Teach your kids to cook...

I ran across this great website and wanted to share it with you all.

http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com

It has ideas, lessons and other information on teaching kids to cook. It also has a section telling about different fruits and veggies, and how to select and store them, and a recipe to use them in.
We'll probably start some of these soon.

Yippee!!!

I am so excited. Candy is doing a series about evolution on her blog and it's a subject I've been wanting to study.

I have not done any in depth study on evolution vs. creation, but I will admit that I go into the discussion with some bias.

1. As presented in high school, evolution made absolutely no sense to me. I just could not understand how a big bang and some primordial soup turned into plants, animals and people. Oh, and who made the primordial soup?

2. Let's say I read a book about dogs that says something like, "300 million years ago this type of dog would have been a such and such." Huh??? How could anyone possibly know what a particular type of dog was 300 million years ago? Where are the records of what was going on back then or even that there was a back then.

3. Let's say I read a book that says, "Some animals, like snakes, use their jaw bones to hear. The bones in human ears which allow us to hear evolved from jawbones of these animals." Huh??? I could possibly understand a snake evolving into another type of snake, but the jawbone of a snake turning into the bones in human ears??? Besides, I thought we came from monkeys.

(While paraphrased, the above examples come from actual books produced by extremely popular book companies. That is one reason I am very careful about the type of books I buy.)

4. I believe the Bible is God's word and I believe His word is true. So when God says He made it, I believe He made it. When He says six days, I believe it took six days. Otherwise He would have said "six time periods". When He says He made each thing according to its kind, I believe He made monkeys and He made man instead of making monkeys turn into man.

In fact, He said He made man from the "dust of the ground" and "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life". (Okay, I'm rambling now, but I just love that part. I love, love, love that He breathed life into Adam. It reminds me of my babies taking their first breaths. And it reminds me of how He keeps my heart pumping and my lungs going from day to day. Life is an awesome gift from God!)

5. I've heard it suggested that perhaps God used evolution in the process of creation. Why would He do that? I don't understand why an omnipotent God would need to use evolution to create the world. And I really don't understand why it would take him 500 million years to do it.

6. I was really excited to see Candy use the word "stalactite" in one of her posts on evolution because we learned about those on our trip to San Antonio. Our tour guide was great, but I did not buy his comments about a single stalactite taking a million years to form. Do you know how long that is? I am sure it appears they would take that long to form, but an omnipotent God (or a flood He caused) could create one in an instant. My God can do anything!

So my beliefs about creation and evolution are admittedly simple, and that is fine with me as, "the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom..." (1 Corinthians 1:25) and "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise..." (1 Corinthians 1:27) The bottom line for me is - I serve an omnipotent God!

Feel free to share any links you have on the subject, even if they don't line up with my thoughts above. I would like as much information as possible so I can teach my children, and I think it will be fun to learn something new. Right now I am sitting here laughing at myself. It's amazing how much I have to say about a subject I don't have strong feelings about.

It's not easy being Queen.

Huh???

Girl Gets Detention for Hugging Friend

Grade School Bans Tag

All I can say is - ridiculous!

School days...

A few pics...

Here we are at Homeschool Day at the local roller rink.





We read The Story About Ping, and some non fiction books about birds and ducks. We also read The Fire Keepers Son and The Seven Chinese Brothers and took a trip to the fire station to see a presentation about safety.



Next, we'll read A Grain of Rice and a book about China.



Last week we went on a safari at a local wildlife ranch. They had a sloth, a monkey, a capybara, a longhorn, kagaroos, lemurs, deer, camels, zebras, horses, and water buffalo. I try to remember to call things by their real names. So instead of saying, "Look at the baby kangaroo," I say, "Look at the Joey!" It helps the kids' vocabulary.


Here's Drew petting a miniature horse.

Here's Jazzy seeking protection from a dog.

Here she is petting the dog.

The kids went on a train ride around the wildlife park. I rode in the bed of the truck that pulled the train. It was so cold out there!!!

The safari wagons had buckets of food on either side so you could pet the animals when they came up to eat. I had to make sure no animal germs got on my little Joey! I kept saying stuff like, "Don't touch the baby with animal hands." We did lots of hand washing and used antibacterial gel.

I'm so glad we didn't plan on eating lunch at the park. I was shocked to see people eat on tables animals had crawled on. There was animal poop all over the ground, so when we got home I made the kids leave their shoes in the garage. Drew reminded me that I'm supposed to be learning to like animals. I'm trying, but it's gonna take some time!

Drew seems to learn as much or even more on our breaks from formal lessons than he does when we do book work daily. I think this has to do with Katie's "window theory".


I have a foster mom friend who puts her foster kids in every therapy possible. She had some girls in OT a couple times a week and also worked with them extensively in the between times. Each time she would tell me that she did ABC or XYZ with her child and finally after blank number of months the child “got it” I’d say “But how do you know she would not have gotten it anyway?” I am a subscriber to the “window theory”. When it is time for a child to comprehend something all of a sudden that window will open and they get it. Just like you can’t teach a 3yo algebra. Sure you could spend 12 years feeding him the information but until it is time he just can’t do the work.


I've had similar thoughts about all the 2 and 3 year olds in speech therapy, but that's a whole 'nother post.

When Drew was in preschool, his teachers were very concerned about his handwriting, even suggesting I take him to handwriting therapy at the ripe old age of four! I felt he just needed more time to develop. For the most part we have NOT worked on it over the past few years. Now it's seemed to just click.

When I pay attention to my son's cues instead of following someone else's idea of what he should be doing, everything goes smoothly. Learning doesn't have to be a chore.


We started our phonics workbooks last week and Drew did 28 language lessons and 22 phonics lessons in 4 days. Since he is already reading well, the phonics exercises are just reinforcement and they are fun for him.


I am going to try the same thing with math - teaching naturally throughout the day and letting him do book work at his own pace, instead of sitting down to a daily math lesson. It will take a bit of work on my part to stay aware of opportunities to teach certain concepts, but I think it will be fun for both of us. I'm going to experiment a little until I find something that works. First born children make great Guinea Pigs.

Are homeschoolers accountable to the state???

When people find out I am homeschooling, they always ask questions about state mandated testing, reporting, curriculum and oversight as if I cannot be trusted to do what's best for my child and I surely need Big Brother's supervision.

Considering a recent report that 1 in 10 Schools are 'Dropout Factories', I am puzzled by the notion that homeschooling parents need state supervision. Since we do a better job educating children, perhaps we should be supervising the state. Isn't that how it's supposed to work anyway?

Here are a few stats from Considering Homeschooling (who also offers a free DVD about Christian home education):

-By grade eight, the average homeschooled student performs four grade levels above public and private school students.

-Home educated students test scores remained between the 80th and 90th percentiles (outscoring both public and private school students), whether their mothers had a college degree or did not complete high school (and even without the red tape, I mean, teaching certificates).

But to answer the question... I am not required to request permission from, report to, use curriculum provided by or submit testing by the state of Texas in order to homeschool. This is as it should be. My minor children are mine and my husbands. They are not wards of the state.

Homeschooling is legal in every state in the US, but homeschooling laws vary from state to state. To find out the legal requirements in your state, visit the Home School Legal Defense Association. Here is a great letter from HSLDA detailing why there is no need for government oversight of homeschoolers.

But what do we do about parents who don't properly educate?

I ask you - what do we do about schools who don't properly educate? Do we fire bad teachers (or just shuffle them around)? Do we close the schools? Do we - gasp - let parents send their children elsewhere?

Another question - what about parents who don't feed their children proper diets? Nutrition is important for mental and physical development, and overweight children are at risk for hypertension, diabetes and other-life threatening conditions.

Should the state tell us what to feed our children and provide lists of approved vendors? Should we have quarterly weigh ins and submit food diaries to the appropriate authorities? Should we certify parents in proper nutrition or require them to report to one who has been certified? (OT - You'd be shocked at how the government develops its ever-changing food pyramid. Here's a hint... follow the money.)

I am not trying to make light of childhood obesity. It is a sad and serious problem. But just as the government does not have the right to make decisions about how parents feed their children, they should not have the right to make decisions about how parents educate their children.

If the government decides I'm not properly educating my son, should I be required to send him to one of their "dropout factories"?

I think government schools have enough to worry about without attempting to usurp the rights of loving parents who have voluntarily taken responsibility for their children's education.

I'll post later on why I don't believe in standardized testing...

Another reason I homeschool...

Middle School to Offer Contraceptives

I find it shocking that school officials think it's okay to give birth control to 11 year olds. And I find it horrifying that they would do so without informing the child's parents.

Education and decisions pertaining to sexual matters should rest solely with parents. By now it should be obvious that the school's version of sex-ed just isn't working.

If the above article isn't enough to justify homeschooling, here are an additional 101 Reasons...

Re: Your comments on socialization...

I want to thank all of you who have sent me encouraging e-mails and also respond to some of the comments on socialization.

Comment: I don't have children yet But my husband and I don't like the idea of homeschooling. However when we have children we intend to look at private and public schools that offer a better education. We both attended public school that are terrible (I wenbt to IPS) Honestly socialization isn't the issue for us. They certainly can get that socialization.

My issue is: what about those that get culture shocked after turning 18. I've had friends that were homeschooled that went through a kind of "preacher's kid syndrome" for lack of a better term. Others simply experience a kind of culture shock.

But what probably concerns me the most is how do they learn to be upright witnesses for Christ when they go in the world which is much bigger than they thought? Many christians I met before becoming one didn't know how to talk to non-christians at all.how do handle this?

Response: Some of us are no longer shocked by the wrong we see in our culture because we've been immersed in it, grown accustomed to it and, in some cases, view it as normal.

"They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity with a continual lust for more." Ephesians 4:18-19

I don't want my children to lose their sensitivity. I want them to be shocked by what they see in our culture.

Children learn to be upright witnesses for Christ by ministering together with their parents. My husand and I interact with nonbelievers on a regular basis and our children will learn from us.

I do not agree with the premise that we are to send our children into the schools to be "salt and light" and I will post more on that later. In my years as a public school student I saw more Christians being influenced by the culture than I saw influencing the culture.

I attended Christian school during my elementary years. It was there that I experienced racism, heard filthy jokes and got the scoop on all the movies my mother wouldn't let me watch.

Comment: I was home schooled for a big chunk of my life and while I did like it I have had major problems since going onto university.

I can talk to 'adults' fine, it's people my own age (20-ish) I just can't seem to mix with at all. Being polite is one thing, being able to let your guard down and interact on a social level is totally different.I have had to work so hard, through many struggles and tears to be able to talk to people my own age. I still have no really close friend and I wonder if any guy will want to get to know me.

I think it's okay to homeschool as long as they have a few outside stimulation. Visiting cousins who are similar ages, having a church with a number of young people, maybe a sports team or dance class. We are called to be in the world but not of it; Not isolated completely from the world.I know for some people it works out fine, but socialization can be a legitimate question.

Response: I am sorry you are struggling, but I wonder about the types of people you have encountered. If you are a Christian, it does not surprise me that you aren't fully at ease in a university setting. I am not suggesting that you should not attend college, but I understand why it could be a struggle.

"For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliver?" 2 Corinthians 6:14-15

That being said, my children do some of the things you suggest while under my supervision. I want to shelter my children, not isolate them. I do think isolation can be harmful.

Everybody knows Roy G Biv...

Red - Orange - Yellow - Green - Blue - Indigo - Violet

Last week we read All the Colors of the Rainbow, and did projects related to light and color.

We made rainbows with a prism.

We mixed paint colors.

Here are the kids painting a house Drew made from an old box. We're planning to make some clothespin people and furniture to go with it.

We cut construction paper into squares and made a mosaic rainbow picture. Drew even added a picture of Roy G Biv.

This week we made tree and leaf rubbings. We read the book Trees by Andrew Langley, and looked at different leaves, flowers and branches we collected.

We read the section on birds in The Usborne Complete First Book of Nature and hung out a bird feeder that Drew and his dad built a few months ago. I bought the bird feeder on sale at For Small Hands. Today we'll do a craft using art feathers. This afternoon we're going to The State Fair!

We've finished the story of Joseph and right now we are reading the story of Job in the Bible. Our read-aloud for this week was A Hive of Busy Bees. It is a collection of wholesome, character-building stories, and we are really enjoying it. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll study China, ducks and fire. You'll have to wait to see how they're all related. :)

What about socialization?

This is one of the first questions people ask about homeschooling, and I'll be honest enough to admit it was one of my major concerns. The question can have many meanings.

How will your child learn to stand in line, raise his hand before speaking, take turns, etc.?

My child will learn any skills useful for living as we spend our days together.

I don't raise my hand before speaking in the course of daily life, and I don't consider it a useful skill. So while my children may never perfect the art of waving their hands around shouting "me, me - pick me," they will know how to let others finish before speaking, greet others politely, etc. They will learn those skills by watching me and having me there to coach them in their day to day interactions.

As for standing in line, we do it weekly at the grocery store. The problem my kids have when in line with other children is that they don't run, push and shove to get in the front. They usually end up at the back, perfectly content, assuming every one will get a turn. I'm usually the one standing there fighting the urge to say, "hurry, hurry - get up front" or "don't let him cut in front of you." :)

How will your child learn to handle bullies?

I don't think children who are bullied learn to handle bullies. I think children who are bullied learn to tolerate being bullied. And those who can't tolerate it suffer terribly, sometimes hurting themselves or others (as we saw in the Columbine killings).

Further, I don't think learning to handle bullies is a useful skill. I have not had a group of girls threaten to beat me up since high school. I have not been in a physical altercation (I was in at least 4 and even won a couple, thankyouverymuch) since high school. I have not been groped or sexually harassed since - you guessed it - high school.

As an adult I have to deal with difficult people, but if I find someone extremely unpleasant, I can choose not to be around him or her. Not once have I been forced to endure daily taunting, ridicule or physical assault or interact with those who would engage in such behavior. And the bullying I encountered in school did not teach me appropriate ways to handle difficult people. It taught me to be hard hearted and quick tempered, and to always walk around with a slightly mean look on my face.

How will your child learn to be around people that are different than he is?

Public school students spend their days in a room with thirty or so children who are their same age, socioeconomic status and, more often than not, race. These children quickly learn that older kids do not play with younger kids, girls don't play with boys, rich kids don't play with kids who shop at Target, skinny kids don't play with fat kids, and so on.

These children also learn to adjust their mannerisms and behaviors to mimic those of their classmates, and to torment those who don't fall in line. School does not teach children to appreciate diversity. It teaches conformity and pecking order.

As an adult I do not sit in a room full of other thirty year olds, taunting the person next to me because she has a big nose and wears glasses. I don't want my children on the giving or receiving end of that unsocial behavior.

In the course of a week, my oldest may visit my grandma and her roommate in the nursing home, chat with a grocery store clerk or librarian, practice flag football with his age mates and entertain his younger sister and a friend. We go on outings and read stories from other cultures as well as those from our own culture. This is how he learns to appreciate diversity.

How will your child make friends/learn to be a good friend?

This is an area where I still doubt myself at times. And every time the Lord brings me back to the truth, most recently in the form of a book which is not even about homeschooling, called Hold On to Your Kids. It is a difficult read, but worth it if you can get past the pyschobabble and faulty discipline advice. Chapters 14, 15 and 17 are especially worth reading.

The premise of Hold On to Your Kids is that early peer relationships are HARMFUL to children and are the cause of disrespect, rebellion, bullying, victimization and many other undesirable behaviors. The authors, Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate, contend that children do not need to build relationships with other children, they need relationships with loving adults.

The book confirmed everything my aunt and Elizabeth from Raising Godly Tomatoes have been teaching me about sheltering and the dangers of peer orientation. Since my family cut back on play dates and age-segregated activities, my oldest is more confident, content and creative, and much better behaved.

How will your child learn good social skills?

I've rambled on enough, so I leave you with this quote from Dr. Raymond Moore:

"So how would you feel if local laws required that you bring your pup to the bus stop each day to join other dogs in a yellow cage that wheels down the road to the kennel or pound for socializing exercises? You know for sure that association with the pack is the fastest way to destroy any obedience training *you* have planned.

Does anyone who knows children believe that the yellow school bus takes children down the road to a constructive, positive sense of society? Or returns them in the afternoon or evening more loving creatures than when they left in the morning?"-Dr. Raymond Moore, The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook

We ditched school today...

and took archery lessons. Oh wait... that was school!

Drew started the day putting rocks in his pockets. I don't know what it is about boys, sticks and rocks...

The forearm guard.

The arrows.

Ready, aim, shoot! Notice he's not even looking at the right target. We eventually got it together.

Retrieving the arrows.

So much fun!!! Be honest, you wish you were homeschooled, don't you?

When we got out of the car this morning, Drew said, "Where are all the brown people?" I told him there weren't many of us homeschooling, but I was doing some recruiting, lol.

I am long past caring about whether someone thinks homeschooling is "for white people". (Don't bother denying it - I know some of you have said it!) In the near future I'll post about why homeschooling is a GREAT choice for African-Americans. I'll also post some links for those who are on the brink of diving in. I'm not mentioning any names, Ms. M.

One thing I love about homeschooling...

is we can take trips whenever we wish!

We spent last week in San Antonio learning about caves and sea animals.

Before leaving, we read the book Dolphin Adventure. Drew read us Amazing Dolphins, Amazing Sharks and Baby Alligator. I'm learning a bunch!

I have never been in an underground cave before and it was amazing! Here's the natural bridge. The cave entrance is underneath it.

Here we are headed toward the entrance to the cave.

Here we are in the cave. I borrowed J's cap, lest any cave water drip onto my hair.

Here are some pictures of speleothems. There is no way to capture how large this cave is. There's even a river inside it.

I had a million questions for the guide after the tour. I'm sure J was thinking, "here she goes again..." But that's how it is when you're interested in something as opposed to just memorizing information to get a good grade. I remember hearing the word "limestone" in school and I probably filled it in a blank on a test or worksheet, but I had no clue what it was or how it pertained to real life. I was surprised by how closely Drew was listening.

I bought a book about caves from the gift shop. Next week I'm going to read portions of it to the kids and we'll send out some postcards we bought. That's science, handwriting and language arts.

While in SA we hit all our favorite restaurants and ate dinner with a friend I hung out with on a trip to Spain 10 years ago. She has 3 children and is also homeschooling!

No vacation is complete without a medical emergency.

Drew has severe allergies and broke out in a rash. We tried to clear it up by using Benadryl, special soaps and putting a blanket over his pillow, but the morning we were supposed to go to Sea World he woke up with a swollen face and said his throat felt dry. His pediatrician told us to head to the nearest urgent care facility and keep the epipen ready.

After a round of steroids all was well and we were off to Sea World. I have an aversion to touching animals which I am trying to conquer for my children's sake. Here we are feeding dead fish to the dolphins. I even touched the dolphin's head. We used plenty of antibacterial soap afterwards.

And then for our favorite - Shamu!

Here are the kids watching the seals and sea lion.


I had been worried that some of my projects with the kids were too schoolish, but after we got back to the hotel, Andrew grabbed his journal and wrote about dolphins. He drew a picture at the top and looked in the book Amazing Dolphins for information to include. I guess we're doing something right.

This week we're studying light and rainbows. I'll post pictures in a few days. Next week we'll get back to doing some formal book work. It has been a hectic few weeks and I'm so glad my freezer was stocked with homemade biscuits, pancakes, meatballs, chicken strips, ground beef, and breakfast sandwiches and burritos. We've almost emptied it so I'll be restocking and posting recipes over the next few weeks.

My confession...

We haven't done formal book work in about 3 weeks. This doesn't bother me in the least for several reasons:

1. Drew is reading on a 2nd/3rd grade level and seems to be a natural speller.
2. We started math early and are already ahead of the local public schools.
3. Jazzy knows more than any 3 year old should know.
4. And, most importantly, "Life is school!" Not all learning comes from sitting down with a workbook.

Here's what we've been up to...

We read The Cloud Book by Tomie dePaola, watched clouds and made a cloud book.





We read Down Comes the Rain and Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, did some experiments on condensation and evaporation, and made a poster about The Water Cycle. I mainly want to expose them to the concepts and relearn them myself so I'll be knowledgeable when the subject comes up. However, I am usually surprised by how much they take in and remember.

We read The Boxcar Children and volunteered at an organization that sends shoes to orphans.



We went to a bicycle safety course and took a ride through Safety Town, a miniature town with real buildings, traffic lights, and even a mock toll booth.

The 1 hour class before the kids went out to ride was incredibly boring (not to mention fear- inducing). Drew stayed quiet and paid attention, but I can't believe we put kids through 12 years of this.

The field trip brought out a few character issues, so went out for ice cream afterwards. It was the perfect time for a mother/son talk. We've been working on the problem for a few weeks and there has been a marked improvement!

What else... We read the Bible and Drew read to me every day. We went to the library a few times to check out books and play with puppets. One day we even took our lunch and ate out front. We went to the local gym a few times to play basketball and soccer. We've also gone swimming and taken bike rides down hills and through tunnels. (We wore our helmets!)

No book work, but lots of Bible, science, social studies, reading and PE. We also drove to San Antonio for Sea World HS Day. I'll post those pics in another entry.

Public Schools, Public Menace

J is going to clear space on my computer so I can post some pics, but in the meantime I want to tell you about a book I'm reading called Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie to Parents and Betray Our Children. I saw it on the shelf of a local library and since I can't resist an inflammatory title, I brought it home.

The author, Joel Turtel, gives an eye-opening look into the true problems of compulsory, government-controlled schooling and how they can be remedied. He devotes entire chapter to Mind-Altering Drugs in which he discusses the history and dangers of giving psychiatric drugs to children, and exposes the beneficiaries of this practice (which IMHO, is nothing short of abuse). This chapter alone makes the book worth reading.

In the words of Turtel, "A public-school system that coerces parents into giving their children mind-altering drugs that are potentially addictive, dangerous, or even lethal, is a moral abomination. A public-school system in which millions of children have to take Ritalin... is a frightening and embarrassing failure."

Public Schools, Public Menace is another must read for all parents, no matter how they choose to school their children. Next up on my reading list is Home Schooling: The Right Choice! by Christopher Klicka. This book was also recommended by "a certain friend". Stay away from this woman. She is dangerous!

Dumbing Us Down...

I don't know WHY a certain friend had to get me even more riled up about homeschooling by encouraging me to read Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling. The author of the book, John Taylor Gatto, taught public school for 30 years and was recognized several times as New York State's Teacher of the Year.

So much of Dumbing Us Down rings true, that I cannot even begin to comment on all of Gatto's observations about what schools really teach. Just about every page left me wanting to scream "Yes! Preach on!"

This book ranks up there with my two favorite books on education, How Children Learn and How Children Fail by John Holt. (Holt was also a successful public school teacher if that tells you anything). It also ranks up there with those books my former Class Favorite, Most Friendly, Captain of the Football Team, Mr. GHS, Student Body President, Honor Student husband (no I am not exaggerating) would like to keep from me, lest he have to listen to me rant for days about the ills of public school.

I was once firmly on the path of sending my child to public school, so I don't judge those of you who make that choice. But the three books I've mentioned are "must reads", in my opinion, even if you do send your child to public school. If you are not aware of the downsides of institutionalized learning, how can you counteract those effects?

We've been busy lately and I have not had much time to post, but in the following weeks I hope to talk more about homeschooling laws, standardized testing, pre-school and the dreaded S-word (socialization). I also want to share photos and info on what we've been doing. As always, I welcome your questions on comments and I am as willing as ever to tackle the difficult (or slightly hostile) ones.

My teaching credentials...

A certain smart alecky home schooling friend has asked how I will teach the upper levels of math. :)

Since my oldest is only 6, I will start with basic addition and subtraction and move from there. By the time he reaches trigonometry and calculus, he will likely learn on his own by looking at examples and solving problems as we did in school (as homework). We're not math phobic, so I think we'll be able to field any questions he may have. I took calculus in high school and tested out of college level math and J has an engineering degree. If we run into something we can't handle, we can always hire a tutor.

But I think the question behind the question of how I will teach certain subjects is, "Are you qualified to teach?" I asked this question myself when I decided to home school, and a friend (who is a public school teacher) told me that the only thing a person needs to become a certified teacher is a college degree and information on teaching, and I have both.

Now here's where it gets really interesting. Research has shown that homeschooled students outscore both public and private school students on standardized tests and by eighth grade perform four grade levels above their peers. This has held true whether or not the teaching parent had a college degree or has even finished high school.

Contrary to what the "experts" would have us believe, college degrees and teaching certificates have no bearing on a person's ability to teach. In fact, I have heard from homeschooling parents who are former public school teachers that some of what they learned in their teaching courses was detrimental to successsful homeschooling.

To answer the question - Am I qualified to teach? Yes!

So far I've taught my son to add, subtract, read and (gasp) socialize. By virtue of being the mother God gave him, I am qualified to teach.

Me? Patient???

Received the following comment:

I think homeschooling is great for those who have the patience to do it. I am really afraid that I would not be diciplined enough to educate my children at home. We get off task with just the few little preschool lessons I try. I taught public school (6-12 grade) for 13 years and it was easier than teaching my teaching my 3 year old her shapes and colors.

Whenever someone says they don't have the patience to homeschool, I think either:

1. Their kids are disobedient and they don't like being around them, or

2. They are putting pressure on themselves to do too much at too young of an age.

I don't feel it's necessary to do any formal work with a 3 year old. I know there is pressure on mothers to do so, but children are perfectly capable of learning their shapes and colors without "preschool lessons". I only do preschool work with Jazzy because she asks to do school every morning, but even with that I am surprised at what she already knows.

Just enjoy your days with your daughter. Read, play, take walks, go on outings, let her help you around the house and talk to her about what you're doing. One thing I learned from my aunt is to leave interesting things lying around for them to toy with and ask about. We have an old keyboard in the playroom. Usually the kids just play the pre-recorded music and dance around, but yesterday Drew asked me if I wanted to hear "do re mi" and played it on the keyboard. Now I know I need to learn a bit about music so I can show him things when he expresses interest.

My favorite homeschooling book is How Children Learn by John Holt. It is not a Christian book, but it gives wonderful insight into how children absorb information. The companion book How Children Fail is also great and may be of interest to you as a former teacher. Raymond Moore also has some good books on the subject of early learning.

It is amazing how previous generations seemed to learn everything they needed to know without the push for early learning and constant stimulation through bright lights, vibrating chairs, loud music, videos, constant chatter and educational toys that we bombard kids with from birth. It seems they understood children needed a simple, peaceful environment, free time to play and explore, and lots of outside time. It is also amazing that there was no ADD back then and the literacy rates were higher than they are now.

I LOVE reading. I learned to read at age 4 and devoured books from then on. I started reading to Drew before he could even sit up. When he was a toddler I asked my mom a question about reading and she said, "I don't know. We didn't have to read to children so young back then." Now we must read to our babies in utero or they'll be behind, LOL!

So back to the topic of patience - you are probably putting too much pressure on yourself. Other than the fun stuff, only do what your daughter asks to do. If you leave some workbooks around she will probably ask to do them.

Now I must bust the myth that all homeschooling moms are patient. You should have seen me gritting my teeth while Drew was learning to read. It took everything within me to avoid yelling "CAT! C-A-T spells 'cat'. And if it spells 'cat' on page 1 it spells 'cat' on page 2." Poor child. He learned to read in spite of me.

Field Trips...

Here are the field trips we have planned for this year. A few are with our local home school group and some are on our own. The children seem to get more out of it when we go on our own, but sometimes it's cheaper and easier to go with the group.

Bicycle Safety Course at Fire Safety Town
Sort and Package Shoes for Orphans
Sea World
Wildlife Ranch
Zoo
Archery Lesson
Fire Station
Ice Skating
Bowling
Open Gym at a Local Gymnastics Facility
Symphony
Volunteer at a Homeless Shelter
Roller Skating
2 Plays at a Children's Theater
Pumpkin Patch
Home Depot

For extra curricular activities, this fall Drew is playing flag football, Jazzy is taking ballet and both are in children's choir at church. I usually prefer having only one in an activity at a time, but my aunt's neighbor is teaching ballet so Jazzy will have a chance to go while we're there each week.

In the spring we'll do a few months of swim lessons, then Drew will play baseball.

Our homeschooling journey...

Public school has started again so I thought it would be a great time to post about why we homeschool and answer questions from those who are curious or think we've lost our minds. I'll start by telling how we came to the decision to homeschool.

My aunt is a mother of 12 (yes TWELVE, all from the same body, all by my uncle). She started homeschooling back in the 80's when homeschooling was unheard of. We all used words like "cult" and felt sorry for her poor deprived children who would be lacking in social skills and never make it in the real world.

Now her oldest 5 have left home, and they have not only survived, but thrived. They are confident, responsible, adventurous young adults. Even better, they are strong in faith and have wonderful relationships with their parents and each other.

When Drew was almost 3, we started visiting my aunt weekly. He was in pre-school 2 days per week, and from time to time, my aunt would say things like, "In school there are 12 kids to 1 teacher. The kids are teaching each other. And don't think they're teaching anything good." To these comments I would nod and think, "That's great for you, but I am NOT going to homeschool."

A year before Drew was to start Kindergarten, I decided to research our schooling options - public, private or homeschool. J automatically said he'd pay the $5K for private school if he had to, but homeschooling was out! Around that time, a friend invited me to a seminar about homeschooling. From then on I was hooked.

I read books about homeschooling, attended book fairs and joined a local home school group to check things out. My husband knew a few men at work whose children are homeschooled and one of them gave him a set of CDs about homeschooling. He listened to them, and agreed to try it for a year. Now to tell our loved ones.

Our family supported us wholeheartedly. Our friends with children thought we were crazy and found interesting ways to confront us about our decision. I was most afraid to tell my four friends who are public school teachers. They were my biggest cheerleaders and one of them cried tears of joy upon hearing our decision (which should tell you something).

I started that first year with fear and trembling, but now homeschooling feels like a natural extension of my role as a parent and I can't imagine having made any other decision (though I don't judge those who choose otherwise).

So here's your chance to ask me about homeschooling. No question is off limits and no hard feelings. You can even confront me here without luring us to your house under the guise of serving us dinner. E-mail me or post here in the comments section. Feel free to post anonymously.

My poor deprived children...

This week was the first week of school for the children in our district. Here's how we spent the first day of school:



We did learn something this week. In addition to our Abeka program, Drew read me two Usborne Beginners books - Sun, Moon and Stars and Living in Space. I read him a book called If You Decide to Go to the Moon. Then we made Moon books telling what we learned about the moon.



We also made paper plate suns using cut outs in the shape of their hands.



I also learned something new this week. I finished sewing my cloth napkins. We started them one day this summer and had to stop because I was sick. It seemed like a monumental task then, but now that I'm feeling better, I finished them up in no time. And the seams are straight. Well, most of them.