For Deb...

http://redbooks.blogspot.com

More from the Middle Child

Today's van conversation...

E: (forcefully and triumphantly) When I grow up, I'm going to be a publisher!
Mom: Really?
E: Yeah. Do you think publishers have fun?
Mom: Well, I don't know, I've never been one.

Keep in mind, Middle Child is five years old. How does a five year old decide she wants to be a publisher? Her older sister is constantly writing, so I guess they figure they'll set up a family enterprise. Oldest will do the writing, Middle will do the publishing.

Of course, it could all go awry if publishing isn't fun, you know.

Confession: Mom admits a bit of pride over the fact that five-year-old Middle Child knows what a publisher is and can reasonably discuss it.

The Principle Approach

Sometimes I feel like I don't do a very good job at explaining the Principle Approach to home education. When a casual acquaintance asks what kind of materials I use, I don't think they really want a sermon on America's traditional Biblical principles, or an explanation of 4R-ing. But when I say something along the lines of "reasoning from the Scripture," I'm afraid I'll insult a fellow Christian, as if I'm implying that they don't reason from the Scriptures. Maybe some of them don't, but I'd argue that many of my friends use aspects of the Principle Approach, even though they don't attach that name to it.

Our Yahoo "Bibleprinciples" group has been such an amazing tool in our path of home education. It's like a mini support group meeting on the computer. Today our group launches a sister group, "GACEstudy," to study through my very favorite resource for Principle Approach homeschoolers, James Rose's Guide to American Christian Education (GACE). The material will be new for some, who are eagerly opening their book orders even today, to a great review for others (myself included...I never tire of reading this book).

This study will last twelve weeks, so there's still time to join in. GACE can be purchased here and here and here (is that enough choices?), but some are also able to obtain it through interlibrary loan to use until their orders arrive.

If you are curious about the Principle Approach, or are interested in learning more about centering your children's education on Biblical principles and reasoning, this is the group for you.

The Middle Child

Well, I suppose she's not technically the middle child anymore. The birth of number six did away with a "middle," but I tend to think of her as the middle anyway. I don't think of her as one of the olders (10 and 8), I don't think of as one of the "little guys" (3 and almost 2), and she's definitely not the baby (6 months tomorrow!). My Little Miss E is 5 (and a half...and don't you forget it). This horribly neglected child was not included in the recent trip to California for her great-grandmother's funeral. But I am now convinced of her great need for travel experience and geography instruction. Here is a sampling of two recent conversations with her:

Conversation #1:
E. (playing mommy and sharing her fun with all of us): My husband and I are going on a trip to Spain. Then we're going to come back and go to New Lobster.
Mom: New Lobster?
E: Uh-huh.
Mom: Sweetie, I think you're confused.
E: Oh, not New Lobster. New Hamster!
Mom (and Dad..trying not to hurt her feelings by our uncontrollable laughter): Oh, you mean New Hampshire!
E: New Hampshire? (with her nose all squiggled up in disbelief). Um, okay. What's a hamster?

Conversation #2:
E: Mom, while you were in Africa, did you...(okay, I confess I can't really remember what her point was)
Mom: What?
E: Remember...when you were in Africa with K?
Mom: You mean California?
E: Oh yeah, Califoooooooooooornia!

I don't know why my children can't quite figure out California (well, I guess there are a lot of us who can't quite figure out California). I was born there, and child #2 is constantly asking me about how long I lived Canada. I never lived in Canada! For whatever reason, he can't seem to get Canada and California straight. I've shown them to him on maps, and I've tried to explain that Canada is a different country and that California is, well, not (although I think there are a lot of us trying to figure that out, also), but it doesn't seem to matter. So I go on explaining...over and over and over...

Update...6/1/2006

Well, life just tends to stay in upheaval sometimes, doesn't it?

Last week found me traveling with my oldest and youngest across the country to attend my grandmother's funeral. Grandma had lived a long, full life, and was quite secure in her salvation. It was so good to see family members that I hadn't seen in 10 or 15 years, even if it did take a funeral to get us there.


A special blessing in all of the craziness of spur-of-the-moment travel is that once again the Lord showed me how special the bonds of love between our brothers and sisters in Christ can be. We live far from any family members, so childcare issues occasionally arise in our home. Before I even called the airlines to look into travel, I called a dear family, and we instantly arranged for their 18 year old to stay with my children while I was gone and Stiles was at work. It would have been very difficult for me to go and for Stiles to get vacation time at a moment's notice to stay home with the children. Having a helper lined up was a true Godsend. And then, while I was gone, another friend volunteered to bring her children and spend the day with mine. So mine were blessed with not only loving care, but friends to play with (which doesn't usually happen on a weekday in our home). Without such friends, who love us like family, I don't know how we'd handle all those unexpected moments of life. Thank you, dear friends!

Update...5/4/2006

Blogging has seemed, well, unimportant for the past few weeks. We would appreciate any little prayer you could lift up for our family and our church family. Our local fellowship of believers has just undergone some intense difficulty, and right now, blogging, and even homeschooling, are on the backburner. Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit, which was a perfectly welcome distraction for the children, but left this morning. I am looking forward to a few days of simply loving on my children, snuggling with some books, playing a few more card games than I would probably choose, and just enjoying life together.

The Flying Dutchman recently left the following comment at my old blog site:

Dear Jennifer,
I've recently visited your blog, and I noticed a lot of Moms including yourself using MWOG. Can you tell me if it is still appropriate for a 4th grader? Thanks.

Well, I guess the first thing to know is that MWOG Self-Government is the first volume in the history series written by Ruth Smith. It was written for primary aged children (maybe 1st through 3rd grades?). However, I'm using it as the read-aloud basis for teaching my K, 1st, and 5th grade children. We read the text and follow the suggestions in the Teacher's Guide, but we also add in additional reading (usually read alouds, but could easily assign independent reading) to coordinate with the chapter to raise the intensity for my oldest. Because of the extra work I weave in, and because this text includes chapters on material we've never studied (particularly toward the end of the book) it has suited us just fine, even though it is designed for younger children.

Ruth Smith has written two additional volumes in her MWOG series, each one designed for progressively older children.

So, to answer your question, I guess I can't really fully answer it, since I don't know your 4th grader's interests, abilities, whether or not there are siblings to join in, etc. But I do highly recommend these texts. How many history texts for first graders can you pick up and learn about the great work done by Wycliffe and Tyndale, or how the apostle Paul, Tyndale, and Columbus are all "related" to the Pilgrims? Most importantly, how many history series reinforce in every volume that Christ is the focal point of history?

Our First Visit with Shakespeare

We recently wrapped up our first little study of William Shakespeare. This was not an in-depth study by any means, but it was a perfect introduction to the Bard for my oldest two. My 10 year old had already read most of our copy of the the Lambs' Tales of Shakespeare, so she was eager to learn more. We simply followed the suggestions for the Romeo and Juliet study in the Noah Plan First Grade Lesson Plans, even though my young Shakespeare scholars would be classified 2nd and 5th grades. The Noah Plan Literature Guide had helpful information on the history of English drama, as well as William Shakespeare ("The Bard of the Bible"), that worked great for mom to read aloud. We learned a bit about the Globe Theater, and put a picture of it into our notebooks. We read the Lambs' version of the story, and enjoyed stopping for discussions and journaling in our notebooks. Oh, and many creative and colorful pictures were created while I was reading aloud. Creating a "family tree" of sorts of the characters on the dining room wall was a lot of fun, and helped everyone to remember which character went with which family.

After we wrapped up our studies, we enjoyed watching most of a free online movie of Romeo and Juliet (thanks, Carmon, for the link). It's a much safer choice than some of the other R&J adaptations that are out there. And you should be able to recognize Tybalt in this one.