I know he is smart and inside that head of his that seems to be filled with a whole lotta nothing throughout the day – he is getting what I have been teaching him. YEAH GOD! Much needed encouragement for this tired Momma!

I made a circle and triangle, and asked them to do the same. Joshua was the only one who could copy mine. I helped Naomi and Noah – leaving half of their circle undone. Noah…well let’s just say he didn’t catch on to copying anything I did with the bears.

Then I made a pattern of small, big, small, big…

Joshua got it again right away. Naomi got it with a little bit more instruction.

She was very proud of herself for getting it!

Once again Noah didn’t get it, even with more instruction. He was getting very frustrated. So I took over and put them in the order hoping to teach him what I meant. That didn’t seem to make him feel any better. We will keep working on this skill so that he can have success! He didn’t start his in the right direction either – so true of my boy who marches to his own beat!

Today the older children had piano lessons so instead of school we took the morning off for RECESS! It was a huge hit! I gave all four boys much needed hair cuts. I’ll take photos to share tomorrow :-)

We are studying through the book of Romans each morning – the kids and love this time together in His word. What great wisdom to receive every day before we start school.

Anyone else have good ideas of what to do with the youngest while you teach the older children? I know there are many who would be blessed to hear the successful things you are doing! So please share :-)

Call the Yellow Bus!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:40:00 +0000

Oh how the enemy wants to show us all the reasons why we should not continue to homeschool. He wants us to feel defeated. He wants us to believe this is too hard, we can’t possibly do it. He tries to show us how this child is causing too much trouble or that we are not qualified to get this child to understand what we are teaching them. The enemy would love for us to simply send them off onto the big yellow bus.

If I am honest there have been many days where I thought about finding the right school for a child or all of them. It would be easier on me if they were at school and I could be happy to see them when they all arrived home. Right? Just writing it out makes my stomach churn! Because no matter how many times I have thought it or gone to my husband begging him to let me stop…in my heart I know that I would never do it.

Why won’t I ever do it?

Because of days like yesterday when my hardest child not only got everything I was teaching, but excelled in everything we did all day long! This child’s smile was worth every hard day! All of my heart and God’s love being poured into this child is working! God’s promises hold true and He is faithful. This one moment gave me back hope that I personally have been losing a bit because our children are going through a season that is nearly bringing me down to my knees all day long. I’ve almost lost the joy of being with them because of all the disciplining that is going on now – or should we say character building. As I shared on our family blog today – the journey can be 11 days or 40 yrs. It is completely up to us!

It should be NO surprise to me at all that the following devotion was in my mailbox today. Friends we are in this together – let us truly encourage one another unto the goal of Christ Jesus and keep our eyes fixed on Him each day not the mess before us. Let us stand strong in His truths, draw near to God and resist the enemy so that He will flee from us!

Just like all of you I am human, my days can be very long and hard. Like all of you I can do nothing good apart from God! Without Him and His grace I’m completely unable to parent this many children and most certainly have nothing to give when I teach them.

Side note: Lexi has been gone since Monday morning and I had to get very creative with my school schedule this week – I’ll post later this week with the ideas that worked for the little ones so that I could focus on teaching our older children.

Originally posted by Alpha Omega Publishing August 25, 2010

“Well, I guess you’d better quit. Just call the school and have them send the little yellow bus to pick up your kids tomorrow,” I said sarcastically to my friend who was discouraged after a long week of homeschooling. These were certainly not the most encouraging words to say to a fellow homeschooler, but it was effective. Responding with a renewed commitment to homeschool, she sought the Lord’s guidance and changed her curriculum to better fit her daughters’ learning styles.

As homeschoolers, we’ve all been at the place of wanting to “throw in the towel.” Satan provides numerous temptations and reasons for us to quit homeschooling our children. However, God’s Word says, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). We need to be steadfast and not give up when our children complain, other people slander, and daily chores become too much. Looking back takes our eyes off the One who can lead us through a difficult time, and we simply need to ask God to make a way through the problems: “For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him” (Matthew 6:8).

My friend still remembers that turning point in her homeschooling. Hopefully, you’ll be gentler than me as you encourage other homeschoolers. There is a promise waiting to be received for instructing our children at home—godly children and godly parents! “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:35-36).

Jesus, my strength to homeschool is in You alone. Only Your wisdom can help me teach Your children what they need to learn. Provide the encouragement I need today and help me hold fast to the promises You give in Your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Tot School

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:57:00 +0000

My husband and I decided to work out a deal with our oldest Lexi to help me achieve what I need to each day with the older children…she will spend two hours each morning with the three youngest either playing puzzles and games, work on teaching them their alphabet, shapes, colors, how to write their names, numbers, or doing fun art projects.

Yesterday I came upstairs to see how it was going and this is what I saw:

I bought several colors of dot art for the year and they LOVED learning how to use it! I’m so proud of them and can’t thank Lexi enough for her help!

Then today she did a painting project with them and we are seriously impressed with Joshua’s ability to stay in the lines!

The children are MUCH too young to realize how blessed they are to have Lexi for an older sister – but one day they will know and it will be wonderful to show them all of the things she did for them! See those cool paint brushes at the bottom – they are my kind of paint and brushes – you take the cap off and they can paint away without needing any water, etc! No mess, no spilling, no clean up! I love them! Another great find this year! :-)

Lexi is incredible for doing this, because the reason the three little ones are NOT in my classroom is because they have ANTS in their pants and can’t stay quiet more than a second. So this is a serious faith builder for her this year!

I don’t know if you visit the local parent/teacher stores like we have around here – but I seriously LOVE LOVE LOVE ours. Well the other night after dinner with my best friend I wanted to show it to her since we were right next door – while there I found these:

What is the big deal about some crayons and coloring pencils?

Take a closer look – they are multi-cultural sets! Hello! It is about time and now my children don’t have to color their faces orange to try and match their skin colors. These are HUGE hit in our house and I can’t believe I didn’t know they were available until this week.

Our second week of homeschooling had a few major bumps along the way. I am going to have to rethink my teaching for one of our sons – his BC says he is one age but I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is much younger. Please pray for me to have divine wisdom on how to help him get caught up in several areas this year. I know he is smart and can do the work – we just have to find the right method of teaching to get him there. He is a whiz with addition and subtraction – can memorize bible verses better than some of our older children – intelligence is not the issue. :-)

I shared this last year – but I LOVE to teach history and geography. We are studying the United States of America this year and so far the kids are having a blast learning about each state, the Presidents and how people came to America. I’m going to try and post photos of the books we are using this year with links to them.

I am going to incorporate a few new books this year – one that I am thrilled to have found is God’s Great Covenant – Old Testament 1 & 2.

They are awesome workbooks and your children will learn a ton with them.

Then last week my friend Jolanthe shared a link to the coolest new DVD’s What’s in the Bible? made by the same people of Veggie*Tales*. Our kids have watched two of the DVD’s already and they LOVE them! Thanks sweet friend for the awesome find!

I just want to thank you all for visiting and spending time here! Remember to check out the tabs up top – I am always adding new finds and great resources in each category!

If you have any questions or topics you would like me to cover – let me know!

God bless and rest in His doing the work in you and through you this year!

12 Reasons To Homeschool

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:00:00 +0000

I read this the other day and agree with so much of what she shared and with the recent comments here lately I pray this encourages those of you just beginning and reconfirms the reason why you homeschool to those who have already made the commitment to do it!

Originally posted by Alison at An Ordinary Mom

Or, more appropriately titled, “12 Reasons Why WE Homeschool”.

1. They’re our children. We believe that, ultimately, it’s our responsibility to raise our children to adulthood and overseeing their education is a big part of that. Our children don’t belong to the state and they don’t belong to any village- they live in the state and are part of the village, but they’re ours, which makes the responsibility ours. I also firmly believe that if homeschooling were not an option for us, the responsibility to oversee their education would still be ours and we would be doing our best to work with our children after school and on weekends and pretty much every chance we’d get to make sure they were learning and to do our best to influence what they’d believe about what they’d be learning…

2. Even the best of teachers will never know our children the way we do. Their strengths, their weaknesses, their struggles, their personalities, there is so much uniqueness in each child that no teacher could ever really know a room full of children and the ways they best learn, the ways they’re best motivated, the ways they best receive love and encouragement. Any one of our children could so easily get lost in the shuffle that becomes a room of 30 or more agemates. That will never happen here, even in a big family.

3. Our children won’t be left behind. When the class moves on before they’ve really grasped and fully understood a concept, our children won’t be left behind, falling further behind each time a new concept builds on the one that they never understood.

4. Our children won’t be held back. When the class slows down or stops so the teacher can “teach down” to a class that isn’t moving as fast as the brightest children are capable of. When bright children get bored in school they lose their zest for learning and they often even end up with academic and/or behavioral problems which never would have happened if they had been allowed to keep learning and exploring at their own pace. Just ask my youngest sister. I should have her write a guest post…

5. Our children won’t need to waste half their day waiting in lines or waiting for everyone to “settle down”. They also won’t need to waste hours and hours every week writing line upon line on worksheet upon worksheet and other various forms of “twaddle”.

6. Our children don’t need to be surrounded by 30 of their peer for more hours in a day than they spend with their family. As a homeschooler, the socialization “issue” really gets to me. What gets to me is that so many people see it as an issue in the first place! Outside of school, where else in society does anyone spend the better part of their day in an age segregated environment? I can’t think of any. My husband certainly doesn’t work with all people his age. When I go to the grocery store, I see and interact with men and women from teen cashiers to senior citizen greeters. We go to church with people of all ages. Even professional sports teams have a range of ages, from fresh out of college to the aged old geezers like Brett Favre… I digress.

A classroom full of children the same age is a completely artificial environment that we have somehow come to believe is a necessary part of growing up. Well, I don’t believe it. There will always be exceptions, but the majority of homeschoolers I know have children who are wonderfully “socialized” after regularly interacting with many people of all ages most every day.

Our children have friends. They get out of the house. Our teen plays soccer with the local Christian school. We get together with other homeschooling families for field trips and play days often, sometimes too often. Not being in a classroom filled with 30 other children their same age has not and will not be a major problem, in my opinion…

7. Our children can learn at their own pace. This goes along with 3 & 4, and is important enough of an issue when talking about the best education we can give our children to be its own point. With several of our children now several years into homeschooling, I’ve seen firsthand how very different not only learning styles can be, but also how different learning paces can be. I’ve had a couple fast learners and I’ve also had a couple slower learners. Eventually they get to the same place, but they arrive there at very different times. Our slower learners would’ve been left in the dust in many classrooms and would probably be wearing some less-than-positive labels by now…

8. Our children can learn in their own style. Learning styles should be the topic of its own post. No two of our children learn in exactly the same way. We can approach most any subject or issue in a variety of ways and even with the most mundane of necessary facts to learn we can incorporate exercises and movements that do a world of wonder for our more kinesthetic learners. Can you imagine catering to the visual, auditory, verbal, tactile, and kinesthetic learning styles of 30 different kids at a time? Either can I. Classroom teachers have my sympathy- they have a tough job, they really do.

9. Our children aren’t pressured DAILY to be “cool”. So often in our society, cool is synonymous with rebellious, with an attitude that bucks authority. Our children have more time to grow a healthy sense of self in a less hostile environment so that, hopefully, prayerfully, when they are older and are eventually exposed to more of the world’s pressures they will have a better chance of having the strong sense of self that can withstand that pressure. Our children will also miss out on the pressure to be in relationships that they are not emotionally ready for. High schools with day care centers are a sad result of our society’s acceptance of younger and younger people going way beyond going steady. That’s not something we want for our children. Enough said.

10. Our children have ample time to pursue personal interests. Our children have time to practice their violins, to practice the piano, to pursue things like photography and art, soccer, making homemade kites, flying remote control helicopters, participating in community theater productions, or anything else that suits their fancy. Most kids have little time for outside interests at the end of long days of school, followed by long nights of homework, and when they do get to pursue other interests, it often comes at the expense of time with family.

11. We can teach our children from the perspective of our beliefs. Our children are not subject to the politically correct agenda of the NEA or the personal biases of a liberal teacher. Everyone has a bias, and we have the right to raise our children with the particular belief system we believe to be right. As Christians, we believe its important to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Some people cry “brainwashing”, to which I would answer that everyone is brainwashed. Everyone listens to someone. We just happen to wash our brains in cleaner water than some.

12. We can introduce mature topics when we know our children are mature enough to handle it well. The tougher moral issues like abortion, discrimination, drug abuse, homosexuality, ecology in its extreme examples, pre-marital sex, smoking, tattoos, cults, and so many other issues that are thrust upon younger and younger people each day in our society, we can hold off on and wait to introduce at a time when we believe our children are ready to thoughtfully consider the subject in light of who they are and in light of what we believe, rather than just be pressured to accept as OK without thoughtful consideration anything that a teacher says is OK.

We cannot protect our children from all of the influences we wish they didn’t have in their younger years, but living our homeschooling lifestyle means we are almost always with our children and we can guide them through the processing of things when they are exposed too early. We can discuss things right then and there. We can influence the opinions they form of the subject, just as the outside world would like to influence them. You see, like I mentioned in my last point, they are going to get their brains washed, everyone does, and we’d prefer to do the washing with cleaner water than the world has to provide.

- This list is nowhere near exhaustive, in fact, it started out with 10 points and I just kept going, but then I had to stop somewhere, dinner needed to be cooked…

Homeschooling is sooo rewarding, but at times it can also be so hard. Having a list of solid reasons, so you can know why it is you do what you do, can fuel your fire through the times when it may be in danger of dying out.

I do know that homeschooling is not for everyone, but it’s what we do, it’s where my heart is at, so it naturally becomes the perspective from which I write. It’s something I’m passionate about, and I make no apologies for that.

* If you’ve considered homeschooling, and have not yet taken the plunge, I do hope this list has at least made you think.

** If you’d never in a million years consider homeschooling your children, I still hope this list has made you think, about the responsibilities of a parent and about the individual learning needs of each child, and maybe even about the influences that are surrounding your children for more hours in a day than your influence.

*** If you are a fellow homeschooler, I hope this list has encouraged you and reaffirmed you in your decision to make and live out such a huge lifestyle commitment.

Choosing the Right Teaching Materials:

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:00:00 +0000

10 Rules of Thumb originally posted by Homeschool Marketplace

Choosing what you're going to use to home school your children can be an intimidating task, first because around this time of year, if you're like me, the last thing in the world you want to do right now is think about school for awhile--particularly what I'm going to do about school tow months from now. Second, because there is so much out there to choose from.
But...sometimes a bookfair is our only opportunity to actually look at a product instead of read a description of it in a catalog or online.

There are so many excellent products available and each one claims to be superior to all others, so it's really hard to decide about a product without actually seeing it .
But before you actually start looking at products, I'd advise that you revisit some of the basics of what your educational philosophy is, what your family is like, and what teaching and learning styles you have to work with.

I know that it takes some experience to determine which materials are best suited to your teaching style and your children's needs, but I am also convinced that the Lord can lead us to the teaching materials and methods that work best for our own families.

Here are some suggestions for choosing teaching materials:
10 Rules of thumb for choosing teaching materials

Rule #1: Invest in yourself first. Like it or not, you are the glue that will hold this home schooling endeavor together, so you need to develop a strategy for staying sane and on top of it all (even if it means scheduling a nap every afternoon). You wouldn't dream of trying to build a house without a plan, the right materials, and the necessary tools. Home schooling is like building a house--you need to determine your plan, gather your materials, and be sure you have the right tools for the job. Take some time to read, to look around, to compare. Invest in some of the "tools of the trade" like the "must haves" and parent resources listed in this ejournal.

Begin rearranging your house so it will accommodate study without becoming too cluttered or stressful. Think through what you will do with infants and toddlers during school times; how you will handle meals, house cleaning, and laundry; and how you will deal with the other changes schooling at home brings.
Don’t feel guilty about spending money on yourself. After all, if you were a professional teacher, you (or your parents) would have spent tens of thousands of dollars getting you ready to stand before a classroom of children. So think in terms of what will make you more confident and able to create a learning environment for your household. What will smooth your way mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually?

Rule #2: Consider your situation. A farm family will have many opportunities for "hands on" learning in the areas of math, science, economics, etc. A city family has access to museums, libraries, cultural events, and more support group activities. You can make the most of the real life learning opportunities God gives you, perhaps never needing textbooks and teaching materials in certain subject areas.

I once had a missionary call me bemoaning the fact that she lived in a large foreign city and her children weren't able to do much nature study. She completely overlooked all the wonderful opportunities her children had to learn foreign languages, history, and geography, and to interact with other cultures. So, look around. God may have already arranged a learning environment for you that is better than a classroom.

Rule #3: Choose teaching materials that compliment the learner. Textbooks developed for classroom use tend to be "teacher directed" and chalkboard oriented, seldom taking into account children's interests or of the different ways children perceive and process information. Each student has a style in which he learns best.

Different children have different learning strengths and weaknesses that the perceptive parent will take into account when choosing teaching materials. For example, visual learners may do well with workbooks, while auditory learners need songs or spoken instruction and kinesthetic learners need to manipulate objects.

Rule #4: If you don't like the material, you will resist using it no matter how good it is. All teaching materials have a bias, not just in the subject matter, but also in the way the subject matter is presented. Every teaching parent, whether he or she recognizes it or not, has an educational philosophy--some set of values and beliefs about what and how children should be taught.

Sometimes we will have an unexplained inner resistance to certain teaching materials. It could be that this inner resistance arises from a conflict between our educational philosophy and that of the teaching material.

Trust the Holy Spirit and choose from your spirit as well as from your head. No matter how much your friends rave about a particular product, don't buy it if you don't really like it yourself. A key question to ask is: "Does just looking at this curriculum make me feel tired or pressured?" Your body knows what's good for you. Listen to it.

Rule #5: Avoid programs that require a great deal of teacher preparation. Unless you are a researcher-type or high-energy person, you will be frustrated by programs with detailed teacher's manuals to wade through, supplemental books or seminars that are necessary to fully utilize the program, or lots of activities to prepare beforehand.

Rule #6: Expect to waste time, energy, and especially money. You will soon discover that often it is you, not your children, who are being educated. So loosen up and accept the fact that some of what you buy will be a total waste of time, energy, and money. This is all a part of learning what works for you and for your children. Consider it payment of your tuition in the University for Home Educating Parents .

Rule #7: Be aware that there are various schools of thought concerning the teaching of any subject. Some examples: In math there are programs that are primarily problem solving with manipulatives and programs that are primarily problem solving on paper. In reading there are programs that focus on learning phonics before learning to read, programs that focus on learning the rules while learning to read, and programs that focus on just learning to read and letting the rules come later.
Each school of thought has produced excellent mathematicians, readers, and spellers, but sometimes products will be advertised as better than the rest because they follow a particular school of thought.

Rule #8: Realize that there is no perfect curriculum. What works with one child won't necessarily work with another. What worked one year may not necessarily work the next. Your family's needs and interests will change. Buy materials that meet present needs. Mold the curriculum to the child, not the child to the curriculum.
Also, be aware that not all books in a series are equally as good. For example, the fourth grade level of a particular program may be excellent, but this does not mean the other levels are.

Rule #9: God gave you YOUR specific children because there is something in YOU that He wants imparted to them. Teaching materials are only tools to help you impart yourself to (disciple) your children. You can trust the Lord to lead you to those materials that will help you best disciple each child.

Rule #10: Remember that teaching materials are often the least important elements of your home school. Books are easy to discard if they don't work for you, but attitudes and destructive family dynamics are not. According to a survey of home schooling families, five major reasons families fail at home education are: (1) they lack the personal conviction to persevere through the difficult times; (2) the father is not involved; (3) the children are undisciplined and resist parental instruction; (4) the parents cannot handle the added responsibilities; and (5) the family has unrealistic expectations.
The best teaching materials in the world are going to take a back seat to the attitudes and family dynamics in your household.

Tips for actually looking at the stuff you're thinking about buying
1. There are a few retail stores that cater to homeschoolers. If you are lucky enough to have one of these nearby, camp out there one afternoon.

2. Ask the members of your local support group if you could look through the materials that they use. Some larger support groups even have "libraries" of teaching materials.

3. Many vendors now have home pages on the web. Some provide very little information, such as a picture, the number of pages, and the price. A few provide an overview along with the table of contents.

4. Ask questions about specific materials in one of the homeschooling newsgroups or chat rooms.

5. Collect catalogs. Unfortunately, these will give you pictures and prices but not much else.

6. Go to a curriculum fair. Contact your state associations to see when there is one in your area.

7. You may be able to preview materials using interlibrary loan at your local library. This is useful if you have a particular textbook in mind.

8. For high-schoolers, visit your local college or university bookstore near the beginning of the semester and have a look around at the teaching materials.
9. Find a school supplies store. They will often carry teaching materials you won't see in home school catalogs.

100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy. Selecting the right curriculum can be a time consuming task for any family that chooses home education. Now, Cathy Duffy makes choosing the right resources for your child easy!
I've always recommended Cathy's curriculum guides as the best out there for choosing teaching materials that "mesh" with who your family is. Now Cathy guides you through the process, offering her "Top Picks" from each subject area.
A major feature of 100 Top Picks is the charts showing the 100 Top Picks in relation to educational approaches, learning styles, and practical features such as prep time needed; design for independent, one-on-one, or group learning; and ease of use for the teacher. Complete reviews of each of the Top Picks provide parents the information they need to make the best choices for each of their children.

The first half of 100 Top Picks covers information that will help you decide your child's learning styles, help you decide what your "Philosophy of Education" is, and help you figure what to teach when. The second half has reviews for all 100 of the top picks. You will gain a lot of insight into what curriculum is available by reading these reviews. She even tosses some extra "Picks" here and there that would've made the list if her books title was "200 Top Picks".

Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling. The title can be deceiving, because the book isn't just for those getting started, it's also very helpful to veteran home schoolers who want to re-evaluate what they are doing and the resources that are available to them.
Veteran home educators will dive into a vast amounts of up-to-date information with sections on Field Trips, Conferences, Retreats & Homeschool Days for the Whole Family, and Worldview & Leadership Training for Teens. There's also information on how to find everything from contests, to how to write a winning college application essay.

If there were one "top expert" in homeschooling, I would say Mary Pride is it. With her numerous books, Practical Homeschooling Magazine, and website, Mary knows her stuff.
Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School by Rebecca Rupp. This book does not come from a Christian orientation, but is one of the few books I know that gives you a checklist of what the traditional pre-K through 12th-grade curriculum expects a child to learn year by year and then tells you how to accomplish the same level of learning at home. Home Learning Year by Year also gives guidelines for the importance of each topic, pointing out which knowledge is essential and which is best for more expansive study based on your child's personal interests.

Serious Cuteness

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:00:00 +0000

I couldn’t wait to catch this on video…

Naomi will be 3 yrs old in October –this little one is not only smart, but she is FUNNNEEEE!

Enjoy a few giggles and try this with your children to help them learn words and the alphabet – it works! The Preschool-Prep DVD series ROCKS!

Poor Noah doesn’t really get a word in when Naomi is around – he will be 4 in December, Joshua who is sitting next to him will be 5. Yes, that means their ages will be 3, 4, 5…pray for me!

I am trying to put a post together to share the new system we are using this year to help the children become a bit more independent and help keep us all organized. So far it is working really well.

I figured I would answer this question from my comments so that others who might be wondering the same thing can see my answer (if anyone has other questions that you would like me answer please feel free to leave a comment or email me):

…this is only our second year of homeschooling and I have a specific question about record keeping. I wondered what method you use, especially since you have one in highschool. Mine are only in gradeschool, and I purchased an online program, but for someone who is not computer savvy it is exhausting to work through it all. It is the Homeschool Tracker System and it has so many options and data entry places that I am overwhelmed. I am wondering if the good ol' teacher notebook planners are a good choice. I want to start with a method now that makes sense to continue through the later years. I mean, if your eldest is thinking about college, how do you make sure all the records/transcripts are in order? What are colleges looking for when a homeschooler applies? I know my state doesn't require record keeping, but I am doing it nonetheless, just in case we need to prove what we're doing and in case we ever move to another state that DOES require it. Thought I'd ask now before we get too far down the road. Help!:)

Thanks for your question!

Lexi does her own record keeping in a good ole fashioned homeschool journal. She puts everything into that she does each day – keeps track of grades, etc. Maybe I can post a photo of what her journal looks like once some more things are filled in for the year. Our evaluator helps keep track of all of her grades, she writes up a long evaluation that gets sent into the organization where Lexi will get her diploma from (PHAA), an official transcript is being made for when she applies to college and they will send whatever is needed to each college. We keep all of her notebooks, tests and other projects if anyone ever questioned the amount of work that we say she completed. Many colleges have admission sections on their websites just for homeschoolers because more and more are coming through their doors. From what we have found Lexi is doing more work than most public school students, so when she applies to college we believe she will be well prepared and received.

I have yet to use a journal for the other children. However, with several of them in grades that we will need to be evaluated at the end of the year - I might begin journaling what we are doing each week. I have a few journals that I like and am deciding which one I will use. I don’t really like having to take the extra time to write it all out. Personally, I don’t really need anything to keep me on task or track because I just keep moving through a book (chapter by chapter as the children are ready)…I give them worksheets to help master certain things, they do daily grammar, spelling and math worksheets, bible verses, and penmanship practice. They are keeping track of the books they are reading – thanks to the ones I found on Homeschool Creations. I check all of their work on Friday and then they redo anything that is not done correctly. We will work together on things they might be struggling to comprehend as well. Because we are using Teaching Textbooks for our math program – I don’t have to keep track of that at all. Each assignment is graded as they go and it keeps track of all quiz scores as well. I love that! A big help to me. I can see the areas of math they are struggling with and quickly step in to help them master that skill before they get too far behind. I love that they can redo a lesson over and over again until they master it! I can’t say enough good things about Teaching Textbooks.

Then at the end of each quarter I will take all of their work and place it into a folder to be handed into our evaluator at the end of the year. We will begin doing art projects in September and science soon after that – I like them do them both once or twice a week and usually stick to the same days each week. We are working on USA Geography and learning all about map reading. I bought the children several geography bingo games that they love and are really helping them learn more about the world they live in. I have many map puzzles too. I am sure if my state required me to keep a journal to be handed in at the end of the year I would definitely be filling one out. Their portfolio’s are the best journal keeper in my mind. I doubt I will do the exact same thing, the exact same way when the last three are ready for school. So really who am I keeping a journal for?

The one thing I like most about homeschooling is – I can change my mind about what we are doing any given week and focus on one subject area for as long as I feel we need to or desire to. My focus is to not make any of us crazy with a rigid schedule – I try to keep learning fun and not turn our home into a place where I am so stuck on what is inside of my planner that I can’t relax and go with the flow of our day.

I hope that answered your question and helps just a bit.

Week one down!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:50:00 +0000

We did it and survived!

The children are loving our new schoolroom and I have to agree with them it is pretty cool!

This week I’m trying to focus on helping them learn our new system and becoming more independent in certain areas.

Let’s say it is going better for some and not great for others!

Our focus this year outside of LOVE is a verb “put it into action”, being a friend to Jesus and lifting each other up is:

American History (US Presidents) – we will learn when they were voted in, what state they were from and neat facts about them during their term as President.
US Geography (they love learning about a new state each week) – we are going through them alphabetically. I have great map resources in the history/geography tab above.
Learning a bible verse each week – we are using Seeds Family Worship CD’s to help with this :-) Totally Tots is sharing free printables to go along with the songs.
Spelling (10 – 12 new words each week)
Grammar – combining Rod n Staff and Easy Grammar Daily Review sheets
Handwriting – Reason for Handwriting (girls book C – boys book B)
Art – this year they will learn to paint using watercolors and basic drawing techniques
Math – the girls are all using Teaching Textbooks and they love it! The boys are going through Kumon workbooks with me.
Science – I think we will do a mixture of earth science and the human body this year. I’m still not 100% sure which we will do first.
I will help the girls with their writing skills. They will write short stories, poems and improve upon letter writing skills (Jolanthe tell the girls letters will be coming next week!)
The girls all take piano and voice lessons. The boys take voice lessons and will pick up an instrument next year. We tried for the last nine months and they just aren’t ready.

I went into this year with high hopes for myself and the children after a fun summer break. The girls kept up with math all summer so they would not forget what they learned last year. I think that worked in their favor! And mine :-)

Once again God reminded me to keep my eyes on Him and not on my plan. I planned to get done so much more than we do each day. I feel like 3 hours is not enough time to teach them what I want because they need extra help here and there. I give them a recess of a half hour and then we regroup and finish before lunch time. Then any worksheets that did not get completed or math is worked on after lunch. Then they are able to spend the rest of the day reading, playing, or swimming.

They don’t seem bothered of course – it is me. I truly want to be a better teacher this year and help them grow in so many areas and to fall in love with learning. I forget that on top of learning reading, writing and math – our children are still learning how to handle failure – which in them brings out fear of rejection, abandonment, etc as adopted children. A few cry when they get more than two wrong on any assignment. A few want to give up if they don’t get it the first or second try. A few want me to do the work for them vs. asking for help. A few believe that if they ask me over and over again I will change my mind or the assignment I gave them.

So although we survived the week – it was not without bumps along the way and God showing me that my heart is still not completely in line with His for our school year. I need to display love in action all of the time and in Him all things are possible! If I don’t rely on Him during our school time or really all day long as a mom to this many – I’m going to let them down and most certainly won’t help them learn what I am teaching is important enough for me to do no matter what. So as I teach the values God has so strongly impressed upon our hearts this summer – I’m being tested in them every single day.

LOVE is VERB – PUT IT INTO ACTION!

Refining is sure to come this year in many shapes, sizes and forms. Homeschooling is not easy – at least to me with this many children – so many ages and levels needing me to meet them where they are at. Oh how I want to be the fun teacher and give them memories of childhood filled with laughter each day. I struggle to see their disappointment when they mess up and I feel as though I didn’t teach it right again.

All of this brings me to my knees – where I lay it all down and rest in His love, wisdom and faithfulness to see us through this year. I am trusting Him to help me be the mom/teacher they each need.

I am putting all of my hope in You God.

Next week I will remember what worked and didn’t – so that I can meet my goal of walking out what I talk. I want to be a living example of the WORDS I teach.

This year I feel a new level of consecrated surrender coming through our school year! How about you?

Father, your tender love encourages me so much each day. Please, keep my heart soft, so I can express that same love and teach the most important lesson my children can learn—compassion. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Parenting Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:54:00 +0000

For those of you who enjoy reading my parenting articles click below. Which parenting season are you in?

Be blessed, shine on and rest in His love for you today!

Multiplication at Home!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:00:00 +0000

Principle of Multiplication
Thursday / July 29, 2010

In the 1930s, Dawson Trotman founded The Navigators ministry with the belief that everyone who is born into God's family is to multiply. Though Trotman started by sharing his faith with just one sailor, by the end of World War II, thousands of men on ships around the world had learned about Christ and were actively sharing their faith. Being saved himself from a life of drunkenness and corruption, Trotman believed if a person would lead someone to Christ every six months and disciple him until he led another person to Christ, within 15 years over two billion people would be living for the Lord. Billy Graham preached at his funeral in 1956 and said, "I think Dawson Trotman has personally touched more lives [for Christ's sake] than anybody I have ever known." Quite a statement coming from a man whose Gospel message of salvation has since been preached to millions!

As a young homeschooling mother, I felt my life was quite insignificant for many years. I couldn't see God's big picture for my life and the importance of being faithful in teaching and discipling my children in the Lord, but then I read the story of Dawson Trotman and his thoughts of the multiplication principle. I realized more people would be reached by entrusting the truths of God to my children than if I went out and ministered on my own. My first mission field was sitting right in front of me!

How well do you know your multiplication facts? Do you know that your homeschooling will not only reap rewards now, but also in the future? Teaching your children spiritual and academic truths will forever change the lives of many people because of the godly influence your children will have on them. 2 Timothy 2:2 says, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."

Lord, help me multiply the number of those who will hear the message of Your love, forgiveness, and salvation by investing all my efforts in teaching the children You have given me. Thank You that what I am doing has lasting value in Your eyes and for the harvest of souls You have prepared. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Devotional by Daily Focus.

I know I needed to read this tonight – how about you?

20/20 Exposes Public Schools

noreply@blogger.com (Jill Samter Photography) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Lexi and I just sat watching this entire show together on *youtube and we couldn’t help but shake our heads and thank GOD that she is homeschooled.

We are blessed to have the right to homeschool and must work together to help support each other in doing the best we can to produce well educated, and outstanding citizens – all for the glory of God. It is our job! We have no excuse in not giving our children the best education they can get and deserve. Each of us will stand before God and have to explain why we settled for anything less than what they deserve and He asks of us – train His children in the way they should go.

Please take the time to watch this entire show. Then share with your friends and encourage others to seek God’s best for their families!