Things mentioned in this episode:

How to Teach a Child to Read Part 1

Interview with Elizabeth (Liz) FitzGerald where we talk about her book Cursive First.

STEPS (Sequential Teaching of Explicit Phonics and Spelling) Curriculum

SWR (Spell to Write and Read) Curriculum

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“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

You need to print that verse out and repeat it to yourself every morning as you begin the journey of teaching your child to read. The goal is obtainable and the rewards are indescribable. It is possible to have your kindergarten child reading at a 2nd grade level by the end of the K5 year. You can invest 60-90 minutes per day and your child does not need to be a genius to accomplish this.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Samples of our son Riley’s progress with learning to read, spell, and write and cursive in kindergarten.

Interview with Elizabeth (Liz) FitzGerald where we talk about her book Cursive First.

STEPS (Sequential Teaching of Explicit Phonics and Spelling) Curriculum

SWR (Spell to Write and Read) Curriculum

Abeka Homeschool and Christian School Curriculum

The Wise Guide for Spelling {Amazon Affiliate Link}

Podcast Awards: Please consider nominating this podcast for the podcast awards in the Education category.

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In this podcast episode we interview Elizabeth (Liz) FitzGerald, M.S. the author of Cursive First. Liz lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wonderful husband David and three children. She is an Endorsed Spell to Write and Read (SWR) Seminar Trainer, a credentialed Special Day Class teacher, and she holds a Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Before becoming a stay-at-home Mom, Liz had ten years of experience working in the public schools. She is currently homeschooling her own children as well as serving as an Educational Consultant to other educators.

Questions answered by Liz FitzGerald in this episode: 

– Would you share some of the statistics on our nation’s literacy failures?

– Why is handwriting important?

– What is the history of handwriting in our country?

– How/why the shift in our educational system for reading and handwriting?

– What are the advantages of learning cursive first?

– Why cursive when we are a society filled print from computers and printing presses?

– Is it confusing to switch from print to cursive if you have already begun?

– Can this be used with special needs where they have weak or tired hands?

– Introduction for homeschool parents on how to begin cursive. (i.e., tactile practice of strokes using a salt box, sidewalk chalk, etc.)

You can order a copy of Cursive First at SWRTraining.com

Images used with permission from SWRTraining.com

What was the book about?

What was your favorite character and why?

What was your favorite part of the book?

Did the book make the account of Noah and the flood more “real” to you?
How?

Did you learn any truths about God?

Would you recommend for your friends to read this book?

How many stars do you give this book?

Sherry goes on to share tips for reading a long chapter book to your kids. One tip Sherry gives is for you to have something for your kids to do with their hands. Sherry uses fidgets. In a blog post titled Juggling a Houseful with Learning Stations Sherry shares a picture of what fidgets look like.

Other items mentioned:

Teach Them Diligently Home School Convention

Riley’s Stop Motion Video:

This week we had a few homeschooling families over for dinner and the topic of school planning came up.  As I shared how my method has changed over the years, my husband noticed the nodding heads (of mostly the husbands!) How is it that us wives stress out so much over lesson plans?! I have a couple of theories and some possible solutions.

Theory 1
Temperaments! I know that I go back to this frequently but it is integral to understanding how God wired us up AND to understanding our strengths/weaknesses. If you will recall from episode 10, the Choleric & Meloncholoy temperaments are the task focused temperaments and they like to have a PLAN! Melanchologies are also perfectionists and love their Sticky Note “to do” list. I believe it is a natural tendency to be stressed when life (AKA school planning) is unplanned. Yes, God does work on our weaknesses but it is a process!

Theory 2
I think our goals/purpose for homeschooling causes (or at least contributes to) the stress we experience in the area of school planning. This goes back to our discussion in episode 2. When our purpose in homeschooling is academic greatness rather than training their hearts and character in the ways of the Lord, then a natural side effect is pressure- sometimes extreme pressure- to find THE BEST curriculum, plan out GREAT lesson plans, and implement those plans! A good antibiotic for this is realizing that NO MATTER how hard you try, you WILL have gaps in your child’s education because it is not possible to teach your child every academic knowledge and skill there is. Despite the effort of “trained educators”, the same is true for them too- I’ve also been in that camp! But what you can teach them is how to love the Lord, obey HIM and exhibit Godly character…knowing that these things will follow them well in life and any laking skills or knowledge can be quickly obtained. Employers can’t train character but they can train skills.

THE “SCHOOL” METHOD
My college training ingrained in me a method of creating lesson plans where it was written out what would be accomplished everyday in each subject and the learning objectives/state standard for each lesson. These plans were kept in a book on my desk where the school administrators could view them at any point in our day. In addition to the weekly plans, I also had a “long range plan” of the skills I had to teach and how that was going to fit for the year.
There is nothing wrong with this type of planning in your homeschool, if it works for you. This is how I started in my homeschooling until I started spending more time revising it than I did implementing it or creating it in the first place! You can look at an example of those plans on the shownotes. This method of planning will be more difficult if you have a lot of context situations (as discussed in episode 11). Another difficulty to this level of detail and planning in advance is that it works for the Choleric & Melancholy (task oriented) temperaments but not so well for the people oriented.

The Lord revealed another method that has been working well for me. I like to call it a “Completed Work record”.

COMPLETED WORK RECORD – for daily plans
I started writing down everything we did in a school day AFTER it was completed. I have found that my life is much easier when I am electronically connected so I started using Google Docs to keep a record of daily work completed for each child. I will print these records out at the end of the year to include in their school work portfolios.

Benefits:
It has reduced the amount of frustration and time I spend revising daily written lesson plans–tremendously! I can edit the electronic record any where  (and any time I have a few minutes). Plus I can cut and paste…a nice feature to have!
The best benefit has been the relief of stress to “keep up with my plans”. (Again, this is coming from a task-oriented temperament as opposed to a people-oriented person who actually does need more structure.) Using this method, I have been better able to put a halt on school to deal with attitudes of the heart which need training- which is my primary focus for home educating my children. I don’t get so frustrated and overwhelmed at seeing my week of beautiful lesson plans crossed out or with arrows marked all over simply because I had to deal with outright defiance, temper tantrums, or lack of personal responsibility!

PLANNING FOR THE WEEK OR MONTH
History and science are the easiest for me to plan because they naturally lend themselves to units or sections. These smaller chunks can be broken down into a weekly flow of activities. To give myself flexibility, I write down the order of activities to complete a unit and sometimes I break it down to “Day 1”, etc. If I don’t complete all the activities for that day, or I over plan, then it is at the top of the list to do on the next day. It can be likened to creating a sequence. I try to plan a unit at a time but sometimes life gets in the way and I end up planning a week. I do try to know where I am heading in the curriculum. Math gets done one lesson at a time and is little planning though that varies by curriculum. I tend to use history and science books for me to read aloud or for my child to read to me/brothers. I do a phonics/spelling/handwriting program, called STEPS, that is already broken into lesson and activity and easy to plug in wherever I need. Piano is practiced daily with a lesson once per week. “Daily GRAMS”(English/editing) and Bible are done almost daily. Other subjects like art, writing, PE, Geography, Latin, Bible/Character Club are done at our co-op once a week with the homework being done at home (but NOT ALL of these subjects are done every year!)

WHAT I AM NOT SAYING
I am not saying you should not plan at all. To think that you can embark on such a huge task of home educating your children without any plan at all is hugely nieve and risky!  I am not saying you should be lazy in your planning or not teach your children valuable skills. They must learn the basics like reading, writing, and math. But does that mean your child is doomed academically if he/she doesn’t know all his vocabulary, know where Tanzania is in his/her head, or doesn’t remember all the facts of the Golden Age of Greece? No. Be wise, be purposeful, but also flexible.

What a relief to trust in my Lord and Savior to equip these children in skills they need to fulfil His purposes.

Links mentioned in this episode: Donna Young’s Lesson Plans

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Podcast Episode 15 Show Notes

• I briefly mentioned Notebooking in a Methods of Homeschooling blog post with a promise to go into more detail. I went to this session and for the first time received a good understanding of what “notebooking” is and the curriculum that uses this method.
• Jeannie Fulbright uses “a methodology of education that employs a child’s comprehension, critical thinking, and creativity to produce a permanent work of artistic and academic value.” This method is based on a Charlotte Mason approach (see previous blog post) which can be linked back to how many great thinkers of the past kept a learning notebook (IE Leonardo & G. Washington).
• Highschool lab manuals are basically Notebooking.
• You can use Notebooking with ANY curriculum.
• It uses “narration” which is telling back in your own words what you have learned.
• Is a great way to retain what is learned. You would read a book then the child draws a picture and writes what they learned or a summary. The child has to mull over the material. They forget what is read/learned if they don’t do anything with the information other than taking a quiz.
• It becomes a record of learning for the year.
• The child “owns” the book AND the knowledge that is in the book he/she created.
• Include in the Notebook: maps, mini books/lapbooks, photos of trips or projects, field trip reports, copywork, timelines, summaries, newspaper articles, brochures, and charts/diagrams.
• Notebooking does take more time than a test or quiz.
• Don’t go overboard by doing one everyday.

Lets look at typical assessments for a minute.

• Notebooking replaces “artificial assessment” with authentic learning. Typical assessments don’t increase learning potential and they do not engage the child.

• In the lower grades, typical assessments do not develop critical thinking.
• no contemplation and it doesn’t engage the whole mind.
• makes the purpose of learning about the test
• uses mostly short term memory

Other Links mentioned in this episode:

Lapbooks Podcast Episode

Notebooking Pages – Free Sample Page Downloads

Apologia Science

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Other examples of Riley’s Notebooks:

Reasons to attend a homeschool conference:

• It “refuels” mom and gives much needed encouragement!
• Refreshing time away.
• Personal growth in the Lord.
• Hands on opportunity in the vendor hall to really “see” the curriculum.

Rhino Technologies – Get audio files (MP3) of the sessions from the Teach Them Diligently conference.

Yee Haw! Books for Boys- Jan Bloom

• Boys do what they see their dads do so dads need to model reading from a real book, not just electronic books!
• Allow boys to move around while you read a longer book- they ARE listening!  It takes all their concentration to “sit still” and it frees up their mind to be able to move AND listen. (See blog post on Fidgets)
• Allow kids to posses the books they love- write their name in them and keep them accessible.
• Be aware of when the books were published! Prior to the 1960s the school librarians were the “gate keepers” but it is not so now.
• Boys like books with odd information, obscure facts, and challenges. Don’t be afraid of books with battles and conquering.
• Keep a “Book Journal” or index box with cards of title, author, # of pages in the book, plot & a few sentences. Gives you a record of what you’ve read and you can go back through your favorites without forgetting them. (See Lamplighter Publishing)
• If reading continues to be difficult past 10-12 years, consider www.visiontherapy.com
• Books for “early reading”
• Nancy Drew, Beatrix Potter, Thorton Burgess, Frog and Toad, Bobbsey Twins, Marion Renich (sports), I Can Read Series,
• Boxcar Children- the first 19 books were written by Warner but not the later ones (the character & values are better in #1-19).
• Be careful of language and attitude in biography category. Check out Garrard Biographies, Childhood of Famous Americans

“intermediate” reading

• Madeleine L’Engle, Jenny L. Cote,  Hardy Boys, Sugar Creek Gang, American Adventure, American Heritage, Scripture Slueth, The Building on the Rock Series (5th grade +)
• Be careful of language and attitude in biography category. Check out YWAM Biographies & Trailblazer Biographies

The Seven E’s for Choosing Curriculum- Jeannie Fullbright

• See the last blog post for more of her points.
• Be more intentional about devotion time both personally and with the kids. Devotion tends to go whenever we think we are behind in our “curriculum”!
• I try to choose curriculum where Christ is in the center and woven throughout EVERYTHING rather than a curriculum with God as a ‘side entree’.
• When you abandon a curriculum because it no longer works/fits your needs, then try to figure out WHY. This is so you don’t end up buying the same thing with a different name on it!

The Brain, Memory, & Learning- Carlita Boyle

• Takes 5-6 hours to move learning from temporary to permanent storage. Teaching a new skill befores this causes problems with the first learning. Application: It doesn’t always help to give more work- need short teaching times.

• the time of day influences learning- Learn your child’s pattern
• Most probable effective learning times are after waking, just before bedtime, few hours before/after midpoint of the day. Ask your child “Is there a time that you like to learn?”
• Stress has a major impact on memory. Children link the EMOTION they had when learning something back to the INFORMATION they learned!
• Not getting enough sleep interferes with memory. REM sleep happens in the later hours of the night and that is when short term memory is transferred to long term. Power Sleep by James Maas
• Exercise helps memory! Learn first then exercise- It releases epinephrin and they learn better. DON’T SKIP RECESS!!
• 3 ways to get information into long term memory

1. intense sensory experience to link memory to
2. intense repetition or drill (most commonly used in textbooks)
3. drill used over TIME- is effective when learning a little bit  at a     time, over time.

Sensory Based Activities- Special Needs Consultant in SCAIHS

• “All children can benefit at some time instructionally with sensory activities to allow them to be better able to focus on the lessons being taught.” Osbornes call them “fidgets”. They keep the fingers busy so the brain can focus.
• Indicators of Sensory Integration disorder: speech & laguage delay/deficits, hypo &/or hyper activity level (like with Vestibular issues), stimuli reactions (tactile issues), difficulty with coordination skills (motor planning like with Proprioceptive issues)
• “FEED THE NEED!” Identify the need & provide opportunities for the child to do it in a safe and appropriate mannor. Examples
• We DO need to introduce textures they don’t like- little bits at a time.
• Plan some sensory activities in your day that are individualized to your child…even in busy or “bad” days.
• check out www.sizzlebop.com and carol’s Web Corner http://www.westfieldacademy.org/adhd/ for ideas on teaching distractable children and helping them to memorize or retain information.
• check out www.blueletterbible.com for awesome features that are helpful for ALL CHILDREN. I was also told (but haven’t figured it out for myself yet) that you can enlarge a passage and change the background/text color to make it easier for dyslexic readers.

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Our goal in this episode is to equip you with some basic knowledge of the types of curriculum with some pros and cons of each. This is so that you can identify what your educational styles are and what some curricula choices are that matches your style. This BY NO MEANS is intended to be an an all inclusive list! There’s no way to know all that is available on the market- it changes too fast!

If you learn the basic categories that most curriculum falls into then you can identify it yourself. This is especially helpful when you go to curriculum fairs, homeschool conventions, or think you might like to try your friend’s favorite curriculum.

I personally believe that the most rounded education comes from using a variety of types.  EVERY product available is going to have holes or at the very least, disadvantages. My best friend watched me run in circles trying to find the “perfect” curriculum when I began home schooling. I did finally realize there was no such thing because I didn’t write it (coming up with my own thing was time consuming, exhausting and at times- expensive).

I have also learned there is a “season” for every type of curriculum to be used- by most people. For example, a workbook curriculum might be necessary in one subject or in a season of context (new baby or moving) even if it is not your preferred method. Or you might need to use a unit approach to get your reluctant learner excited about learning.

The 4 types of curriculum that we are going to compare are:
Workbook*
Textbook*
Unit Study
Literature Books

*Because of the similarities between these two, it can be difficult to define the difference because most textbooks also have a workbook component and vice versa.

Below is a chart that we mentioned in this episode of the HSSN Podcast. This chart shows the Pros, Cons, Planning, Temperament, and example notes for each homeschool curriculum type.

Also mentioned in this episode is an episode of the DaddyLife.net Podcast discussing Love Languages and HSSN Podcast Episode 10 on Temperaments.

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It is difficult for a few reasons. One is that I personally do best being able to put my hands on it to view the curriculum in it’s entirety (rather than viewing a lesson or unit that is available to view online).  Another reason is that I HATE wasting money! Finally, there are many review websites and blogs out there but I found some of the reviews to be written by the publishers of the curriculum (I didn’t want a sales pitch) and the other reviews would be all over the place. I realize that no one curriculum will be a perfect fit for everyone but reading some raving reviews right next to some obviously disgruntled reviews for the same curriculum was frustrating and confusing for me.

I am going to do my best to give a factual review of the God’s Design for Science series. First let’s start with some curriculum details.

This series is written by Debbie & Richard Lawrence and published by Answers in Genesis. It is divided into 4 theme areas: Chemistry and Ecology (3-8th), Physical World (3-8th), Heaven and Earth (1-8th), and Life (1-8th). Each of these themes has three individual books that goes into more specific content.  For example the God’s Design for Life has “World of Plants”, “World of Animals”, and “Human Body”. It takes about a year to complete the three books so the whole curriculum series would be four years of science.

Advantages:

• The biggest advantage, in my opinion, is that it is multi grade level in the SAME book. EACH lesson is written with a “beginner” section that fits K-2nd really well, a section for 3-8th, and some “challenge” sections designed for 6-8th but my third grader can often complete. Included are “Special Features” articles which are fun facts or biographies of scientists who have contributed to the subject.
• It is creation based (meaning it is completely evolution theory free) and examples of God’s design of our world is woven throughout the curriculum.
• Comprehension questions are included for every level and in every lesson (the teacher’s book has the answers).
• There are added activities for each lesson like experiments, worksheets, research projects, and some charades/art. Any worksheets and tests are on the CD ROM that is included with each individual book.
• MOST activities do not require much prep time or materials (and the materials they do require are ones you would have on hand or from a grocery store).
• It lends well to pulling in additional picture books or activities.
• The cost is pretty low and you have the option of buying per book, per theme  series, or the whole series.

Disadvantages

• The unit tests cover content for all the grade levels. If your child doesn’t do the “challenge” sections then there will be questions that he/she will not know on the tests. Likewise, the tests are very difficult for the K-2nd “beginner” level as much of the content would be foreign to them.
• The content of each lesson is light (at least for the “World of Animals” book but that may not be the case for “Properties of Atoms and Molecules” book!)
• If you want a science curriculum that is highly WORKSHEET OR EXPERIMENT based then this NOT for you!

For our family, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I realize that no curriculum is perfect.  You may however, want to check God’s Design out!

Also mentioned in this episode was the Teach Them Diligently Convention for Christian homeschoolers. We highly recommend this convention if you are going to be anywhere near the upstate of South Carolina between March 15-17.

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In particular “context” is an area I struggle with. I attribute it to the task oriented part of both my primary and secondary temperaments (I’m sure being a firstborn also has a part). But alas God is still “working on me” and having four boys (one with special needs) has a way of speeding up the process I think.

Homeschooling can look completely different from one family to another and this is especially the case when there are special needs. This is also the beauty of homeschooling. Parents get to choose how to best teach their child by taking into account any needs.

Caden’s Page – Read more about our special needs son. We never know what medical issues we are going to face or when they will come.

GENERAL HELPS

1. Heavier work load when Caden’s well. Which means we are mostly at home rather than out and about.
2. When he’s well enough for therapy, which comes to the house, I make sure I count that as school time. Keep his goal sheets and evaluations.
3. I give myself 365 days to complete 180 days of school. So basically we do school year around with short breaks as we need them. This also takes care of the problem that comes with long breaks which is that NO one wants to start back! Of course retention is better without long breaks.
4. Record the work that WAS completed rather than the lessons you WANT to complete. This saves time & frustration from erasing lesson plans plus the pressure to get it all done.

DURING ILLNESSES (Context or other context situations)

1. Use less active school like videos, reading stories, and educational toy/game like TAG Reader or LEAP Pad. Videos may vary from “There Goes A Helicopter”, to “Character Builder” series, to “Ancient Egypt”. We do a lot of books on tape from the library because Caden is not reading yet or we listen to a Creation based science series called “Jonathan Park” which has our whole family on the edge of our seat!
2. I give my older child more of the independent work subjects like those which are on the computer/online. Ex Teaching Textbooks, Rosetta, SOS, typing
3. I write down everything we do and if it is really not much, then I may count two days worth work as one “school day”.
4. Somedays I just have to remember that he’s doing more learning at home than he would be getting in a Special Ed class.  The amount of days he would miss in public or private would be MANY! Give yourself some grace and “tomorrow’s another day!”

Resources

Character Builders DVD Set – Capture your child’s imagination witfully-animated episodes on Obedience & Self Control, Sharing and Kindness, Patience and Peace, Confidence and Love, Thankfulness and Gentleness and more.

The Amazing Bible Series – The Amazing Book

Ancient Africa (Ancient Civilizations for Children) – We found a version on Greece in our local public library.

Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution 1

Your Backyard: Identifying 18 Common Feeder Birds by Sight and Sound

There Goes A….(DVDs)

Real Wheels – Truck Adventures (There Goes a Truck/Fire Truck/Garbage Truck)

Real Wheels – Mega Truck Adventures

Real Wheels – There Goes a Rescue Hero

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What are the four temperaments we will cover in this podcast episode? 

Choleric (lion): task oriented-extrovert
Sanguine (otter): people oriented-extrovert
Melancholy (beaver): task oriented-introvert
Phlegmatic (golden retriever): people oriented- introvert

A version of this episode is also available on the Daddy Life podcast.

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Spirit-Controlled Temperament by Tim LaHaye

Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself by Florence Littauer

The Treasure Tree: Helping Kids Understand Their Personality by Dr. John Trent and Gary Smalley

Wired That Way: An Easy-to-Use Questionnaire for Helping People Discover Their God-Given Personality Type

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SC has three options to choose from in terms of who you answer to from an accountability perspective. On the surface these options can seem to be very similar and that can create confusion for the homeschool parent when trying to choose an option.  We will break down the differences and similarities of these three options in South Carolina. HSLDA “State Laws” map. This link is a great tool showing the level of states’ regulations at a glance. Individual states are listed at the bottom. Click on your state then click “Legal Analysis” to read what the law actually says for your state.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are our personal interpretation of the SC Homeschool law. We are not lawyers. You should review the law for yourself and/or seek legal advice.

South Carolina Home School Law Basics:

There are three options in terms of accountability in the State of SC. You can be accountable to:

Option I: The district board of trustees
Option II: South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS)
Option III: An association (of your choice) for home schools which has at least fifty members.

Options II and III seem very similar on the surface and we will explain the differences in more detail below. We will also provide some links to associations that meet the requirements for Options III.

Similarities of the Options:

Compulsory Attendance Ages: “five years of age before September first until … seventeenth birthday or graduates from high school.” Any parents whose child is “not six years of age on or before the first day of September of a particular school year may elect for their child” not to attend kindergarten, and then must sign a written document with the school district. S.C. Code § 59-65-10. The source for this quote is HSLDA’s legal analysis of SC law.

Basic Requirements:

1) A parent must have a high school diploma or GED
2) The school year must be at least 180 days
3) Subjects taught must include: Reading, writing, math, science, and social studies; composition and literature in grades 7-12.

Differences between the options:

Option I vs. Option II – Michael Farris said at one point, “South Carolina was the most active state in the nation in taking home schoolers to court.”

1992 – Option II – Law passed
1996 – Option III – law passed

Option II vs. III

The over arching difference between II and III is that with Option II you have a mandated accountability group (SCAIHS) vs. in Option III you can choose.

SCAIHS membership requirements are much more structured than most of the Option III accountability groups.  (see their site for things like required testing for certain grade levels)

The Option III accountability groups’ membership fees are on average about 10% that of SCAIHS. However SCAIHS is much more organized and offers some benefits that none of the Option III accountability groups.

A list of accountability associations from State of SC: (CAUTION: Some track more data than the law requires.)

PACESC – $40 covers all family members

The South Carolina Homeschool Accountability Association (http://www.tschaa.com/) – $10 covers all family members (Not mentioned or linked on SCHEA web site or HSLDA)

The accountability groups in option III are required by SC state law. The law is focused on reporting and membership requirements. The law associated with Option III does not require these associations to provide support in terms of support group meetings, field trips, cooperative education services, etc. There are a number of support groups that you can choose to join regardless of the homeschool option you choose in SC. OPTION III is the least intrusive Homeschool Option for parents in the state of SC. You are not required to provide anything directly to your school district or the state as long as you follow the requirements of your OPTION III Home School Association as defined by  SC §59-65-47.

South Carolina Virtual Charter Schools:

If you choose to enroll your child in SC Virtual Charter Schools you are not considered to be home schooling in the state of SC! This method of educating your child is simply providing public school education directed by a public school teacher in a separate geographic location from the other public school kids in your district. We have heard stories about parents and even state employees confusing virtual charter schools with homeschooling. The SCVCS web site is very well worded and should create no confusion in this area. The SCVCS program is a good option for families who want public education for their children but would rather not send their children into the public school classroom. A great example is when you have a child in your home that you are not allowed to choose the education method. It might be due to custody reasons. They might be foster children that the state or social worker will not allow to be homeschooled.

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We want to use this Christmas time to introduce the concept of Lapbooks as a “curriculum” or as a supplement teaching method to what you may already be using.

Simply put Lapbooks are a type of homemade fold out “book” created out of file folders that have been taped together. Included on the foldouts are mini books or folded pockets of things that have been learned about a thing, literature book, time period, or even math concept.

PROS:
Great for children who like to “create”. Makes learning fun!
Children are like authors creating their own books and take ownership in the learning process.
Allows children to guide their learning to subject areas of interest. NOTE: Not that our children get to avoid learning things that they don’t like – the basics are still necessary!
Many use “real” literature books.
Uses a “thematic” or “unit” approach which ties all subject areas to one topic or example.
Can be used to “skim” a subject or historical period (as in colonial period). Lapbooks can also be used as a very in depth study on something like trains for example. With a broad history of trains or study of a specific type of trains.
Very little cost. (more details below)

CONS:
Lapbooks often involve moderate to much handwriting depending on the level. However many have sections with tracing options.
This method may not be fun for some children.
Requires assembly, but you do have the benefit of deciding how many pages to include.
There may not be a Lapbook on the topic you/child wants to study which will require more labor and research.

MATERIALS
Library books can be used. You may need a computer with Internet access and a printer (preferably color). You will need file folders, sissors,  glue/tape, colors, and possibly a map and/or a dictionary.
Laminating the folders before attaching all the mini books can help make them more durable but it does increase cost.
You can laminate over the pockets too, you just need a razor knife to cut them open afterwards.
One resource that is helpful to have especially if you are using this approach as a primary means of curriculum is the Enchanted Learning website subscription. The cost is $20 per year.

LAPBOOK RESOURCES
Homeschool Share – a great lapbook resource site. (free Lapbooks- just click and print!) Master Lapbook List
Enchanted Learning Some free lapbook resources. The yearly subscription to this site is a must if you use lapbooks often.
Christian Preschool Printables – We sometimes include these mini books by making a pocket out of construction paper & gluing/stapling to the Lapbook.
DLTK WEBSITE – a great minibook resource, but this site has a ton more to offer. We will mention it again I am sure.

CHRISTMAS LAPBOOKS

The Legend of the Candy Cane Lapbook Instructions – Full downloadable lapbook instructions from Homeschool Share.

Hands of a Child “Symbols of Christmas” Lapbook

Example of a finished product 12 page PDF preview of a finished product from Currclick. They have lapbook instructions for purchase for less than $10.

Video of how to create a basic lapbook that we found on YouTube:

Advent

Waiting for Christmas – A great book to begin explaining what advent is all about.

Jotham’s Journey – We love this book as a read-aloud to the entire family right after dinner during the days of advent. The story has plenty of excitement and draws in the kids to help build their excitement about Christmas.

The Jesse Tree – Many churches once displayed the lineage of Jesus in their church during Christmas time. These churches used a Jesse Tree to accomplish this. This book helps you teach the history of people that were included in Jesus’ earthly family.

Jesse Tree Advent Activity Kit – An activity book to help you build your Jesse Tree. We found several links when searching for “printable jesse tree ornaments“.
Activities and Stories

ADVENTure of Christmas – A great resource book. You can read a story filled with history about one or more Christmas traditions or you can choose one of the many activities to do with your children.

The Legend of the Candy Cane – The is a great book that can be used to build a Lapbook. Stay tuned for next week’s episode to get more details on what a lapbook is and how Sherry uses this book as the subject for a lapbook during the Christmas season.

Mommy, Was Santa Claus Born on Christmas Too? – One of many books by this author. This book helps put the emphasis where it should be during CHRISTmas without spoiling the fun families have with Santa Claus. This book helps explain how we went from Saint Nicholas to the man in the red suit.

Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend – A historical account of saint Nicholas.

Ordinary Baby, Extraordinary Gift – Amazing music and book authored by Gloria Gather. The music is absolutely beautiful.

From Answers In Genesis

Uncovering the Real Nativity – This small booklet is filled with facts about the Christmas story that are rarely heard. Most narratives describing the birth of Jesus are filled with details that have no scriptural basis. This pocket sized booklet will help you stick to the facts when telling the story of Jesus’ birth.

First Christmas (The), (by historian Diana Waring) – Most Christians hear the Luke 2 account of the birth of the Christ-child each year. But few of us have heard the full chronological retelling of the multi-Gospel account. In this very special audio presentation, the high-energy historian Diana Waring shares from detailed research and reveals the rich background of Mary, Joseph, the Roman occupation, the culture of the day, and much more.

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We have no relationship with Teaching Textbooks other than by simply being a satisfied customer. We have not been asked to produce this review and are not being compensated for the review in any way. We do highly recommend Teaching Textbooks as your home school math curriculum.

In this episode we also mention Time4Learning.

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These are show notes for the Home School Support Network podcast episode number 5.

Structure and Routine

Does every minute have to be scheduled?
How to recognize which one is best for you. “free spirit & people person?” vs. a “task oriented getter don type person?”
WARNING FLAG – don’t be a slave to your schedule

From Mom’s Notes “Structuring Your Children’s Day” part 1
“Many parents do not see how a routine can help bring peace to a home. Nor do they understand how an effective routine often eliminates need for discipline/correction. Think you don’t need a routine?
“Do you see your children getting into trouble more often each day?”
“Do you feel like a truck has run over you by the time your husband gets home each day?”
“Do you feel trapped being at home with your children?”

Why have a schedule or routine?

1. Brings order to my day by helping me manage the priorities I set.

• Keeps me from starting many things only to go from one unfinished task to another without focus or direction-“wandering” then wondering where my time went.
• Set your priorities and plan a time for each priority daily/weekly. Where’s your time with God?
• Keep in mind that unless you yourself have structure in your day, it will not matter how structured your child’s day is because you won’t be able to adhere to their routine either.

1. Creates contentment

• Children learn submission, humility, self control with a parent directed day. In contrast, without a routine children have too much authority, choice, and control.
• It is amazing to me how many discipline issues are resolved through the consistent use of routine!
• The child does have choices during the day within boundaries (free time). In short, if you don’t direct the day then THEY WILL and this will rarely lead to peace and an adequate learning enviro. Children don’t run the “classroom” and in homeschooling you are now the parent AND the teacher!

1. It helps mom be proactive and fosters peacefulness-a necessity with multiple children.

• Set the senario: 4 boys free playing (loosely monitored) in the early evening hours, mom trying to cook….not good!  Plan what to do with each child and expect some trial and error.
• Carla Link states in “Structuring Your Child’s Day” Part 2   “Kids who live without structure can develop behavior problems. Frequent tantrums, whining, a disregard for rules, inappropriate or aggressive behavior, constant demands, and an inability to share are some of the signs that your child needs more structure.”

HOW DO I START?

1. Prayer Phil 4:6
2. Evaluate for a few days/week and write down your existing routine OR write down things as you do them on the appropriate day. *write down realistically how long each thing takes! Ie “Activity List”

INCLUDE:

• self control training- sitting us a skill that must be trained, it does not come natural!
• Chores training
• Devotion/Bible story time with the kids
• Sibling indiv playtime
• Pack and play time/Room-time
• Outside play/nature walk
• Errands including driving time
• Quiet time with books/Storytime
• Structured playtime (coloring/art, puzzles, toys, etc)
• Free play time at a toy box
• Individual time with each child daily/every other day…15 min, 30 min, or more?

3. Do the same thing for your children’s activities

1. Get your spouse’s input
   1. choose which route you want to go-schedule or routine. Either way, make meals, naps, & bedtimes as fixed as you can. If need be, create a M,W,F and T,Th routine.
   2. Check show notes for samples of schedules & for a blank one to get yourself started. Start with the fixed activities and fill in from your Activities List. If your kids are not used to a routine, start with establishing consistent bed and wake times.

WARNING – *Do NOT try to copy someone else’s schedule!  Instead use it for ideas and as a GUIDE.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

• Remember to leave “catch up time”. If you freq feel like you are rushing from one thing to another then you prob haven’t given yourself enough time for each activity.

• Look for the most stressful time of the day- that is where you need more structure!

• Have a stop time throughout the day at ___:00 and go to next activity no matter where they are at.

• When you homeschool there will be days you don’t get anything done but heart training and that’s ok!

• Implement “pieces” of your schedule at a time, either AM or PM

• *DON’T CHUCK THE WHOLE SCHEDULE IF YOU GET OFF SOMEWHERE!!* Having a sch/routine helps you jump back in where ever you are at that time. Give example

• Parting challenge- Have we engaged our children or overseen them all day?  Take encouragement that a schedule will help with this.

HELPS FOR MOM’S DAY

1. Plan meals in advance!

• Create a two week meal plan

• Eliminates stress if figuring out what’s for dinner (or freezer meals not being thawed!)
• Saves money and time with less grocery store stops (or fast food purchases)

• Learn how to use a crockpot…find recipes.

1. Create a rotating chore plan.

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These are show notes for the Home School Support Network podcast episode number 4.

How To Homeschool Basics “Basic Training”

• Need to create a foundation before (successful) homeschooling can begin.
• Need to frequently reevaluate/retrain these

We referred to some great material from Todd Wilson from Family Man Ministries and also referred to an HSLDA Home School Court Report article from the Sep/Oct issued by Michael Farris titled 10 Lessons I Learned from 30 Years of Home Schooling.

Keep your expectations in check
HSLDA Article point #4 from Michael Farris

• Learn your husband’s non-negotiable for house cleanliness
• How long do you expect them to sit while receiving instruction/teaching? still vs fidget?
• What will school look like? Do you think mom needs to be standing at an easel or everyone around a table, etc.

HSDLA Article Point #5 Strive for mastery in just two areas (i.e., language and math)

Husbands Need to Help

• Farris talks about this in the article point #7. Protect your wife from over commitment
  –  give your wife permission to throw you under the bus when people ask for help. (i.e. Wife can say, “I’ll have to check with my husband)
  – Don’t be quilted into putting ministry support in front of the needs of your family.
• Make sure your wife gets a break. Mom is also a wife and has friends. Refer to http://daddylife.net/session7 title Mommy is a Wife.
• Dads need to off-load homeschooling academics and/or household upkeep. Do it yourself or hire a house keeper or tutor if you can afford it.
• Husbands need to learn wife’s hot button issues and take care of those first.
• From http://DaddyLife.net/firstthings“I will paraphrase what our good friend Gary Ezzo says in the Preparation for Parentingseries, “You will only be as good of a parent as you are a spouse.”  Dads cannot forget how important their commitment is to the marriage relationship. Mr. Ezzo says in the Fathers Mandate from Chapter 4 of Growing Kids God’s Way by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, “If you really love your children, if you really love your children then give them the gift of confidence and security. Show them how much you love their mom.”  Parents need to teach their kids what healthy relationships look like and there is no better place to begin than by demonstrating an unconditional love for each other.”There are many ways to demonstrate love towards your wife.  You can certainly tell your wife that you love her, but little kids in particular tend to understand better by seeing than by hearing. So husbands should not wait until the kids are in bed to demonstrate your love toward their wife. Check of DaddyLife.net/session13 for more specific tips for dads in this area.

From the article point #6 we are reminded that Moms need to remember that your marriage is more important than your curriculum

• Mom needs some energy left at the end of the day. Review the time and energy it takes to implement your curriculum.

How well do your children Submit to your authority?

First Time Obedience- Immediately, completely, without challenge or complaint

• An example of us obeying God. We are His representatives. Why is the important in homeschooling specifically?
• Not all learning will be “fun” or “easy”-cant spend hours fighting to get things done or you will burn out and put your kid into school

Self Control Training

Purpose: (1) Self control is a base virtue, (2) Helps a child sit, focus, and concentrate longer.

Howto: Practice self control by what we call “sit time” as learned in our parent training. The child sits for a few minutes. (Practicing what you would love to have them do in a bank or doctor’s office) Start with as many minutes as your child can handle and work up from there by increasing the length of time they sit each day to practice.

Training children to do chores

Why: Time with mom learning to do things that will eventually free mom up to do other things. It trains responsibility and they invest into the family and acquire a sense of ownership of the family unit.

How: Have them work along side you until they show enough understanding to be allowed to do the task on their own. Then use a timer to help them stay on task. What Every Child Should Know Along the Way will help parents understand what chores are appropriate for a particular age of child. The book is available in the GFI.org Store.

Structure and routine

All of the above is much more likely to be accomplished if you have established structure and routine.

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• The Myths about Home School
• Reasons commonly given for NOT homeschooling

Myths about Homeschooling?

1. Socialization – The more traditional meaning is that kids need to mingle and learn with other kids so that they are better prepared to go out into the world. Who will do a better job? Your kids along with a group of their peers who are just as inexperienced as your kids? Do your kid’s teachers have time to train in how to deal with the world?

Per Dictionary.com:
so·cial·i·za·tion
[soh-shuh-luh-zey-shuhn] Show IPA
noun
1. a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior,and social skills appropriate to his or her social position.

The question that all parents should be asking is, “Whose values and behavior standards are they using?”

2. No Degree or parents thinking they are not smart enough or trained well enough

   • degree taught Sherry classroom management & exposed her to resources/books more than anything. Utopia!

3. Costly – We consider this one to be a myth because cost is relative. If you are homeschooling in place of a $4,000 per year private school then home schooling is not costly. There are other factors that com into play depending on what curriculum(s) you choose and how often you switch. You can also increase home school if you get involved in co-ops that charge a fee to participate or if you frequently take expensive field trips.

Why NOT home school?

We want to acknowledge that some people simply could not home school there children even if they wanted to because of circumstances out of their control.

Single Parents
Financial Situations
An unsupportive spouse

Even with that said don’t give up if you believe God is calling you to homeschool. He will not give you a task that He is not willing to equip you to accomplish.

Can sacrifices be made?

Our past financial mistakes here with NOT adjusting lifestyle. Don’t forget the cost of daycare and children’s programs that you will be saving money on by having mom at home.

Creative scheduling? If you can’t do without Mom’s extra income for now then how about alternate or flex schedules. Don forget that homeschool is not required to be an exact replica of a public school classroom. You can school on the weekends or in the evenings for a season.

Curriculum choices can be as hands on OR as hands off as you desire. We will get to this in future episodes, but your choice of curriculum can aid you in dealing with scheduling issues because many programs are self paced and require less supervision.

 

U.S. Department of Education Survey on Homeschooling

Why We Home School?

1. Preschool training – Bible stories, self control, respect for authority, responsibility, manners.
2. Insulate our kids – Have greater influence over who their peers are.
3. Character Training – Sherry’s experience as a teacher in the best district in the State of SC
4. Authority of Scripture:  To be able to teach the Bible as infallible, authoritative, and the literal word of God.
5. Ability to tailor teaching to the individual needs of each child (Phonics, more hands on, more field trips)
6. Less time spent on academics equals more family time
7. Teaching a special needs child without the labels (Heart Protection)
8. Educating outside the box. (Telling time – State standards for his age only required him to tell time to the hour.)
9. Ability to travel

 

The Home School Support podcast is your online homeschooling support group.  Are you struggling to find the best curriculum or methods to teach your child? The Home School Support Network is here to help by providing curriculum and resource reviews, time management tips, as well as experiences with teaching methods.

Introductions: Hank and Sherry Osborne

Our Kids: (at the time of this recording)

Riley (9 in a  few days)
Caden (7 in a  few weeks) – Caden’s Page
Josiah (aka JJ is 4)
Levi 16 months

Our Web Site Address: homeschoolsupport.net

Why are we here?
What is this podcast and web site going to cover?

– Online support for home schooling parents
– Weekly home school support podcast
– Evaluating if home schooling is the right choice for your child (each child)
– Curriculum choices – How to decide and when to change.
– Book reviews
– Reviews of other resources (homeschool teaching aids, games, videos, and more)
– Schedule management – Schooling multiple children of different ages
– Home schooling special needs kids

Are you considering Home School?
– Start researching now
– Hang out with some HS families (invite them over for dinner or a Sat lunch)
– Ask a Homeschooling friend to take you to a local support group meeting
– Read other’s thoughts
Craig over at Daddy by Default posted a guest article by Jamie McMillin. She has homeschooled her three kids for the past 15 years, and is the author of Legendary Learning: The Famous Homeschoolers’ Guide to Self-Directed Excellence, to be published in October 2011.

Favorite Site of the Week: Home School Legal Defense Association