Hope Chest #49 part 1: Resource Reviews and More
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
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THE HOPE CHEST:
Ideas and Inspiration for Home Education
Issue #49 part 1
May 2002
Resource Reviews and More
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WELCOME TO THE HOPE CHEST!
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The Hope Chest Home School News is a free bi-monthly e-mail newsletter with encouragement and practical teaching tips. The editor is Virginia Knowles, wife of Thad, and mother of eight, ages toddler to teen. Virginia is also the author and publisher of five books: The Real Life Home School Mom, Common Sense Excellence (soon to be released), three volumes of The Best of the Hope Chest, the Learner's Journal lesson planner and record keeping log. (Ordering information is at the end of the newsletter for these resources and several by Cindy Rushton and Nancy Campbell.)
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HOPE CHEST CONTACT INFORMATION
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Please note that it is a huge help to me if you do your own address changes by e-mailing the automatic list server! Just subscribe under your new address, and unsubscribe from your old one.
Web site: http://www.hopechest.homstead.com/welcome.html
Resource descriptions: http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/resourceorders.html
Personal e-mail: [email protected]
Subscription address: [email protected]
Unsubscription address: [email protected]
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Part 1: Encouragement from Virginia
From My Heart to Yours: Duty and Delight
Update on My New Book: Common Sense Excellence
Part 2: Book Reviews
Real-Life Homeschooling by Rhonda Barfield
Patchwork Primer by Sharon Wilharm
God's Gift of Love by Betty Howard
Part 3: The Final Stuff
What's New at the Knowles House?
What's Up in the Next Issue?
Resource Ordering Information
Reprint Permission
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FROM MY HEART TO YOURS:
DUTY AND DELIGHT
by Virginia Knowles
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The dilemma for home school moms: Do I make my children learn what they need to know, or let them learn about what excites them? The answer is YES... to both! It's not an either/or situation.
Our school days need to be a balance of duty and delight. I think of duties as those things that MUST be done. These are the "fixed expenses" in the budgets of our time. We think of them as work. Delights, on the other hand, are the things we naturally WANT to do. These come from the "discretionary funds" of our time -- or what is left over after we've done the necessary stuff. In other words, this is what we do to play. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," the saying goes, but may I add that "All play and no work makes Jack a useless boy."
I've noticed this in my own life. There are certain things that I love to do. I love to read and write, I love to receive affectionate words and gestures from my family, I love to spend talking time with good friends, and I love to eat chocolate in just about any form. Unfortunately, I can't do those delightful things all the time and still make time for my duties: spending time with my husband, teaching and disciplining my children, keeping the house clean, and eating healthy foods like a tasty spinach salad with fat-free sour cream and onion ranch dressing and crunchy croutons. And speaking of health, my negligence in tooth flossing has earned me four cavities, according to my last dentist visit! I wish I was the Queen of Self-Discipline, but that has to be one of my weak points. I haven't exactly set the most prudent example for my children, either!
There's just something about the last quarter of the school year that impels me to ride herd and crack the whip. "Focus, folks! Let's get this stuff done!" And so it was that several weeks ago, I had a cozy little "chat" with one of my children. OK, so it was a lecture. "Sweetie, I know you want to read historical fiction all day, but I need a paper trail. Besides that, you've hardly done any science or creative writing this year. There are just some things that have to be done!" I then launched into an impassioned speech about "duty and delight" at which point one of my teenagers walked by and quipped, "I see a Hope Chest article coming on!"
Well, I did head for the computer, not to write this article, but to hash out a very detailed lesson plan for this one child's remaining weeks of school year. I chose several resources: an A Beka science text that my sister gave us, portions of What Your __ Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, and Joyce McPherson's excellent childrens biographies of John Calvin, Sir Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal. For 36 days of school, I listed page numbers from these books. I then designed specific short writing assignments based on the books she would read. Did she welcome this intervention with open arms? Not hardly! Yet the next morning, we dutifully plugged through it, and she had to concede that it wasn't so bad after all. She even asked for some spelling words (which she does NOT need since she's so good at this already) and I figured it would be good for doing a handwriting assessment since she would be copying the words. We also talked over the meanings of all of her spelling words, which met my goal of improving her oral expression skills. After lunch we had time for "delight" -- a trip to the Orlando Science Center and then over to Grandma's house for swimming. The second morning she had her notebook and texts in hand, waiting for me. The writing assignment for that day was to find 10 adjective/noun pairs in The River of Grace (the John Calvin biography). Once she got rolling, she refused to stop! We came out with 35 pairs, with an additional 10 pairs of adverbs and verbs. The following two mornings, she started without me, and was ready to discuss what she had learned. I found that each day we came out with more than we had planned. For example, on Day 4 she was supposed to find sentences with conjunctions in The River of Grace. Her hand was sore from a sliver, so I volunteered to write as she dictated to me. Then I asked her to read the sentences I had copied, and then underline the conjunctions. To my surprise, I discovered that she could not yet read cursive writing. I had used a little more traditional loopy cursive than I usually do. (I normally write in italic hand.) Anyway, that day she got a bonus lesson on deciphering cursive. I should also note that I've had to remind her to STOP reading the biography after the assigned chapter. I know this sounds strange! Usually I just let her read a book in one sitting. This time, however, I want her to go more slowly and deliberately at a rate of two chapters per day, especially since the writing assignments are linked to the book. All in all, I am so pleased with how these past weeks have progressed. I know that she likes the extra one on one attention that she's getting, too. I'm glad that duty is becoming our delight!
I do have a few more thoughts about duty and delight that might help a discouraged home school mom or an unproductive child.
We can choose to delight in our duties by changing our attitudes. As we think about the benefits of what we do, then we can enjoy it more. I sometimes think about this as I tidy up the kitchen. It is truly a form of art to take ugly things (messy counters and floors) and transform them into a clean and pleasant haven, even if it only lasts for such a short time in my house. Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." He is also our blessed example in this, "who for the joy set before him, endured the cross..." (Hebrews 12:2) Let us be an example to our children!
We can also make our "delights" more useful by using them to build relationships, serve other people, learn new skills, and improve our health. For example, if your child likes to cook, he or she can try some new recipes with or without you. This is educational and also benefits you as your child becomes more skillful at household tasks. If you choose to learn tennis together, you are spending time with each other and getting some great exercise. An artistic child can use her love of drawing to bless a lonely friend or relative with a handmade greeting card. If you play a game like Rummikub, your child can keep score and get math practice. These are productive delights!
Learning can be fun, but it doesn't always NEED to be fun. Yes, our children should have a sense of adventure and imagination in their studies. However, if they demand that school always be "a thrill a minute" without any drudge, they will miss out on some very crucial knowledge and skills that can only be gained by disciplined WORK. In future years, they will not likely have the perseverance necessary to succeed in higher education, career, and family life. A person who ditches out when the going gets rough will not make a worthy disciple of Jesus Christ. He will be like the barren ground littered with rocks and thorns instead of good, fruitful soil that multiplies an abundant crop. (Matthew 13:1-23)
We can easily balance the school day to include both duty and delight. Charlotte Mason (a 19th century British educator who is beloved of 21st century home schoolers) always recommended the more structured lessons in the morning, and then the afternoon was free for "purposeful" delights such as pleasure reading, nature walks, art, music, tea time, etc. As I now tell my children: "Get MY assignments done in the morning, and the afternoon is yours for anything at least halfway educational!" If they don't get their morning assignments done, this can eat into their "delight directed" time.
What about unschooling? That's where the child chooses what to learn and when to learn it. Yes, it works for some people! But even then, a child should set a plan for the day instead of flitting aimlessly from one thing to the next without really finishing anything at all. He should also still be accountable to you. I sat down with one of my older children several weeks ago and mapped out a plan for the remainder of the school year. I let her choose two main science topics to explore, then took her to the library for books. I also wrote out several history, literature and language skills assignments based on a combination of her interests and my requirements. I do have to check in with her every now and then to make sure that she's doing what we planned.
Those who don't have self-discipline need intervention! If your child can stay busy doing what needs to be done, that's great! But if he can't motivate himself, he'll need a little pressure from you. The same goes for parents. If you are really struggling to keep your home school productive, perhaps you need someone to take you by the hand and prod you a bit. This could be a good friend who has your permission to ask probing questions, or a trusted home school evaluator or program administrator who will review your records and portfolio periodically. I find that it helps to have someone "hold my toes to the fire" once in a while and tell me when something is looking skimpy, even after all these years!
We remember that the ultimate "delight" is to know God! Yes, we OUGHT to have devotional times with God (I can't say "Quiet Times" in this house as it is so rarely quiet!) but it's really a PRIVILEGE! "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (Psalm 1:2-3)
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
[Note: You can order Joyce McPherson's biographies from her publisher, Greenleaf Press at http://www.greenleafpress.com/
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UPDATE ON MY NEW BOOK:
COMMON SENSE EXCELLENCE
by Virginia Knowles
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As most of you know, for the past few months I've been writing a new book: Common Sense Excellence: Christ-Centered Home Education for PreK-5th Grade. It has gone way beyond the original compilation of my accumulated writings, and has taken on quite a life of its own as the book I wish I'd had over ten years ago. I am happy to report that I printed out the 162 page manuscript last week, had several copies made at Sir Speedy, and delivered or shipped sent them to the six members of my editing team. I'm hoping to get them back, marked with plenty of insightful comments, within a couple of weeks. I will hopefully have the book ready for ordering in the first or second week of June.
I want to share with you a tiny bit about the editing process. Yesterday afternoon, I sat with a group of several moms on a church playground while waiting for children at home school choir practice. I posed the question, "What would you have liked to have known (or want to know now) about the stages children go through in academic development?" A lively discussion ensued as I jotted their responses in my notebook. For example, one of the moms wanted to know, "If my kindergarten child is already reading fluently, do I really need to keep doing phonics, which she dislikes?" (My answer, backed up by the other moms, was: "Just let her read for now. Go back to phonics later for spelling.") There was another friendly debate about whether young children should have a disciplined "table time" for paper and pencil work. (Our consensus was that it wouldn't hurt to start small -- maybe a few minutes a day for a preschooler -- but not to overdo this and quench a child's desire to learn.) In the evening, I took one of my teenage daughters and a few of her friends to the local shopping mall for her belated birthday bash. I had the opportunity to sit in the food court and edit the book for two hours. One of my editing team members had already given me substantial feedback about format consistency among the chapters, so I was making those revisions, consulting a few educational resource books, and adding in several new paragraphs. My nice sharp pencils were quite dull when it was time to go home. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the food court I felt such an island of calm as I edited the manuscript. My heart was full of worship to God, and I prayed that this would be the guiding factor in what I was writing, so that it would be a blessing to those who read it. God is in the details!
Here is the tentative table of contents:
PART 1: COMMON SENSE EXCELLENCE
- WHAT IS COMMON SENSE EXCELLENCE?
- CHRIST-CENTERED EDUCATION
- WHERE ARE YOU COMING FROM?
- OUR HOME SCHOOLING EXPERIENCE
- THE EARLY YEARS AT HOME
- CHOOSING YOUR APPROACH TO EDUCATION
PART 2: ACADEMIC SUBJECTS
- BIBLE
- LITERATURE
- LANGUAGE ARTS SKILLS
- MATH
- SOCIAL STUDIES
- SCIENCE
- HEALTH & SAFETY
- LIFE SKILLS
- THE ARTS
PART 3: PRACTICAL MATTERS
- SCHEDULES AND SCHOOL ROOM
- RECORD KEEPING AND EVALUATION
- PROBLEM SOLVING
- TEACHING WITH TODDLERS AROUND
- EDUCATION AWAY FROM HOME
APPENDIX 1: A LITTLE ABOUT LITTLE OLD ME!
APPENDIX 2: HELPFUL RESOURCES
EPILOGUE
For your reading pleasure, here is the first page:
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WHAT IS COMMON SENSE EXCELLENCE?
Common Sense Excellence is an approach to Christ-centered education for the preschool and elementary years. There is nothing new under the sun so I can't take credit for all of these ideas! This book is the ripe fruit of over a decade of research and practical application of Christian home education with my own eight children.
I say "common sense" because I think that real education has often been obscured by educationalese jargon and artificial techniques. These may be necessary for a public school classroom in a pluralistic, bureaucratic society, but for educating my own children in my own home, I have found the need to go back and strip away my preconceptions about what education really is! What is effective rather than merely efficient? What are the most natural, uncomplicated, powerful methods of transferring information and inspiration to a young child? It's really common sense, if we can dig away the layers and get back to the core. Education does not need to be difficult. It does not need to be left to the "experts." God has supplied you with all the IQ and love you need to be your child's prime teacher. You just need to tap into it and nurture it! If you are a brand new or prospective home school mom, please don't stress out about teaching kindergarten! The only possible way you could mess up is to put so much pressure on your child that he starts to dislike learning. If you relax and enjoy your child, and work at things bit by bit, you'll both learn together just fine. Trust me!
What about "excellence"? This means giving our children the very best. Not the most expensive, not the fanciest, not chasing the 99th percentile on standardized tests. Just the BEST. This means an investment of our time and energy, and yes, some of our hard-earned money. This is the balance to my "relax" advice in the previous paragraph. Though we shouldn't stress out, we shouldn't tune out either. We can't have a laissez-faire (does that sound like "lazy"?) attitude toward our children's education, especially as they move into the upper elementary grades. Mediocrity is no testimony to God's working in us. We are to "study to show ourselves approved" so that we can be salt and light for the generations who need the grace of God. Though I believe home schooling to be the most promising approach to educating children, I have sadly seen many parents who just let their children float aimlessly, and then wonder why home schooling has gotten a bad rap from their family and friends. Education must be intentional and focused. We must pursue excellence.
Common Sense Excellence.... Are you with me? Read on!
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Dear Hope Chest readers, there is one way you all can help me with this project. Could you please share with me any burning questions you have about preschool and elementary home education? I want to make sure I haven't left any glaring gaps! Also, if you would possibly be interested in ordering this book, would you please let me know now? This is not an obligation; I'm just trying to get a ballpark estimate of demand.
Thanks!
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Be sure to read parts 2 and 3 of this newsletter!