Hope Chest #51 part 2: Life Skills
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
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THE HOPE CHEST:
Ideas and Inspiration for Home Education
Issue #51 part 2
September 2002
Life Skills
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This is part 2 of the Hope Chest Home School News, published by Virginia Knowles.
Web site: http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html
E-mail: [email protected]
I would like to offer my hearty thanks to the Hope Chest readers who contributed many of these articles, as well as to my daughter Rachel for her assistance in typing in the book excerpts for me!
In this section, Tips and Resources You Can Use, you will find:
- Learning Life Skills Naturally! by Terry Yaceyko
- The Keepers of the Faith
, recommendation by Wanda Carlton - Life Skills at Home by Tonya Travelstead
- Life Skills for Kids, book by Christine Field, review by Mary Lou Graham
- Feed Your Family on $12 a Day,
book by Rhonda Barfield, review by Virginia Knowles- 105 Questions Children Ask about Money Matters,
book by various authors, review by Virginia Knowles
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Learning Life Skills Naturally!
by Terry Yaceyko
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To me, life skills is anything not covered in a curriculum, that will help our children in future years when they are graduated, and on their own or married with little ones...
One of the best things (and the worst ~ *Grin*) has been involving my children in the local summer fairs.
Sometimes life is so busy with little ones and what not, that getting my older daughters sewing, crafting, or baking is difficult.
Over the past 4 years, I have made an effort to have my older daughters (now 16 and 11) make crafts, sew items, and bake for the local fair.
Through the years, they have: sewn pillows, wall hangings, and quilts, crafted christmas ornaments and gifts, baked bread, buns, cookies (our absolute favorite this year, was Frog Eyes Cookies), rubberstamped, watercolored and scrapbooked many prize winners.
This year, my 11 year old daughter especially shone ~ she won approx. $250 from 4 fairs. This will pay for gifts she wants to buy through the year and at Christmas + more. Even my 5 year old won $20 .... Depositing and handling the money is a bonus life skill!
Some lessons I have learned:
Start in September for the next year's fair. Life is busy and I keep putting it off until May. Then we are too busy to have fun doing it.
Pick items that can be entered in multiple fairs. For example: She made a recycled draft stopper (cat theme) and a water color painting that she entered in all four fairs and they both
placed in all of them.
In some fairs, you have the chance to win more money when you place in multiple categories. For instance: have your child enter 6 classes (out of 10) in baking. If they place in all of them, they win another $10. That really helps.
Plus, they have had a lot of positive feedback from friends and family for their entries AND I try to have them make some Christmas presents as well.
Enjoy your summer ~ Enter your local fair!
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The Keepers of the Faith
Recommendation by Wanda Carlton
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The best Life Skills resource I have found is The Keepers of the Faith, (http://www.keepersofthefaith.com), series of Contenders of the Faith for boys and Keepers at Home for girls. It is a program to teach Productive Pursuits and Practical Skills for children (I am learning right alongside them). It likens itself to boys scouts and girl scouts with a badge and pin award incentive for skills mastered. Yet, it is Christ Centered and Bible based. It is THE complement to our learning at home. You set the course for your child by using a handbook loaded with skills to learn. You may want to use it in a club setting, we have chosen to teach it at home. I believe I originally found this resource by reading your newsletter. ~~ Wanda Carlton, Riverview, FL.
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Life Skills at Home
by Tonya Travelstead
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Although we are constantly training in various life skills during an average week at our home, when the kids were younger, I made life skills a part of their weekly lesson plans. At the beginning of the year, I listed 36 skills that I wanted them to master before the year was up. For my older son (age 11), that included preparing a meal, vacuuming, washing and folding laundry, teaching my younger son his school subjects, learning how to use an electric drill (his favorite tool these days), etc. At the same time, my younger son (age 6)) learned how to mix brownies, sort laundry and put his away, dial 911, dust properly, vacuum, etc. As each skill was accomplished, I made them a little 3 x 5 award card (using a desktop publishing/card program). If they collected 5 of these, they were eligible for a pizza lunch out. They loved collecting their "awards" and learned quite a bit that year.
Although it's never too young to learn skills at home, this was God's perfect timing for us as the next year, my father suffered congestive heart failure which took me away from home for several weeks. My 2 sons together (then 12 and 7) were able to handle much of the household chores while I was away and continue their lessons while friends kept them during the day. ~~ Tonya Travelstead
(Virginia's note: Tonya is a dear friend from Orlando Grace Church, and Julia's former piano teacher. I have always been impressed by the orderliness AND warmth in her home, as well as the maturity of her two sons.)
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Life Skills for Kids
Book by Christine M. Field
Review by Mary Lou Graham
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My daughter has memorized Psalm 91 and can calculate the surface area of a cylinder, but does she know how to change the water filter in our refrigerator? I had never even considered this until I read "Life Skills for Kids" by Christine M. Field.
This is a book that will change your perspective on parenting. No, it is not another book that makes you feel guilty about what you're not doing and demands that you add another activity to your already over crowded schedule. This is a book that lays a firm and biblical foundation for the importance of being prepared for adulthood. You know, the things we do every day: talk with strangers, manage money, engage in hobbies, shop for clothes, and repair leaky faucets. Grown-up stuff -- the things that overwhelmed us when we moved out on our own.
Are there classes you can send your child to so that he will be ready to face life confidently? No, the idea behind "Life Skills for Kids" is simple. Let him spend time with a "real grown-up" and learn by example. Someone who loves him unconditionally so his learning mistakes will be made in a warm, forgiving environment. Christine Field's message is simple: You know how to be a grown-up. Include your child, explain things to him, and equip him for life. (Note: There is a strong emphasis on financial reward that needs to compared with your biblical convictions.)
So, I see my husband taking out the garbage one night. I put down "Life Skills for Kids" and say, "You know, Stephen {our 2-year-old} would probably enjoy helping you." My husband looks at me with a "Hey, we know that...why haven't we been doing it" look. That's the beauty of this book. The heart behind it is something probably every homeschooling parent embraces. Now we have a tool to challenge us to open up the established patterns in our lives to include our children and see how much they can learn by just working along beside us.
"Life Skill for Kids" expands the vision for active parenting and provides many easy to implement, painless ideas. Challenging, easy to apply, and biblically based -- sounds like a good book to me!
Review by Mary Lou Graham
Co-author of "Expecting Joy: Devotions for Mothers-To-Be"
Available at your local Christian bookstore, Amazon.com or Christianbook.com
Mary Lou is expecting her 6th bundle of joy in the fall!
(See more about Mary Lou in the What's New at the Knowles House article in section 3!)
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Feed Your Family for $12 a Day
Book by Rhonda Barfield
Review by Virginia Knowles
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A few issues ago, I reviewed Rhonda's book Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home. Imagine my delight when the publisher of her new book (Feed Your Family for $12 a Day: A Complete Guide to Nutritious, Delicious Meals for Less Money) sent me a review copy one day! (I love books, and I can always use some pointers on trimming our astronomical food budget!) My first exposure to Rhonda's writing was several years ago, when I checked out her earlier book, Eat Healthy for $50 a Week, from our local library. This new book is a revised, updated and greatly enhanced version of it.
Rhonda gives practical tips for shopping (where, when and how), bulk buying, coupons/refunding, co-ops, bartering, large batch cooking, alternatives to convenience foods, how to get the whole family involved, and much more. Healthy, low-cost, family-friendly recipes make up about 60% of the pages, and nutritional information is provided for each one.
In one chapter entitled "I Can't Save Money Because..." Rhonda offers suggestions for overcoming excuses for overspending. For example, one common excuse is: "My children will only eat expensive, highly processed foods." In response, there are 15 remedies, such as: "Offer no unhealthy alternatives. My children learned to drink water because, one summer, I simply told them that if they were thirsty between meals, they could have all the ice water they wanted. Period. Now they help themselves to the pitcher in the refrigerator several times a day." After reading this, I purchased a water dispenser that sits on the top shelf of our fridge. It is easy for even the little boys to work the lever and fill their cups, and this has painlessly cut back on their apple juice consumption, as well as sticky spills on the floor. Thanks, Rhonda! (We got the dispenser at Wal-Mart for about $5. It is not very wide, but goes most of the way to the back of the fridge, so it is very space efficient.)
The book costs $12.95, and should be available from most major bookstores or Internet booksellers. You will find it a valuable life skills resource in your home.
Here is one recipe that we tested out:
Apple Crisp
Serves 8 to 10
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel and slice:
3 to 5 pounds apples
Coat a large cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place apple slices in pan and sprinkle with:
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Set aside. In a medium-size bowl, combine,
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup melted low-fat or nonfat margarine
Mix well, until crumbly. Spoon over apples. Bake for 35 minutes, or until apples are tender and bubbly.
Variations: If apples are tart, sprinkle on more sugar. Substitute any seasonal fruit you like.
Tips: Serve hot or cold, plain, or with low-fat whipped topping.
(Printed with the permission of Citadel Press, publisher of Feed Your Family for $12 a Day.)
We tried out this recipe on an otherwise boring summer afternoon. Joanna, Lydia and their friend Rosemary were our Test Kitchen Chefs for the day. They had a blast! We didn't follow the recipe exactly, but it's one that doesn't require strict adherence to certain quantities. I also threw in some lemon juice, since the apples were a little too bland for out-of-hand munching. (That's why we were baking with them!) By the time we were done fixing up our multiple batches of Apple Crisp, we technically had enough servings for our family of 10 and Rosemary's extended family of 10. Howsobeit, this Apple Crisp is so delicious that we all wanted much more!
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105 Questions Children Ask about Money Matters
Book by various authors, foreward by Larry Burkett
Mini-Review by Virginia Knowles
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My daughter Rachel, who is 11, saw this book on my inventory shelf, and asked for a copy of it to read for herself. She is my budget-conscious daughter. Since she is always aware of how much things cost and where I can get them cheaper, she's a huge asset in the grocery store.
In this book, there is a page spread for each question, including a cartoon, the question and answer, related Bible verses, and a note to the parents. Sample questions include:
4 -- When was money invented?
9 -- Why do we put our money in the bank when we have to keep going back there to get it?
26 -- Why doesn't the government just print more money in factories and give it to the poor?
39 -- Where does the money I give to the church go?
Here is the text from one page spread:
Q: HOW DO I KNOW WHAT IS WISE TO SPEND MY MONEY ON?
A: The Bible explains that it is important to give to the church and to help people in need, to pay bills that you promised to pay, and to buy things that you need. It is also wise to spend money that way.
It is also wise to use your money for the most important things first and the least important things last. Here they are in order:(1) Giving to the church. (2) Paying for commitments you made. (3) Taking care of your needs. (4) Saving. (5) Spending for things you would like. If you want to spend money on something you would like, make sure you have done the other four things first.
It is also wise to get a good deal. Never buy something because it looks good, just because you saw it advertised on TV, or just because your friends have it. Buy things that are good quality and have a reasonable price.
Whenever you want to buy something, ask, Do I really need it? If you're unsure, ask God for wisdom, and wait awhile before deciding. Ask your parents because God gives them wisdom too.
Key Verse: If you need wisdom -- if you want to know what God wants you to do -- ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. (James 1:5)
Related Verses: 1 Kings 12:6-8; Proverbs 1:8-9; 12:26; 13:20; 24:3-6; Galatians 5:16; James 3:17-18.
Note to Parents: You may need to explain the difference between necessities and luxuries. You may also want to go over a list of priorities you use for evaluating purchases: Is it something I need? Will it last? Have I shopped for the best price? Should I save the money instead and get something of better value later?
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I still have 3 or 4 copies of this book in stock at a discount price of $6 each (list price is $10.99). If you would like to order it, e-mail me at [email protected] to make sure I haven't sold them all yet!
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This is the end of part 2 of 3!