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THE HOPE CHEST:
Ideas and Inspiration for Home Education
April 2003
Issue #55: The Creative Family
Part 1: Encouragement for the Heart
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WELCOME TO THE HOPE CHEST!

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 nine children, ages newborn to teen.
Virginia is also the author and publisher of Common Sense Excellence:
Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade, The Real Life
Home School Mom, and The Learner’s Journal lesson planner and record
keeping log. (Ordering information is at the end of the newsletter.)

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY TO THE HOPE CHEST!

 

On February 28, 1998, the very first issue of the Hope Chest Home School
News was sent to about 100 homes. Now, five years later, the Hope Chest
is sent to about 1600 families all around the world. Articles from the
Hope Chest have been reprinted in lots of different print magazines and
newsletters.

HOPE CHEST CONTACT INFORMATION

Web site: www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html
Resource descriptions: www.hopechest.homestead.com/resourceorders.html
Personal e-mail: [email protected]
Subscription address: [email protected]
Unsubscription address: [email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part 1: Encouragement for the Heart

• From My Heart to Yours: Creative Ebb and Flow by Virginia Knowles
• Poet’s Pen: "Creator on the Cross" and "How Will They Know?"
• Nurturing Your Creativity With Home Arts: Excerpt from The Real Life
  Home School Mom by Virginia Knowles
• "The Hidden Art" and the Trapp Family Singers by Virginia Knowles

 

Part 2: Inspiration from Others

• Review of the The Guidance Manual for the Christian Home School by
  David and Laurie Callahan
• Encouraging Creative Kids by Angie Payne
• Creative Giving on a Budget by Tasha Brickhouse

 

Part 3: Creative Writing Samples from Our House

• Creative Writing Tips: An Excerpt from Common Sense Excellence:
  Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade by Virginia
  Knowles
• "God Is..." by Andrew Knowles (Kindergarten)
• "Elizabeth of Colonial Days" by Lydia Knowles (2nd grade)
• "Escape from Slavery" by Joanna Knowles (4th grade)
• "Ben There, Done That" by Rachel Knowles (6th grade)
• "Prayer of a Slave Child" by Rachel Knowles (6th grade)
• Description of Writing Projects by Julia Knowles (8th grade)
• "Industry of Influence: Psychology in Advertising" by Mary Knowles
  (10th grade)

 

Part 4: The Final Stuff

•  What’s New at the Knowles House?
•  Resource Ordering Information
•  Reprint Permission

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FROM MY HEART TO YOURS:
Creative Ebb and Flow
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perhaps when you saw the theme of this issue, "The Creative Family," you
were expecting a lead article on how all home school mommies should be
perpetually bursting with creativity as they teach their continually
curious children. Well, it’s true confession time: I have in Zombie Zone
this year. Yes, I could blame it on being pregnant until February, among
the other unusual challenges in our lives. After all, I was certainly in
a season of life where I could use a reduction in mental stretching. In
God’s good timing, my oldest five children were enrolled in once a week
classes that increased THEIR mental stretching, and the rest of the time,
we learned using many of the same old tried-and-true methods that have
served us well for the past decade.

Honestly, though, I’ve just felt rather uninspired and even academically
superfluous this year -- more like an occasional tutor than an
enthusiastic director of the education of my precious children. Now that
I’ve come back out of hibernation, I’m ready to put my thinking cap on
and step back into my privileged position. I’ve already got tons of great
ideas of what I want to do next year, and even for the remainder of THIS
year. I don’t know for sure specifically what we will do or how we will
do it, but my pre-convention curriculum planning time is in full swing.

Creativity, as I have discovered, has an ebb and flow. At ebb time, it
seems like you’re running in a rut, and maybe a desert one at that. Then,
like the spring rain, inspiration flows and ideas blossom. As much as we
like to be "in the flow", dry times need not take us by surprise or make
us feel like we are failing. They are a natural part of human life.
Sometimes the brain just needs a rest. As dull as functioning on a very
basic routine may seem, it can be the key to our survival until we figure
out what to do next. It can also be the catalyst for our children
learning to be creative in our place. If Mom isn’t the one thinking up
all those nifty things to do all the time, maybe they will just have to
get their brains in gear and "do for themselves" for a while. Of course,
it helps if you’ve set the example for them in the past!

Dear moms, if you are in a dry rut right now, don’t feel guilty. Do find
a way to get your brain waves rolling again, but don’t feel like your
home school needs to be a thrill-a-minute. When a fresh flow of
creativity arrives, you will feel all the more grateful for it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POET’S PEN:
Creator on the Cross
and
How Will They Know?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last week, I thought that this issue of the Hope Chest was complete. On
the morning I was ready to send it out, I attempted to pick up my e-mail,
but an error message awaited me: "Juno cannot set up modem." Hmmm.
Yesterday I finally installed a new modem and CD-ROM drive. In the
meantime, I got to thinking.... Why did this happen right before I sent
out the Hope Chest, which was "late" already? Well, nothing happens by
chance, and I realized that something was missing from it. I know that
there are some reading here who do not yet personally know the Author of
Creativity. Since the theme of this issue is creativity and because Holy
Week is coming, please allow me to share with you two songs that I wrote
in my younger years to express my faith. If you have questions about what
knowing Christ means, please don’t hesitate to contact me by e-mail.

 

Creator on the Cross
by Virginia Quarrier, 1984 (age 21)

Oh the love of the Holy God
For man whose life was lost
No greater love there is than this
My Creator on the cross.

He made me, yet he died for me
He paid the greatest cost,
The blood of Jesus Christ the Son,
My Creator on the cross.

Grace abounding and mercy free
Set fire to my frost
My blackest sin washed white by him
My Creator on the cross.

 

How Will They Know?
by Virginia Quarrier, 1980 (age 17)

When I was young, I went to Sunday school.
I learned "Do Unto Others", that Golden Rule
I learned that Jesus loved children and fed the sheep,
But I never did give him my soul to keep.

 

Chorus: How will they know unless we tell them?
How will they know unless we show them from his word?
I don’t like to think of where I would be right now,
If I had never, never heard.

 

Heaven was just like Santa Claus,
You’ve got to be good to get your reward,
You have to do right or you won’t get in.
No one told me that God forgives sin.

I guess I knew that Jesus died,
The pictures on the wall showed him crucified
But no one told me what he died for
I really wish they had told me more.

Easter was just a new spring dress,
Dolling up in our Sunday best,
Bunnies and chickies, and "Watch how you behave!"
No one told me Jesus rose from the grave.

No one told me that he was coming again
To take his loved ones back with him.
I thought when he left he was gone for good,
I only wish I had understood.

No one told me to ask him in
To enter my heart and take out the sin
To take my life as Savior and Lord
And that he was knocking on my heart’s door.

Somebody finally told me all the things I’m telling you.
Somebody finally told me all the Gospel truth.
I finally told Jesus I wanted him as my Lord,
When somebody finally cared enough to show me from his Word.

How will they know unless we tell them?
How will they know unless we show them from his word?
I don’t like to think of where I would be right now,
If I had never, never heard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NURTURING YOUR CREATIVITY WITH HOME ARTS
Excerpt from The Real Life Home School Mom
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Virginia’s note: This excerpt comes from the chapter "The Home Schooled
Mom" in my first book, The Real Life Home School Mom
For more information on this book, click here:
www.hopechest.homestead.com/reallife.html] If you order this book or
Common Sense Excellence this month, I will throw in a free copy of Emilie
Barnes’ book Decorating Dreams on a Budget.

 

Nurture Your Creativity with Home Arts

 

How about home schooling for mom? Our creative home arts skills can
flourish in our families and then overflow to the outside world. They
make our lives more beautiful and satisfying. Edith Schaeffer, in The
Hidden Art of Homemaking, encourages women to develop and express the
"hidden arts," the little creative things you do in your home that
sometimes no outsider even sees. You might take them for granted, not
aware of their potential, but if you start small and practice them
consciously in your daily life, you may see them blossom outward from
your home.

Our creativity flows from the fact that we are made in the image of our
Creator. The Holy Spirit fills us with unique skills, abilities, and
knowledge to serve God and others, not just ourselves. In Exodus 35 and
36, Bezalel and Oholiab not only crafted sacred articles for the temple,
but taught their skills so others could participate in the holy task. The
shepherd boy David ministered with anointed music to soothe a disquieted
king (1 Samuel 16:14-23), and wrote everlasting psalms of praise.
Consider Dorcas, in Acts 9, who made clothes for poor people, or the
highly creative Proverbs 31 woman, who spread out her hands to the needy.

What do you think of as creative? Here are a few ideas:

• drawing, painting, calligraphy, sculpture, stained glass
• photography, photo album arranging, origami, booklet making
• toy making, greeting card design
• sewing, needlework, clothing design, costuming
• hair styling, wardrobe selection
• singing, playing a musical instrument, composing music
• puppetry, drama, poetry, humor, choreography
• story telling, fiction/factual writing, letter writing
• cooking, baking, menu planning, experimenting with recipes
• hospitality, celebration
• flower arranging, landscaping, gardening
• home organization, interior decoration, furniture restoration
• inventing, teaching, mentoring, problem solving

Obviously, you can't do it all! What do you want to do? Are you confined
to the things for which you have natural talent? Some things may come
easier, some you may enjoy more, and others you may excel at. However,
you can learn a little something about many things to enrich your family
and home school. Ask yourself these questions:

• What talents have I already nurtured?
• What hidden arts or secret ambitions do I want to develop?
• How can I use these talents to serve God and others?
• What steps must I take to get started?
• What equipment and supplies do I need?
• Can I get a friend to teach or coach me?

As you evaluate the options, please realize that creativity changes with
motherhood. Your stage in life may inspire you to delve into areas you
had not thought of before. On the other hand, if you have young children
but don't have a separate place for your own projects, there may be some
activities you will have to save for another season of life. For me, this
includes oil painting and extended quilting projects, since they involve
time, mess, spread out space, and hazardous supplies. I still do crafts
with the children, draw with markers, sew simple items, make up songs,
and write. Calligraphy would be another fitting hobby since it requires
minimal setup and supplies, and can be used for home decoration and
gifts. What a blessing it would be to have beautiful Scripture passages
to grace our walls!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
"THE HIDDEN ART" AND THE TRAPP FAMILY SINGERS
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

In the last article, I mentioned the concept of the "hidden art" that
Edith Schaeffer talks about. I’d like to briefly share what an impact
this had on me personally, and then relate it to a very creative (and
famous!) family. I first saw the book The Hidden Art of Homemaking in a
friend’s bathroom over ten years ago, and begged to borrow it. There are
many chapters in it -- about music, drama, flower arranging, and such --
but my favorite was about WRITING. I had always loved writing, so I was
struck by Mrs. Schaeffer’s advice to start small and then see what
happened. I could spend a long time telling you how I got to where I am
now, but I won’t. Suffice to say, I progressed through personal essays,
letters to the editor, a "Little Book of Home Schooling" handout for an
orientation workshop, articles for home schooling magazines, the Hope
Chest newsletter, and finally book publishing. I guess you could say that
my writing did indeed start small and grow from there. No, I’m not a best
selling author; most home schoolers have never even heard of me! But I’m
fulfilling my goal of having a positive influence on others in an area of
passionate interest to me. It’s funny that I got an e-mail the other day
asking for Hope Chest back issues. The writer mentioned that when she
started home schooling some years back, she got a copy of "The Little
Book of Home Schooling" in a packet from her support group -- nearly 200
miles away from here! Ha!

Now, on to a more famous family. I know you’ve heard of "The Sound of
Music"! What many people don’t know is that when the movie was made, it
changed many of the details from the real story of the Trapp family.
Before fleeing Austria, Georg and Maria von Trapp had more children, and
the family became quite well known for their folk singing. (As a side
note, I met Maria’s oldest daughter, Rosmarie, after she spoke at the
Florida home school convention in 2000. Can you believe that she bought a
copy of The Real Life Home School Mom for her niece? Who would have
dreamed!) Anyway, back to the story... Maria’s book The Story of the
Trapp Family Singers is fascinating! The chapter "From Hobby to
Profession" illustrates the "hidden art" concept beautifully. Allow me to
share a few paragraphs with you, as she relates what happens after her
family’s first public performance at a singing festival.

~~~

A few days later a telephone call came from the Salzburg radio station.
It worked like a stone thrown into a quiet lake. The manager had heard us
at that historic contest, and ever since, he had wanted us on the air.
"Please be up at the Mönchsberg next Saturday at four o’clock. Thank
you." And he hung up. It didn’t even occur to him that somebody might
perhaps decline such an offer. Of course, we wouldn’t go. We had said
we’d never sing in public. During lunch I casually mentioned the call at
the table.

"You said no, didn’t you?" asked Georg rather anxiously.

"He didn’t give me any time. He just told me and hung up. But I’ll call
right after lunch."

"But, Mother, perhaps it is the Will of God that we sing on the radio,"
said Hedwig. She meant to tease her father. But was it a joke? How did we
know? The fact that we resented it so fiercely ourselves, that we didn’t
want to appear in public, that we loved our privacy more than anything --
did that mean that we could act accordingly? We had to admit that there
was absolutely nothing wrong about singing over the air; the opportunity
had been brought to us from the outside; our music might bring joy to
people all over Austria -- and what could be said against it? -- simply
that we didn’t want to do it. That didn’t seem enough reason, even Georg
said with a deep sigh; and to our own great astonishment, we found
ourselves on Saturday at four o’clock at the studio on the Mönchsberg.

~~

As the story goes on, it happens that the Chancellor of the Austrian
Republic listens to the radio broadcast, and invites them to sing at a
grand reception for foreign dignitaries, where the Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra will also play. As one opportunity leads to another, they
perform at the selective Salzburg festival, then go on a European tour
where they sing before kings, queens, and the Pope himself. They develop
a fine repertoire of classical, sacred and folk music. When they are
finally commanded to sing for Hitler on his birthday, they draw the line
and decline. Baron von Trapp also refuses a military commission from the
Nazis, and the oldest son refuses a medical position in the regime. With
three strikes against them, they know they must leave Austria! They
arrive in America as poor refugees, but through the kindness of
strangers, and enduring many hardships, they survive their first years of
concert tours in their new country. At first, their younger children are
enrolled in a boarding school. Then, they are left with a private tutor
at home. Finally, school hits the road! As Maria says, "By then we had
found out that school can be taken care of at home, but we still thought
that it was bound to a house. Later we would learn that it can very well
take place on wheels."

Lest you think that the Trapp family’s creativity was limited to music,
let me tell you that they were multi-talented! They designed and sewed
their own costumes, built their own home and chapel in the mountains of
Vermont, gathered maple sap to make syrup, raised livestock, founded a
family music camp, made crafts to sell, and much more! Not content to
ensure just their own survival, in 1947 they established a relief
organization for war-torn Austrians. They collected food, clothing,
household supplies and money on their concert tours.

Due to the success of their music camps, the family eventually built the
Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, which is a popular tourist
destination to this day. The tenth Trapp child, Johannes, is the
President. You can get more information on the lodge, skiing, summer
adventure camps, books, CDs, gourmet food baskets, and other gifts at:
www.trappfamily.com or call 800-826-7000.

 

For a more detailed and accurate family history, click here:
The Trapp Family On-Line Museum
http://www.trappfamily.com/index2.tmpl?content=history.html