Practical Pointers for Training Your Child

This book made its way back into my hands this past week since being on loan to a friend. I had forgotten what a good and practical little book it is. The philosophy is definitely on the conservative side, but I'd always rather err on that side than on the liberal side. They are against things like card games and playing war, for example. It is broken down into very short chapters on a whole variety of topics ranging from faith to obedience to courtesy to diligence to thrift to hospitality and many others. Kniss also includes interesting little stories from his life to begin each chapter and shed a bit of light on his upcoming point. I think what I liked most about it is what the title implies, "practical" pointers. It's nice to just have someone give solid examples to somewhat nebulous ideas. There is also the potential for error in this, but as with all things, you must be discerning in what you read.

The Gift of Grace

As the years roll by and I get older, I realize more and more the gift of grace that we can give one another. Last week I had a friend over and she needed to bring her dog because he is still a puppy. Well, he really likes to bark when no one is around and since the moms and kids were both inside, he barked and barked. This prompted a phone call from an older neighbor lady requesting that we stop the barking (which we quickly did). Anyways, although I understood that barking can be bothersome, I thought it was little much to get a call when that afternoon was the only time a dog has ever barked at our house in years. So, the kids got in on the conversation a bit and there was talk about how the neighbor must be a bit cranky and so such.

When Dave got home he went down to talk with her and although she didn't answer her door, he found out from her neighbor that the lady's husband had died earlier in the year. So, we made some snacks today and were going to bring some down to spend a bit of time with her. But, we thought it best to call since she doesn't always answer the door. Anyways, when she answered the phone she apologized profusely for her call and said that she felt bad about doing it, but she had been trying to nap (which, of course, barking doesn't go well with). She was just as sweet and nice as could be. And it, once again, reminded me that I shouldn't be quick to judge, but think the best and give as much grace as can be had to others. We really don't know people's situations or what they are going through. Our critical views are frequently unfounded and responding with grace and love is a means of blessing. It really is a gift...one that costs us nothing and reflects Christ's much greater gift to us. 1 Cor 3:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

some more Sauer Mtn pics

My dad's first Washington snake encounter :)

The Master's College and Seminary

I haven't been too interested in writing much lately...but, I did want to keep up with Missions Monday. It would have been better named as Ministries Monday as today's feature is more of a ministry than a mission organization.

So, what's there to know about The Master's College and Seminary? First off, they are two separate organizations with a lot in common. John MacArthur is the president of both and both focus on equipping students to grow in their knowledge of Christ. The College focuses on undergraduates pursuing all types of degrees while the Seminary is a post-graduate institution focusing on preparing men to pastor. Dave and I went to TMC (he for a biology degree, and I for mathematics) and can both attest to the quality of scriptural instruction we received. As it is a private Christian school and relatively expensive, it is a good place to support those students who are seeking a Christian Education.

The Seminary does an excellent and thorough job of equipping it's students to teach the truth with accuracy and clarity. Whenever we move, we always check out their website for current pastors in the area...you could also use their website if you are looking for a new pastor.

It's great to support a ministry that you know does not compromise the truth and is growing up the next generation to minister. If you have a child that is near college age, you may also want to check out their school as an option...

And, lastly, you can listen to/download their chapel messages which are good. Seminary here and College here.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Not too much tonight...been busy, busy around here. We're in the midst of VBS week and then lots of visiting and taking care of the horse and then the regular stuff. So, just a quote I've come across a couple of times in the last few months. I went to an art show of a young lady whose family goes to our church tonight, and she had put this into a piece of artwork...

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

some more pics of cuties by my friend Heather

Homeschool 2010/2011 Review

We finally finished up school a couple of days ago, and not particularly great to tell the truth. I think we've all been done mentally for a couple of weeks, but still plodding on...I guess that's how life goes many times. Anyways, I always like reading what other people's thoughts are after their years are done, so here's our recap:

Bible - really enjoyed going slowly through Proverbs, the kids always enjoy Keys for Kids, we are in the midst of a good, but high level book right now, Big Truths for Young Hearts.

Math - Abeka continued to be Abeka...still the best overall program that I've found for what is important to our family - circular review, happy pages, and challenging pace - I have Abeka 5 on my shelf, but still have hopes in the back of my mind that I'll find a curriculum that I love more
---Life of Fred, we sped through the last couple chapters mostly just reading the stories with a couple of basic problems to practice. As I've written before, great fun book, not the best for a thorough explanation of a subject.

Grammar - Rod & Staff - I still think they have a good, thorough program - not the most exciting, but I love their emphasis on Bible and character.

Handwriting - Continued to like A Reason for Handwriting - love the final verse pages to send/hand out to others - I don't think I will have Hannah do official handwriting next year - Josh desperately needs better handwriting

Reading - Rod & Staff - Still not the most fun for the kids, but I so appreciate them using scripture as their basis for reading rather than some frivolous, non-character building stories. We never have done the entirety of the workbooks as it just seems like overkill. Next year's book looks quite a bit different as the bible review is complete.

Science - Still love my Apologia. Swimming Creatures was another good, comprehensive book. We are going on to Land Animals next year.

History - Story of the World 4 - continued with good, easy-to-read stories about Modern Times. I learned a lot about why the world is the way it is today while going through it. The activities were not as good this time around and the maps were more just labeling than showing events. Looking forward to Mystery of History next year...going back to ancient history.

Spelling - did Spelling Workout for the second year. Good, easy spelling book. Fine for my kiddos who do pretty well with spelling, but I don't know if it would give a good foundation for kiddos that are challenged with spelling. I don't think we are going to do a spelling text next year. Probably will do the Charlotte Mason way of spelling which is pulling words from our readers that the kids don't already know and using them rather than a list of 20 words that they mostly already know.

Spanish - Risas y Sonrisas - I liked this program well overall. It has decent songs, some fun games, and nice bright pictures. It was good for vocabulary, however it was not at all good for verb conjugation which is a pretty important piece in my mind. Since it is a pricey program and was expensed through VAL, I don't plan on continuing with it next year. I purchased some workbook-type books and will see how those go.

I did love all the many, many read-alouds we did and our most amazing poetry book. We'll continue with those over the summer. It was a good year overall...seemed a little crammed at times, but was also more laid back in many ways. I'm still loving the ideal of the three-days-on, two-days-off plan for next year...we'll have to see how that pans out.

Hannah has been horse-sitting the last week and a half

The Master's Academy Int'l

Last week I completely spaced on Missions Monday...sorry to any of you who desperately missed it. :) Anyways, today's highlighted ministry is The Master's Academy International. This ministry is currently present in 13 different countries around the world. Their purpose is to train up indigenous leaders to spread the gospel within their own country and to their own people. They desire to first and foremost train their students to be biblical in what is taught and have them teach in an expositional manner (a systematic explanation of scripture). Another desire is that there be a partnership formed with the churches in other countries and churches here in the United States. There is some level of affiliation with The Master's Seminary and Grace Community Church, but I'm not sure exactly the extent. As with all ministries you can support them both in prayer and financially. They also have some short term team and individual opportunities to participate in as well.

Rock pets :)

Silhouettes

Hope all fathers had a wonderful Father's Day today. Ours was pretty low-key with a nice breakfast, then church, and a pretty quiet afternoon. Hannah made Dave a sweet card with backrub coupons on it :), and Josh made a couple of special bookmarks. There were some neat tools for presents as well as a picture frame with silhouettes of the kids we made. So, that's what I wanted to tell you about today...

A number of weeks ago Ann Voskamp had a link to a site that showed you how to make silhouettes. It looked really neat and quite easy so I thought I'd make ones of the kids for Dave's Father's Day. And, they were pretty easy and turned out pretty well.

I wasn't able to easily find the link again, so I'll just tell you how I did it.

• First of all, place a chair in front of a sunny window so that a silhouette is easily seen.

• Have the child sit up straight and look ahead with a plain face. Take their picture.
  
• Make sure you take pictures of all kids at the same time in the exact same spots (both the child and the camera) with the same zoom setting. That will allow you to make sure they are proportionate sizes to each other.
• Import your pictures into whatever program you have. Size them to fit whatever frame you are wanting them to fit. Make sure you size them proportionately. I used a 4x6 frame so they were pretty large heads. You could use an 8x10 frame and put multiple kids in the one frame if you'd like.
• Then, print out in black and white.
• Tape the printed picture (with space around it) to a piece of black card stock (I now have lots of this, so if you live near me, let me know and I'll bring some to you). Do not tape on the child's head, just on the surrounding paper.
  
• Use a sharp knife (I used an Exacto-type one) and cut carefully around the child's features. The blog I read recommended that you put in eyelashes even if they are not seen on the picture. The first head I cut, I didn't do that, and it did look kind of flat. Eyelashes just make it a little more realistic. It was easiest to just draw them in and cut around.
• Then, carefully remove the cut-out from the cardstock. Trim the bottom to be straight if need be and correct in proportion to the other heads if made.
  
• I used white cardstock for the background and just taped the black head to the white background and popped it into the frame.
  
• Voila! done. :)

Trial and Triumph

We finished this great book earlier this week during our evening reading time with Dave. It is a superb book to read if you are looking to find out more about prominent people throughout church history. The first chapter is on Polycarp (1st century A.D) and it ends with Richard Wurmbrand (who died in 2001). There are 46 stories included, a few from each period of history following Christ. It depicts a lot of the persecution and martyrdom that has taken place over the years...it is written honestly which means including many of the people dying, but it is not gory. You definitely come away from it with an appreciation of those who have gone before you and paved the way for the gospel to be spread throughout the world. Highly recommended.

Today's Schooling Thoughts

This morning I called VAL and have officially removed Hannah and Josh from the program. Since it has been decided, I've started thinking about all the endless possibilities...ahhhh. Actually, it's been quite fun. Anyways, my favorite thought at the moment is homeschooling year round - it was something I thought about way back when before our commitment to the public school schedule with VAL. You can do it by going a certain number of weeks and then taking a couple of weeks off, but I think the way we might try it is going 3 days on, 2 days off per week.

My hope is that the kiddos would be more diligent and disciplined (is that just wishful thinking?!?!?) with less days of school per week, and also that it would free us up to be more available and able to serve as well as engendering more open times for creativity. The specific days per week would also flex based upon what is happening from week to week. If we decide to go up skiing on Friday, then we would school on Thursday that week, for example.

Another good aspect of that schedule is that there wouldn't be major summer skill loss. We already do a bit of school over the summer to help with that, but this would be much more seamless. We'd just go from one book to the next, skipping the many chapters of review. I am also looking forward to doing the "fun things" at home. Here's a very tentative schedule I put together with all sorts of fun options for our "off" days.

And, lastly, a friend of mine and I have been talking about doing a little homeschool group - maybe every other week (anyone else interested in that?). Something that could include things like science experiments, writing, public speaking, book club, arts/crafts, etc. Having this looser schedule would let me feel more free and available to add that in.

So, those are my current thoughts. Since comments are working, what do you think? Am I crazy or is this my greatest idea ever? ;)

Some pics of the watermelon eating contest at VAL's end of the year picnic today

VAL Update

Well, sad to say, but we have decided to not continue with VAL for our schooling next year. :( It has been a wonderful program in many ways for us over the last five years, but there has been substantial legislation this last month or so that is changing some very key pieces of the program. Many of you know that we were already pretty iffy about continuing earlier on, but now they have increased the required charting (to weekly) and are not allowing any religious texts to be used primarily. Since probably 80+ percent of our curriculum is Christian based, that would require me finding "similar" curriculum to use and then supplement with our normal ones. Didn't sound too great to me.

But, you know, I am really excited to see how next year will work out. Even though VAL has been very little oversight in many ways over the years, there was still always this nagging in the back of my mind that I had to accomplish such and such a thing by such and such a time. It went against many of the Charlotte Mason philosophies that sound so wonderful to me like doing short lessons and giving lots more time to life activities - you can't chart that very well to fill 25 hours. Plus, hopefully it will allow me to not feel so pressured when we go away for a week or have someone come visit. Now we can just eat bon-bons and watch soaps all day long!!! :)

Character, service, and willingness to be available when needed don't fit into a rigid lesson plan very well. Plus, many of the really important things in life that make a difference long term aren't found in workbooks or traditional subjects. So, we'll see where the Lord brings us as the plans get laid for next year. I'll keep you updated as things progress and ideas get formed...

-----I also finally got the comments to show at the bottom of the posts...hooray!

some more Flight Museum

Bee Kites

Each year on the last school day at VAL, the 3D Art teacher makes Bee Kites with her classes. They are simple to make and fly well overall. My kiddos have always enjoyed making them. Plus, you just use a sheet of paper so it can be decorated however you'd like...Hannah named hers "The Sunburst." Have fun trying it out on your next windy day...

Journey to Jo'burg

Our recent history connection book was Journey to Jo'burg. It takes place in the country of South Africa and addresses the issue of apartheid. The story tells about two children whose younger sister was very sick with lack of food and sufficient nutrients. Their mother works far away in the city of Johannesburg (Jo'burg) for a wealthy white family so the brother and sister travel there to bring her home. It shows the wide gap between the black and white people in that area as well as how poorly the black people were treated.

The book is a decent read for the historical purpose, but it isn't a very great book otherwise. I think that is mostly because the characters are barely developed, and the author jumps right into the problem rather than setting the stage for it. It's less than 100 pages so that kind of gives you an idea of how little the story and characters are developed.

The lizard Josh caught at Sauer Mountain

First-fruits

Been thinking a bit about first-fruits this last week or so...If this concept is new to you, here's a brief explanation. In the Old Testament, God required his people to give the first-fruits (whatever the vegetation produced at the beginning) of their harvest to Him. That necessitated that they not only be self-sacrificing and more patient, but also trusting that the Lord would indeed provide. We are no longer under that system, but the idea of first-fruits is still beneficial.

Nowadays, though, we need to give God the first-fruits of our time, money, and talents. It is very sad to see how anemic the church is, yet how vibrant social/sports/media activities are. God is likely to only receive the leftovers, if anything, in our busy, over-filled lives. Giving God the first and best of what we have still takes self-sacrifice, patience, and trust. But, if we truly recognize what miserable sinners we were and now what blessed saints we have been made into, making God our first priority should be our delight, not our grudging duty.

So, set that alarm a little earlier to spend some time in prayer and the Word. Cancel that outing so you can serve someone in need. Skip your favorite show so you can spend that time discipling your children. Pass on another meal out so you can contribute more to the missionary. Stop surfing the Internet and go write a note of spiritual encouragement to someone. Choose to please God first, and I'm sure you won't regret it.

Some more super pics from my friend...

Silver Falls

Since our plans for today were scrapped yesterday when we learned some routes were closed, we ended up deciding to take White Pass and come home that way. It was a lovely drive with an amazing variety of views - forest, plains, dry, wet. That highway passes very close to the Rainier National Park so we went on an incredible trail in that area. It is called Silver Falls and it passes by some small Hot Springs and has a loop trail to a great, and rushing, waterfall. It's only about 2.5 miles and is not very strenuous. The trail itself is beautiful as it goes through mossy forest (think Olympic Rainforest) and over many streams. Definitely a hike to do if you are in the area...

The Hot Springs

An amazing double rainbow (and the bottom one seems to be more than one as well) that appeared at our house this evening (taken from the front of the house)

Mount St. Helens

We had a lovely day today...at first the clouds were in thick around the mountain, but they cleared out a bit as we got to the end of the road. Amazing...I really didn't realize how large the mountain is nor how much it altered the landscape. There is a wide variety of terrain from the explosion - knocked over trees, desolate areas, stripped mountainsides, munched off trees. Good to see God's power. We also took a nice hike around some hummocks (chunks of mountain).

However, when we checked into our plans for tomorrow, we were told that some of the roads we wanted to take were closed. So...I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow...maybe go down through Oregon and around. The Ape Caves are open, but the Lava Canyon road is closed. :( Stay tuned...