I should have done this a long time ago!

A  from-the-bottom-of-my-heart thank you to those who took the time to take my survey!  After about a hundred responses, it is time to let you know a little about what you said you needed and wanted to read about on this blog.

But before I tell you that, it is obvious from many of your comments that a  number of you are in desperate need of a bit of  motivation and encouragement.

Let me give you some.

You are doing a very. hard. but. valuable. thing. in home schooling your children.

Home schooling is NOT easy, or painless, or without major self-sacrifice.

Please stop comparing yourself with other people who make it look easy.

You know who I’m talking about.

• The denim-jumpered ladies who grind their own wheat to make whole grain bread and make all their kids’ clothes.
• The ones you run into at Wal-Mart, wearing make-up, who have nine nicely dressed, perfectly quiet children walking in a line when yours don’t have clean underwear on because you haven’t been able to do laundry* and you have bribed them to behave with the promise of a treat later backed up by several nasty looks.
• The ones who not only have a neat colored-coded schedule for every day but who actually follow it for more than a day and a half.

*true story

And realize that the advice and coaching you get from this blog comes from what we have learned from doing things wrong as well as from doing things right.

I can tell you, though, that homeschooling has been a wonderful thing for my own spiritual growth as well as that of our children.  There is nothing like seeing yourself in your kids’ less than perfect behavior to give you a picture of what our Heavenly Father so often sees in us!  Ouch!

It has been an even more wonderful thing enjoying the fruit of God’s grace and our home schooling labors in seeing children who love the Lord and are working hard to walk in His footsteps.  Home schooling  is oh, so worth it.

I am also thankful for those of you who took the time to answer the last survey question about what you are struggling with the most. Some of you really poured your heart out, and I appreciated your candidness and your trust in me. I plan to address many of those issues in the weeks and months to follow.

Survey Results

Before I give you a peek at the results, let’s look at the basics of who replied (and I’m rounding):

• 12% of you have home schooled under a year

• 24% from one to three years

• 22%  from three to five years

• 42%  for over six years

I don’t know about you, but I am encouraged that so many of you have home schooled for that long, and I hope this blog will support your efforts and give you some practical tools to keep going!

First Things First

1.  Now the interesting and inspiring part of the survey. The single, most important thing to over half of you (51%) was to read about Christian parenting – how to disciple and mentor your children.  That is SUCH an encouragement to me, as this is what we are called to do, even before academics!  And if you have read this blog for a while you know that this is a topic close to my heart!  If you are new around here, you might be encouraged to read a few of these older posts that relate to Christian parenting:

• Six Tips to Start Second Semester begins with a personal inventory – the most important place to start before we ’start on’ our kids!
• Want to be Wise? is another post written from the perspective of getting yourself in the correct frame of mind first, beginning with prayer and listing specific scripture on my prayer list as I approached the second semester of this school year.
• Using Habits in Personal Training is listed under our Charlotte Mason posts, but it describes how children need to be taught, from the beginning (!), that they are not ‘their own,’ but live under a greater Authority – what a contrast from our current child-centered culture!
• Teaching Character through Poetry Part I and Part II are two of Beth’s posts with great ideas for  incorporating character training into poetry studies.
• Cultural Creeping warns that  we need to be constantly aware of how we and our children are bombarded by our culture’s non-Christian worldview and the need to combat it.

The Rest of the Very Important Stuff

2.  How to Teach Different Subjects (44%)

3.  Teaching High Schoolers (39%)

4.  Ideas for Lesson Plans (39%)

5. Charlotte Mason Methods (38%)

6. Teaching Middle Schoolers (33%)

What You Considered Important

1. Home Schooling Support and Encouragement (47%)

2. Description of Epi Kardia Curricula (46%)

3. Planning and organization (45%)

4. Hands on Learning (44%)

5. Ideas for Lesson Plans (39%)

Lesson Plan Ideas

Because so many of you considered lesson plan ideas important, before this post gets any longer I want to list some of our pertinent posts in one place for those of you who are newer readers:

• Writing a Book Review – Writing a book review for the purpose of encouraging someone else to read a well-loved book is a lot more interesting to write than the traditional report.
• Make a Middle Ages Dictionary! will give you detailed instructions and resources to make a book, taken from our middle school lesson plans, that can be adapted for younger or older students studying this or another time period/subject.
• Make a Lapbook! Identifies the benefits of using graphic organizers and includes photos and MANY ideas and resources for making mini-books and lapbooks.
• Picture Study – Ever wondered how to incorporate the study of great art into your homeschooling? Read about this painless way to do so!
• Picture Study for Older Students -A continuation of the post above, this article contains additional ideas appropriate for your older children.
• The Question Box – This creative, hands on idea can be used to review or to incite interest in studying all kinds of topics.  The lesson example given in on the Middle Ages and can be used with students of all ages.

OK, this is WAY longer than I intended!  But I do want to assure you that I will respond to your preferences  as I plan and write this blog.  And for those of you who asked me to answer particular questions, I will address those very soon.

Many Blessings, Sisters!

P.S.  THANK YOU for some of your very encouraging comments!

One of the most controversial of Charlotte Mason’s principles is how she viewed the teaching of composition.

‘Composition’ comes by Nature.––In fact, lessons on ‘composition’ should follow the model of that famous essay on “Snakes in Ireland”––”There are none.” For children under nine, the question of composition resolves itself into that of narration, varied by some such simple exercise as to write a part and narrate a part, or write the whole account of a walk they have taken, a lesson they have studied, or of some simple matter that they know. Before they are ten, children who have been in the habit of using books will write good, vigorous English with ease and freedom; that is, if they have not been hampered by instructions. It is well for them not even to learn rules for the placing of full stops and capitals until they notice how these things occur in their books. Our business is to provide children with material in their lessons, and leave the handling of such material to themselves. If we would believe it, composition is as natural as jumping and running to children who have been allowed due use of books. They should narrate in the first place, and they will compose, later readily enough; but they should not be taught ‘composition.’

Did you get that last sentence?  Not teach composition?  Let’s look again at her thoughts restated in modern English:

1. Under the age of nine, composition should not be taught as a subject. Rather, children should narrate, either orally or in combination with writing, about an experience they have had or on a subject with which they are familiar.
2. Children who have been exposed to the best in literature will automatically be able to express themselves in writing.
3. Punctuation (grammar) should be taught using the books they are reading for examples rather than in isolation.
4. She intimated here and states more clearly elsewhere: Children are to be exposed to superior literature and be allowed to interact with it themselves without us voluminously interpreting and explaining it to them.

One of the keys to understanding this teaching is that she is discussing younger elementary children, not middle school and high school children.  In our curriculum we do not recommend formal composition instruction prior to the age of nine (third grade) – and by that I mean teaching children to write reports, summaries of literature or anything requiring more advanced reasoning skills or even requiring more than a very short paragraph at a time.

Some of the popular Charlotte Mason ‘interpreters’ believe Charlotte did not have children do any writing during those earlier years, but she did specifically state in the quote above (from Volume I, The Original Home Schooling Series) that narrations could be all or part in writing, even for children below nine.

Although we don’t believe children are to jump right into school with copious quantities of writing, as more classically oriented curricula often suggest, we do feel there are many skills involved in learning to write and they are more easily learned if they are taught using real books and reinforced through copy work in the earlier years. Some CM purists might disagree.  We do keep those lessons very brief and always in conjunction with books written at the child’s comprehension level, but we utilize copy work from first grade on and we include basic punctuation and grammar, as you can see in this first grade sample week  from our first grade plans here.

Although in #2 above Ms. Mason assumes that children exposed to high quality literature will be able to write automatically, I can’t say that has been my experience for all children.  Some have definitely been more natural writers than others, in my opinion, and some have benefited by more detailed writing instruction.  But not in the first few grades — save it for later elementary.

One can’t underestimate what young children learn and absorb through hearing and reading top quality literature, however, we shortchange them if we don’t answer their questions and clarify areas that they obviously do not understand, paying close attention to their attention span and interest level.  In Endangered Minds: Why Children Don’t Think And What We Can Do About It, Dr. Healy describes just how important discussion between parents and children is to developing children’s verbal and language skills, and the more conversation, the better.  Mind, I am not talking about  daily lecturing your primary-aged learners! If your find your children’s eyes glazing over and they suddenly disappear at read-aloud time, consider that you may have crossed the line.  This time with literature is to be enjoyed, not analyzed to death.

I would love to hear how some of you long-time Charlotte Mason fans have dealt with composition in your home schools.  Have you taught writing using traditional CM methods or used another curriculum?  At what age did you begin composition instruction?  I appreciate your input – it helps all of us!

Blessings,

An extensive knowledge of the exact meanings of English words accompanies outstanding success in this country more often than any other single characteristic we have been able to isolate and measure. —Research Scientist Johnson O’Connor

An extensive vocabulary is a valuable tool that will help your children in every arena of their lives: academically, vocationally and socially.  An excellent vocabulary will improve one’s ability to comprehend other’s ideas,  understand the ‘grammar’ of a field of study, and to better articulate one’s own thoughts, opinions and beliefs. In our family, the development of an excellent vocabulary is one of the benefits of a Charlotte Mason education that we have observed firsthand.

How is Vocabulary Developed?

Vocabulary is developed by immersing children in high quality literature – in other words -  living books.  Generally, it is not by vocabulary programs and workbooks. Although those have their place, nothing exposes children to a broad, varied vocabulary like reading exceptional books. Many exceptional books.

Even before children painstakingly learn to blend vowels and consonants, their minds should be stimulated by hearing top notch literature.  In fact, even Ms. Mason was amazed that young children were able not just to grasp, but truly enjoy books that were several ‘levels’ beyond their own.  Exposed frequently at an early age to living books resulted in children “acquiring a copious vocabulary,” according to Ms. Mason.

Do I Have to Stop and Look up Every Word I Don’t Know?

It seems logical to have children look up the words they don’t know, doesn’t it?  Surprisingly, Ms. Mason did not agree.  She felt as though it was demeaning to children even to offer explanations for words unless they asked.  She quite definitively proclaimed that explaining the words destroyed children’s interest in the story and ‘just flat annoyed’ them!  So how did she think they would learn words they didn’t know?  Charlotte felt that most of the time they had some idea of what a word meant by the context in which it was found.  She felt if children read broadly enough, they would encounter words in different contexts and eventually glean quite a competent understanding of them.

So How Do We Help Our Kids Add to Their Vocabulary?

There are a few things we can do to help our children learn new words:

1. Teach children to try and figure out new words by their context. Walk them through the process as you are reading to them if they ask about a word: What is the author talking about here? What do you think it could mean?  What other word might fit in that spot (based on the rest of the sentence)?
2. Model enthusiasm for learning new words by circling words during your own reading that you are going to look up later.  Add them to your ongoing word list.  Talk about them.  Practice using them in sentences.
3. Pick out vocabulary words from their history and science reading and have them learn the words at another time – not during their reading time.  Epi Kardia’s Daily Lesson Plans use this method.
4. For children third grade an up, have them start two lists in their language arts notebooks: one for Tired Words and one for WOW! Words. (For those of you who use Epi Kardia curriculum, those charts are in the Tools section of your Manuals.)

For example, Tired Words are words that are overused, nonexpressive and imprecise.  Words like good, bad, pretty, mad, great and nice are bland, boring and don’t convey much to your reader.  Help your children ‘collect’ more interesting words that will add zing to their writing.  On their WOW! Words chart they could add: virtuous, dreadful, gorgeous, furious, tremendous and mannerly. (Be sure to read their work aloud with the Tired words and then with the WOW! words — they will be amazed at the difference!) During their composition lessons, teach them to replace their Tired words with WOW! words. When you find an overused or nondescript word in their writing, it should be added to their Tired Words list, to be forever banned from appearing in their writing.  Have your children add to both lists regularly, and as you teach them to self-edit, have them eventually identify and replace any Tired words they find on their own without any help from you.

But most importantly, read, read, read!  If you do, you will be surprised at the words your children will learn and begin using in their conversation!  Have you not found that to be true in your own homeschool?

Happy reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Monday night Beth had the opportunity of presenting a workshop on mini-books and lapbooks, types of graphic organizers, to our homeschooling support group.  We were pleased to have such a good turnout and spent a delightful evening with old and new friends.  It was especially enjoyable to see some ‘textbook’ moms learn that hands on projects such as mini-books and lapbooks were not only fun, but also educational!

What is a Graphic Organizer?

For the benefit of those of you who were not present, a graphic organizer is any tool that allows your student to organize his thoughts and record what he’s learned in a visual way.  Examples of common graphic organizers include:

• Charts and Graphs
• Venn Diagrams
• Scrapbooks, Lapbooks and Mini-books
• Library Pockets and Envelopes

We made two different types of mini-books at our workshop – an accordion book and a layered-look book, and we showed  examples of mini-books and lapbooks that had been made by our children as well as some we had made in teaching a Reluctant Writers class a few years ago.

For example, here is a very simple mini-book that can be made by an elementary aged student:

Directions:

1.  Using one single piece of 8 1/2 x 11 inch colored paper, hold the base piece of paper vertically, then fold it in half lengthwise.

2. Out of contrasting paper colors, construct a simple flower clearly showing the petals, leaves, stem and roots, as shown in the picture on the far left.

3. After gluing the flower to the top half of the folded paper, cut through the flower and the top half of the paper, to the fold.  Make three cuts so that the flower, leaves, stem and roots each have their own section.

4. On the inside of the flaps, label each section, as shown.

5.  Write a short description of each flower ‘part’ opposite each label.

What is a Lapbook?

A lapbook is a innovative, visual, creative, kinesthetic, way to organize information.  Examples abound of lapbooks online (and see our resource list at the bottom of this post), but on the right is an example of one my son made a while back about space.  The base is simply made from two file folders glued together.

Directions for making the lapbook:

1.  Take two file folders, laying vertically open on the table in front of you.

2.  One at a time, take the outside edges of each file folder and fold them in towards the center fold.  Crease well, then let them open.

3. Glue together the sides of each folder that are next to each other.  Voila!  That is all there is to it – you can make lapbooks bigger by gluing on more folders or attaching additional flaps inside.

At the left is a photo of the inside of the lapbook.  There is space for vocabulary, illustrations, charts, book reports, clip art and anything else your study included.  The multicolored mini-book is a favorite of ours, the layered-look book.  It allows students to do a fair amount of writing, depending upon the number of pages it contains, but is much less intimidating than that dreaded big, blank sheet of paper because it is divided into many different sections.

Lapbooks are not only fun to make but:

• they are kinesthetic and visual, maximizing other learning modes
• they beg to be shown to others, giving students an automatic and painless review of the material contained in their lapbook, every time they show it to someone else
• they can be used for studying almost any subject and easily may integrate several subjects, maximizing learning
• they are great at enticing reluctant writers because they are divided into many smaller sections
• they can also be used as an assessment tool, especially when assigned with an accompanying rubric outlining what is to be included in the lapbook
• they can be used for all ages, kindergarten through high school

As with all graphic organizers, anytime your elementary student is organizing information, he is building a foundation for learning more advanced writing skills as well as for learning how to take notes.

At every grade level and in every type of curriculum we have,  Epi Kardia curricula uses mini-books, lapbooks and graphic organizers!

Online Resources for Mini- and Lapbooks

Here is a resource list for mini- and lapbook resources including instructions, ideas and even free lapbooks:

• This site has every type of mini book imaginable as well as  free templates!

• This site has guided reading materials and  MANY mini book ideas and resources for elementary ages.

• This is one of our favorite original sites with great instruction and ideas. Check out the blog for this site as well.

• This has an array of lapbook information for all ages. In fact, at The Homeschol Lounge (highly recommended!) you can join a group of homeschooling moms who share lapbook ideas and resources.

And for those of you who want to incorporate notebooking and scrapbooking into your homeschooling (or you like to scrapbook yourself):

• These are resources and other links for educational scrapbooking.

• This is a free software download (full version) to begin digital scrapbooking immediately.

If you read our last post, Six Steps to Start Second Semester, mini- and lapbooks might be just the thing to add some pizazz to your homeschooling this semester.  Even if you use a traditional curriculum, please give your students a chance to do some thing hands on, colorful and creative!  Enjoy!

In His Service,

P.S. If you have a reluctant writer or two at your house, in addition to trying mini-books, you might find our reluctant writer series helpful.  See Reluctant Writers – Part 1 The Early Years, Reluctant Writers – Part 2 The Middle Years and Reluctant Writers – Part 3 High School and Beyond.

The winter months can be rough for many homeschool moms.  The gray, barren days can follow one another like saltines in a box, making us feel about as drab as the view outside. If you find yourself in the midst of the winter doldrums, it might be time to do some self and school evaluation.

1.  How is Your Private Time with God?

If you have read this blog for very long, you have probably inferred that we think this is the place to begin any self-evaluation. How are you doing on having regular prayer and Bible study times?  If you have found yourself out of the habit after the holidays, now is a good time to get started again. Don’t wait until you have things perfectly quiet and organized before you spend some time in the Word. For inspiration, read this post about Susannah Wesley called Growing Moms.   If you need a jump start in this area, pick up a good devotional.  There are MANY wonderful ones out there.  One of my favorites is the classic My Utmost for His Highest.  If you have ever participated in the Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God Bible study, you might enjoy the devotional I am using this year called Experiencing God Day-By-Day.  I find it helpful to read the daily passage and the thoughts about it in the devotional first, then read the passage in the Bible itself (in the context of the chapter surrounding it).  Then I pray, asking God to show me what He wants me to see in that passage.  Having a journal to jot down what He tells me and other thoughts that come up is a necessity as well.  This time need not be in the morning, but I find it to be my best time before my mind is filled with my ‘to do’ list.

2.  Does Your Marriage Need Attention?

Valentines Day is right around the corner.  Instead of just stocking up on candy  for the…kids (see #3), why don’t you plan a special time to bless your husband that day?  A handmade valentine, a special dinner, or a babysitter for the kids and a bundled up stroll along the beach or a country road might be just the thing to help your husband know he is special.  Does he like to watch the game on TV, play golf, or putter around in the garage?  Maybe just sharing an activity of his choice would be appreciated.  We homeschool moms often need to work harder at getting quality husband-wife time into the schedule!

3.  Are You Paying Attention to Your Own Health?

Most moms are marvelous when it comes to keeping kids dressed warmly, drilling those math facts and doling out vitamins and vegetables.  BUT… what about ourselves?  Are you exercising regularly?  “They” say that thirty to sixty minutes most days is about the right amount of exercise, but that might be pretty difficult if you have little ones.  You can do something, even if it is popping in an exercise video during naptime.  Some virtual accountability might be in order to help you get and stay on track. My friend Cindy showed me this very handy website through Prevention magazine where you can track your exercise, everything you eat and even your mood.  Go to “My Heath Tracker” near the top right  of the page, set up a free account, plug in what you weigh and what you would like to weigh, what you have eaten that day and what you have done for exercise. It is very informative!   If you are already an exerciser,  The Daily Mile might be helpful.  It is an online social training log wherein you can find friends, log in your runs/biking/ walking miles or times, can blog about your thoughts and encourage your friends. It has Twitter and Facebook interfaces as well.  My college-aged daughter’s friends encourage each other in their exercise programs through this venue.

One other health resource I wanted to share with you:   As a 3 1/2 year cancer survivor myself, I am always reading about new ideas and research in the area of cancer prevention.  I came across this free report you might be interested in downloading and reading – it is a food guide for cancer prevention and survival.

4. Is Your House in Order?

I even hesitate to ask that question – I can hear the groans from here!  I mean in good enough order that you are able to function, and obviously we are going to have different tolerance levels here.  Personally, I find it very difficult to focus on school when the house is totally out of control.  Develop some routines and do your absolute best to stick to them.  My favorite resource for keeping the dust bunnies at bay is the Flylady routines.  She talks about controlling C.H.A.O.S. (Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome ) by dividing your home into zones and cleaning a little each day in that zone as well as working on general clutter. Go to her website and click on Getting Started for more information.  Make sure your children have age appropriate chores as well! We are big on checklists at our house.  Behind children’s bedroom closet doors is a list in a page protector that says “M’s room is clean when…..1.  All clothes are picked up off the floor and either put into the laundry basket or folded neatly and put in the drawer.  2.  All school papers are punched and put into notebooks and trash is thrown in the trashcan.” etc.  Build into the day a quick pick up before Dad gets home (see #2).

5.  How Many Out-of-the-Home Activities is Too Many?

Did you really enjoy Christmas and New Year’s vacation, in part because most or all of your outside activities ceased during that period?  Did the more relaxed schedule and extra time with your dear hubby and charming children yield better relationships between all of you?  Was it easier to keep the house under control and eat healthier because you weren’t constantly running from one thing to another?   Hmmm.  Maybe this means you/your children are doing too much outside the home.  They do call it ‘home’ schooling, y’know.  Give some hard thought to evaluating each of your and your kids’ activities and consider what you can cut.  Many homeschoolers choose one activity and/or one sport per child per semester.  Husbands’ insight can be helpful here.  My friend Jennifer recently gave me some godly advice on just this subject.  She said, “Lay everything at the feet of Jesus.  Only pick up what He would have you pick up.”  (See #1)

6. Is Your School Curriculum Working for You?

This is the season when we want to forget about this school year and just start planning next year.    It isn’t a bad thing to start looking toward the coming year and making plans, but we do have to finish this year! Try to get energized about finishing this year well while you are dreaming and drooling over what you want to do next.  Getting your school records organized is a good start. I am a long time user of  Homeschool Tracker software.  They have an absolutely free basic package that you can download immediately, which I used for a few years, but if you plan on homeschooling during the high school years (and I hope you do!) spending the $49 and buying the PLUS version will enable you to keep much more detailed records, apply the weighted grading scale that we have to use in South Carolina, and use many more helpful features.  See the comparison between the free version of  Homeschool Tracker and the paid version here. If you decide you can afford the $49, that is all you will ever have to pay because they offer free upgrades. Additionally, the few times I have had questions not answered by the detailed online tutorials, their free software support has been almost immediate.  This software has been a valued tool in my family and has considerably cut down on paper, our family’s biggest nemesis.   Do me a favor and if you decide to purchase the Homeschool Tracker software, please consider typing this code in the Referral Information page of the shopping cart under “Make Selection – **Customer Referral (I have a code)”: FNZ9E .  If you do that, I will receive a small referral bonus.  I appreciate it!

Now, start evaluating your homeschool curriculum.  Most likely you have used it for almost a half a year now.  Is it meeting the needs of your family… or is the honeymoon over? I am not suggesting that you immediately ditch whatever you are using now–just take notice of how it works with your teaching and your kids’ learning styles.  Are you enjoying it?  Are your children enthusiastic about using it?  Does it motivate them to complete their lessons, and are they retaining the information?  Do they discuss it with your husband at dinner, or want to find out more about a subject or person that they learned about during ’school’?  OR Do you have to hound them to get their work done?  Do they constantly denounce it as boring?  Are you having difficulty staying interested yourself?  Dialog with your children about what they think.  What do they like the best about school?  What do they like the least?  Why?  Children can give us some great insights if we would just ask them and really listen to their answers.  If you find that they are bored and unmotivated, adding some living books and more hands on activities might be just the thing to liven things up!  Try to hone in on their interests, as well. We have many well-written, high interest, living books listed on our Books! pages if you need some examples.  If you have a budding artist, instigate some picture study, or create a lapbook that dovetails with your studies.  Instead of your typical textbook book report, try assigning a Book Review.  Try a new, fun way to present or review material, such as the one suggested in this post, The Question Box, or this one, Make a Lapbook!

Use this opportunity to tweak things a little and you might find yourself out of those doldrums and excited once again.  Remember that Mom’s positive attitude sets the tone for everyone else.  I hope you have found some of these ideas and links helpful – I would love to hear your recommendations as well!

In His Service,

On this blog post I had planned on sharing some helpful links and information I have collected to help you hit the ground running this January.  But instead, I want to let you know about a sale going on now to benefit the Estes Family.  Many of you are probably familiar with Jeff and Kate’s company, Hands and Hearts.  They create and sell hands on history kits of entertaining and educational activities to augment history curriculum.  You might know that the Estes family of ten includes a darling, fragile three year old named Noah, who struggles with mitochondrial disease, an ultimately terminal condition.

What you might not know about the Estes family is what they have faced in the last few years:

• Jeff has been out of work after the company he worked for downsized and had to lay him off.
• Federal laws concerning children’s products have radically changed, drastically reducing their company’s profitability
• Noah has had multiple hospitalizations, usually sudden ones that cause Kate to have to drop everything and rush Noah to the hospital in Greenville, SC and Jeff to have to be home with their other children.
• Caring for Noah at home has become more and more challenging with his special medical needs.

Although committed to living debt free, the Estes have seen their savings dwindle.  They are torn because, frankly, it takes both Kate and Jeff to take care of things at home with Noah’s needs and frequent hospitalizations. Jeff needs to work at home.

Thankfully, Jeff has found a business opportunity that he and Kate have researched and feel would be right for them in their challenging situation.  The trouble is, they don’t have the funds to get it started.

And… this is where YOU come in.

Christian self-publishing friends have donated a FANTASTIC list of  homeschool products that are available to those who make at least a $39 donation to the Estes family.  The number of items goes up with the amount of your donation. You are welcome to donate more or less, as you wish, but the Estes family would like to use the income from this sale to give them a way to support their unique family.

If you would like some awesome homeschool products and to help the Estes family, please click here.  If you would just like to make a donation, I’m sure that would be fine, too.

Thanks for taking the time to read about this very difficult situation, and whether you are able to donate or not, please pray for this precious family.

Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested!

In His grace,

Near the Original Site of the Settlement of Charleston

Named for King Charles II, Charleston was founded in 1670 at Albemarle Point, on the western bank of the Ashley River and was the first European settlement in the U.S. colonies.  Initially named Charles Towne, the settlement was later moved to its current location on the peninsula in 1680.  If you visit Charleston, make sure you plan a stop at the historical park at Charles Towne Landing.

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Nature Study

One of our favorite parts of following Charlotte Mason’s methods are beginning many of our days with Nature Study. Rather than Amber’s family going out to study nature, they conveniently had nature come to them when they found a snake in their basement!  Of course, they couldn’t let it go without studying it first… Nature Study — Snake! posted at The Mommy Earth.Barb loves the following quote about nature study from Charlotte Mason’s contemporary and friend,  Liberty H. Bailey. Barb-Harmony Art Mom presents The Threads of Nature Study posted at Handbook of Nature Study. Have you ever wanted to take a peek at other kids’ nature journals?  Jennifer includes some pictures of theirs along with some glorious fall color in her article, Our Tree Trip in Utah, posted at Living Charlotte Mason in California. Tammy presents a fascinating and informative article about an impromptu nature study that occurred recently at her house:  An Exciting New Find, posted at Adventures On Beck’s Bounty.

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Reproduction of English Settlers' Cabins at Charles Towne Landing

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Handicrafts

Ms. Mason advocated that children learn skills and abilities that would aid them in life and aid them in being productive.  In her schools she promoted handicrafts, not just arts and crafts. Sometimes moms are at a loss for handicraft ideas to do with their sons,  so here are some manly projects gleaned from Rebecca’s experiences as a Cub Scout leader:  Handicrafts for Boys posted at Little Homeschool on the Prairie.

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The Habit of Thinking

Children do not automatically do what is right – good habits must be painstakingly, regularly, consistently trained. Christin offers us a practical examples of how to do that in her insightful article,  The Habit of Thinking posted at Journey of Discovery.

Open in 2005, the Arthur Ravenel Bridge from Charleston to Mt. Pleasant has the longest single cable-stay bridge in North America.

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Forming a Relationship

It is natural that children, when exposed to great ideas from excellent living books, develop a relationship with what they are learning. Keri presents Forming a Relationship posted at Sunny Scholars.  Barb’s children certainly are forming a relationship with the characters as they study Les Miserables.  Read this excellent reflective piece on their literature study :  “An Appreciative Look or Comment” posted at Harmony Art Mom.  Although much broader than just this topic suggests, Bethany LeBedz presents Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom: The Tutor’s Private Coaching Session describing her wonderfully helpful magazines for rounding out a Charlotte Mason curriclum, posted at Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom.

Although Phyllis is just beginning her homeschooling years, she shares with us ‘what the beginning of a Charlotte Mason education looks like’ in her home as she shares A week in our school posted at Hunsucker’s Home from the Ukraine.

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Rainbow Row

These often photographed colorful row of houses on East Bay Street are affectionately known as ‘Rainbow Row.’  Although there are several explanations for these bright colors, many feel they originated from the colonial Caribbean, a regular port of call on trade voyages to Charleston.

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Copy Work

One of the basic tenets of a Charlotte Mason education is copy work. Cyndi Kinney posts an informative and helpful article on the benefits of copy work: Why Copywork? posted at Red Head Rambler.

Pineapple Fountain at Waterfront Park

During Colonial times the pineapple began to be used in the South as a symbol for the warm and welcome hospitality frequently found here.

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Picture Study

Like copy work, picture study is a hallmark of Ms. Mason’s education. Please read this for an introduction to picture study, and then read Brenda’s article, The Impressionists for Kids posted at The Tie That Binds Us for a wonderful example of putting it into practice.   If you have older children and would like to have them learn a more formal method of evaluating art, please read my article, Charlotte Mason Mondays: Picture Study for Older Students posted at Epi Kardia.

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French Protestant Church

This historic house of worship is also known as the French Huguenot  Church.  This Reformed church was founded about 1681 by French Huguenot refugees fleeing from religious persecution in France during the Protestant Reformation.

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Living Books

Here is an additional post written by Jeanne about reading aloud, called Again, with feeling posted on her beautiful blog, A peaceful day.

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Ruins at Fort Sumter

No visit to Charleston would be complete without mentioning that the Civil War began right in our backyard with Confederate soldiers firing upon Fort Sumter, across Charleston Harbor, on April 12, 1861.  The Federal fort surrendered within a day and a half and would be occupied by Confederate forces for the next four years.

We hope you have enjoyed your Trip to Charleston as well as this edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival!

Happy Homeschooling!

We’re Not Just Featuring a Cyber Monday sale…

How About a CYBER MONDAY THRU FRIDAY Sale?!

This week only at Epi Kardia, we are having an unprecedented

Buy 2 , Get 1 Free Sale*

Have you ordered an Ancients Unit of our Complete Daily Lesson Plans and wish you could order all three sets? This is the week to do it!

Example: Buy Sets I and II of any grade level and get Set III for free! If you’ve already bought the Ancients unit, you’ll still get to deduct that original $25 from your total! Save $75-$95!

Need high school courses? This is the time to buy! Buy any 2 and get the third one free!

Example: Buy American History I and American Literature , and get British Literature for free! You’ve covered 1 year of history and 2 years of literature for around $100.

Now, that’s a deal!

Have multiple aged children and want Complete Daily Lesson Plans for every child?

Example: Buy Set I for two different grades and get Set I free for another grade level! That’s a savings of at least $75!

Can’t decide on a Complete Program or Complete Daily Lesson Plans ? Get both!

Example: Buy 2 sets of Complete Daily Lesson Plans and get a Complete Program free! You’ll save at least $75 on that purchase!

You can mix and match any and all of our curriculum for this sale. When you order, be sure to note which item you’d like free in the “notes” section of your order form.

Sale ends midnight, Friday, December 4^th, so order today!

*The lowest priced item of the three will be free.

Active Ideas with Gourds!

One of the most positive ways we can celebrate Thanksgiving involves expressing our own thankfulness for all the ways that God blesses us!

1. Turkeys of Encouragement – this idea works best if you start at least a week before Thanksgiving to give everyone time to think. Make a turkey, minus the feathers, for each member of your family. Put the person’s name on the turkey body along with a favorite Bible verse. Hang the turkeys on a wall or door that is easily accessible for every family member. Cut out enough colorful feathers out of colored or construction paper to attach to each turkey. Place the feathers near the wall or door in an envelope (6×9 envelopes work well) along with a pencil or pen. Everyone, even visitors, can write reasons they’re thankful for that particular person on the feathers and then attach the feathers on the turkeys. Examples could be: I am thankful you read with me, I am thankful that you work so hard for our family, or Thank you for being obedient for mommy and daddy. You can overlap feathers, if necessary. On Thanksgiving, each person can take down their turkey and read the comments.

Many thanks to Jamie Sue Austin at freeprintablefun.org for the following turkey and feathers pattern. Right click on the image and copy into a document to print. You can use one of the feathers for a pattern to cut out colored feathers or print several sheets on different colors of paper.

2. Make it a Year of Giving – giving back to others when we have so much shouldn’t be limited to Thanksgiving and other holidays. Thanksgiving offers a wonderful time to brainstorm various ways your family can give to others in need throughout the year. Begin by brainstorming, with your children, ideas for serving other people. Be sure to allow your children to submit their ideas so they buy into the plan. You can help them focus by thinking of those who serve us or are in need. For example, sending care packages to soldiers, visiting nursing homes, supporting specific charities, inviting someone who doesn’t have a family to dinner, volunteering at an animal shelter or a hospital, collect donations to take to Goodwill, have a garage sale and donate the money to your church or a favorite charity, etc. Try to come up with enough ideas to do something once a month or so. Then take out a calendar and work with your children to schedule a way of giving each month. It’s best to schedule high exposure opportunities, such as visiting a nursing home or sending a care package to a soldier, for non-holiday months because so many people contribute during holidays and other times of the year are neglected. By your next Thanksgiving, you can delight in remembering the ways your family gave to others, being as Christ to them!

3. Cornucopia to share – sometimes children feel small or less than useful because they don’t realize all of the ways they can be helpful! Use a basket or a cornucopia and fill it with tried corn, small gourds, etc. Help your child brainstorm ways that he or she can helpful to others: praying for someone, specific cleaning ideas, sending a card, reading to a sibling, helping out a neighbor, etc. Write each of these ideas on a small pumpkin shaped (or other fall shape) piece of paper, then hole punch and tie each, using colorful fall ribbon, to one of the items in the cornucopia. Have your child select one each day to do throughout the holiday season. You can also reverse the activity by having your child select one to do and then tying it to an item in the cornucopia once it’s completed. For some children, this works better as an incentive to attach an idea to every item!

Educational

Incorporating Thanksgiving into school can add fun to the usual routine.

1. Vocabulary cup – using the pattern on page 56 in The Big Book of Books and Activities: An Illustrated Guide for Teacher, Parents, and Anyone Who Works With Kids!,  have your child fold the cup.  Have your child brainstorm Thanksgiving words that come to mind (thankful, Pilgrims, turkey, etc) and have your child write each word on a corn, leaf, turkey or other seasonal cut out. If you don’t want your child to cut out the shapes, you can find them pre-cut in school supply stores. Older children can draw the words out of the cups to write sentences and/or paragraphs.
2. Startwrite worksheets – if you recall my review of the Startwrite software, holidays are an excellent time to use them to your advantage. In the example below, the student wrote words and phrases of things for which he is thankful using the acrostic for THANKS. You can add clipart from the software or have your child illustrate the white space at the bottom of the page. This can be a writing assignment to assess the written work or you can use it as a handwriting assignment or copy work by supplying a Bible verse or a Thanksgiving poem for older children, such as the one below, Ballad of the Mayflower. Another idea to consider is using this time to have your children write “thankful for you” notes to people explaining why they’re thankful for them. You can use this time to teach the friendly letter format and use this software to create a template for your children to follow. It’s a great opportunity to teach your children to write a note even when they haven’t received a gift!

By Linda G. Paulsen

There was a ship, Mayflower by name; Hey, Ho~
Took a trip, she crossed the main; Hey, Ho~
Full of people seeking peace,
Praying for freedom to increase;
Hey, Ho, Dee-o, Dee-o! The Pilgrims came to Plymouth Rock; Hey, Ho~
Simple people, strudy stock; Hey, Ho~
To be free they crossed the sea,
Thanked the Lord on bended knee; Hey, Ho, Dee-o, Dee-o!
How when the crops were gathered in; Hey, Ho~
A dinner party did begin; Hey, Ho~
Pilgrims, Indians, pumpkin pie, Turkey, venison, corn, oh my!
Hey, Ho, Dee-o, Dee-o! Bet you thought my song was done; Hey, Ho~
But I’ve really just begun; Hey, Ho~
Ever since that autumn day,
Thanksgiving has been here to stay, Hey, Ho, Dee-o, Dee-o!

Hope you have a blessed time with these activites and ideas! May God’s blessings pour out over your entire family this Thanksgiving! Please share your favorite Thanksgiving ideas with our readers by commenting on this blog.

In Christ,

I love lists and I like that feeling of accomplishment when I complete my list. However, at the end of the day, the quality of what I accomplished always weighs more on me than how much I completed. This definitely applies to our home schooling as well.  As I have established goals for my children over the years, my focus has generally fallen on the following general categories:

• Character training – without Christian character, the academics are meaningless
• A love for learning – instilling a desire for increased knowledge and skills even outside of “school”
• A habit of thinking – emphasizing extended and organized thought, whether in or out of the box, no matter what is being studied.

Examining these categories, I easily connect how Epi Kardia curriculum reinforces character training and helps instill a love for learning. With our emphasis on strong historical characters in the books that we select and the variety of activities, relating to all of the different learning styles, those goals are achievable. What about a habit of thinking? Does our curriculum promote that as well? I hope so!

I randomly chose an Epi Kardia historical unit and grade level from our Daily Lesson Plans, Immigration in 3^rd grade, and examined the projects associated with that unit. I hope what I discovered can assist you in creating great “thinking” projects for your children!

1. A thinking project doesn’t have to be complicated – after reading the book Liberty Rising: The Story of the Statue of Liberty by Pegi Shea students are asked to design a statue that they believe represents the United States of America. This type of activity promotes thinking on at least a couple of levels. First of all, a student has to develop some picture of the U.S. in his head. What does it mean to live in the United States? What types of symbols can he develop that represent this country? This requires moving from a known symbol, the Statue of Liberty, to a new idea. The next stage of thinking occurs when the student determines how to design their symbol. Even with a simple sketch, thinking through the design and implementing it is a higher level cognitive skill.

2. A thinking project can be messy and fun – following the reading of On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House) by Laura Ingalls Wilder, students create a model dugout. With this project, creating the dugout itself doesn’t require a tremendous amount of thinking. However, mixing up a batch of mud to form the model is definitely messy and fun. The student can add sod, a window and a door to make the project more detailed. The thinking comes into play after the model is designed and you discuss what it must have been like for Laura and her family to live in such an abode. By talking through their experiences and comparing them to how he lives, your child practices his processing and evaluating skills.

3. A thinking project can train children to organize their thoughts – at Epi Kardia, we are great fans of graphic organizers and charts. We greatly appreciate such tools because they allow children to organize their thoughts in a more concrete way.  If we don’t control our thoughts and organize them in some logical way, they only become burdens, often misleading and confusing us. They float around in our head without definition or logic. It’s like cramming a bunch of documents in a file cabinet without sorting them into files. What’s the point? When you need them, they’re just a jumbled mess.  Children who utilize organizational tools starting from an early age develop the habit of organizing the information they’re processing. For example, after reading Along the Santa Fe Trail: Marion Russell’s Own Story by Marion Russell, students are asked to create a list of items they would take if they were heading on a trail out West with a wagon caravan. Now, you could have the student just make a list without any rhyme or reason, or you could suggest that the student organize his list in logical categories. So, first the student needs to determine which categories might be essential such as food and cooking supplies, animals and livestock, clothing, medicines, etc. The student also has to take into account the limited amount of space in the wagon. Assignment limitations often promote thinking skills that are very practical in real life since we all have limits placed on us when we’re trying to problem solve. This type of organizational thinking translates to many other areas of academics and to general life skills as well.

4. A thinking activity can promote further questioning and thoughts leading to more thinking! With all of our Daily Lesson Plans, we include comprehension questions for history and science. Our goal with these questions are twofold: firstly, lead the student to focusing on the most important aspects of the book and secondly, require him to think about what he has read. Too often children are asked to read material, but are never required to work through the process of thinking about it and evaluating what they’ve read. For example, questions from the 3^rd grade Immigration curriculum following the reading of Just So Stories, Illustrated Edition (Yesterday’s Classics) by Rudyard Kipling include:

• Do you think curiosity is a good thing?
• Is there a time when it could be negative?

Note how we start out with a seemingly simple question. The first answer could be a simple “yes” or “no.” If we stopped there, very little thinking or evaluation would take place. However, the second question requires more advanced thinking because it’s an open ended question. This style of question requires thought rather than just regurgitation of facts or a “yes” or “no.”

Another example may be derived from On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House). The questions related to chapters 23-24 are as follows:

• How was the country party different than the town party?
• How did Laura’s church compare to your church?
• Why did Pa not get new boots?

The first and second questions require that your child compare and contrast. Comparing and contrasting require higher level thinking skills. Also, note that the third question begins with “why” which usually indicates that deeper thinking is involved to give a complete answer.

There are many other opportunities to train our children to think from puzzles to analogies to problem solving sets. With such a variety of options, we can work on these skills without having to focus on one type of activity or project.

Things We Do That Prevent Our Children From Becoming Thinkers

While none of us want to consider that we might have habits preventing our children from becoming strong thinkers, we very well may. By looking at our own habits, and reforming some of them, we can promote stronger thinking skills in ourselves and our children.

1. We don’t give our children time to think. When I was an education intern, I had a teacher who truly loved to teach. I was so blessed by the time I spent with her. She had a habit of counting to 30 slowly after she asked a question, whether it was addressed to the entire class or just one student. She explained that adults often do not give children enough time to think through answers and children develop the habit of hesitating, knowing that the adult will eventually give them the answer. Also, in a classroom setting or even with two or three children, the extra time allows for more students to think through a response. If one of your children is really quick and another requires more time to process, that second child often doesn’t get to think through the process and provide an answer. He may very well rely on the quicker child.

TEACHING TIP: If you have a student who really struggles and needs more time, give him the project directions, questions, etc in advance and let him mentally process what you’re requiring before you become involved.

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: Provide more time for your child to think through problems and projects by being patient.

2.  We don’t  follow through on projects and activities. It’s easy to assign a hands-on project or an activity, especially with older children, and walk away. When the project is done, you give a grade or make a comment and move on. With this habit, you’re missing on the most important part of the process…what was discovered or learned. If you don’t discuss the thinking behind the activity or inquire about the thought involved, then you are basically grading your child on his ability to follow directions.

TEACHING TIP: Before assigning a project or activity, develop a few questions or discussion topics to go along with the assignment. Also, understanding what you expect as outcomes, setting educational objectives, will be an enormous help. This does not have to be complicated or detailed. You can note one or two essential objectives or you could set up a rubric (for more information about rubrics, see the Epi Kardia Parents Manual) in a matter of minutes. Rubrics also reveal your expectations for your children, helping them better understand the significance of a project or activity.

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: Don’t assign a project or activity without thinking through what you want your child to think about in the process.

3.  We have too low or too high of expectations. Sometimes we underestimate our children and don’t challenge them enough. At other times, we have enormous expectations that greatly exceed their abilities. If you notice that school bores your child or he is continually flying through his reading, writing and other assignments, it may be that he is just not being challenged. This same child may also be a behavior problem or he may drive you crazy because he has too much time on his hands. He isn’t learning to think because his work is too easy. Other times, we seriously frustrate our children because we expect them to be like us or other people’s children, when we really just need to give them work on their level. Work that is on the correct level for a child requires some measure of challenge without pushing him into frustration.

TEACHING TIP: Pay attention to how your child responds to projects and assignments. Note if there’s a specific type of activity that causes him more difficulty than others. Avoid taking the easy road by making assignments too simple, but pay attention if you find that he is getting seriously frustrated.

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: Take time to regularly communicate with your child about his work. Most children will tell you if something feels impossible to them or if they think it’s just plain boring. There are so many different ways to instill skills, adapting to your child’s level of learning is certainly possible.

4. We get stuck in ruts. Sometimes we teach our children the way we liked to be taught. For example, comprehension questions really appeal to certain types of people because they simply have to answer them and move on. Some moms love doing hands on projects and they become so involved in the process that they forget the purpose. Using a variety of activities and projects allows your child to think in different ways and situations. If you’re always doing the same type of activity and evaluation, your child will struggle when life throws him a different type of problem to solve.

TEACHING TIP: Definitely use your personal gifts when teaching your children, but don’t just rely on those gifts. If you never step out of your comfort zone, how can you expect your child to do so?

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: If you have an area that you know is a weakness, such as hands-on projects or maybe you don’t love reading, let your children see you working on them. Discuss how you struggle with these types of assignments, but point out that you’re not ending your education with adulthood. This type of situation is ideal for teaching your child about lifelong learning!

Hopefully, this blog has given you plenty to think about! I would love to hear how you train your children to think. Maybe you’ve overcome a habit in teaching and we could all benefit from that encouragement!

May God give you a spirit of joy, a compassionate heart and a mind that dwells on His glory!

In Him,