HISTORY IN THE BAKING

Our kids love to bake. It's become a passionate hobby around our home...and I'm not complaining since that equals a constant stream of fresh goodies and yummy smells wafting. 

 

From the time our oldest daughter, Aida, heard that her cousin was baking her way through U.S. history, she has thought of doing the same. As soon as she shared her thoughts with me, I ordered the U.S. History Cookbook and she has been studying American history in a whole new way ever since!

 

It's always a pleasure to turn a child's interests into life lessons and

really it's so overly obvious that we almost miss the fact that we're LEARNING.

Works for me...

 

 

Who knew history could be so much fun??!!

10 BOYS & 10 GIRLS

I love the series 10 Boys/Girls by Light Keepers.

The kids learn about VIP heroes of the faith in an understandable way that's not too lengthy but still inspiring. Writing a sentence or two about each influential hero sums up the most important qualities that each is remembered for.

Meanwhile, we can use this opportunity to correct spelling mistakes and talk about grammar and such. I wish I had been introduced to more of these movers and shakers when I was a young girl and I hope that these trailblazers light a fire in my children's hearts to change the world for Jesus too!

10 Boys/Girls Who Changed the World

10 Boys/Girls Who Didn't Give In

10 Boys/Girls Who Made a Difference

10 Boys/Girls Who Used Their Talents

10 Boys/Girls Who Made History

"Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works

and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Matthew 5:16

HANDWRITING LETTERS

One of our favorite ways to make handwriting, spelling, and grammar lessons fun is through letter writing. Some of the kids have pen pals and there are always thank you notes to write. Though we don't store the finished product in end-of-the-year binders, their content is definitely an accomplishment. The kid's hearts are dedicated to the writing because they genuinely care for those they're writing to and the recipient of the letter receives something special in the mail. It's a win, win!!

This week as Daddy is in Africa for the first trip to meet Noble and India,

we are writing letters for him to open on his second trip. This knits our hearts to his while

he is gone and will hopefully make him feel close to us when he returns to the DRC next time.

We {heart} handwriting letters!!!

 

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

1 Corinthians 15:58

PILGRIMS PROGRESS, PUPPETS, AND A PLAY

When a child is resistant to things like writing and "seat work", what's a conscientious homeschooling mom to do? As one who is unaccustomed to giving up and highly bent toward resolution, I'm on a mission to figure this one out!

Some kids are readers, some are writers, some love math and science, while others excel in the arts. I'm not looking for a box mold for my kids and I'd be crazy to even attempt such promised defeat, but what I am looking for are ways to incorporate that which we ought to do academically with that which we want to do creatively and otherwise.

One such triumph in our homeschooling week was the discovery of playwriting for handwriting and language. Amazing!
And, biblical lessons through Pilgrim's Progress to boot?! Look no further...I think we're onto something here...

 

"And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence,

with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs..."

Exodus 35:31-32

HOMESCHOOL TIDES ARE TURNING

 

In our family, much of what we do for education is "intangible" to a certain degree, meaning we experience it and learn from it, but it doesn't always translate to a concrete, paper-pencil product.

This is what I appreciate most about homeschooling!

Although I keep binders and workbooks for records, at times I've felt disappointed that so much of how we learn goes undocumented...and it's the undocumented stuff, the life experiences, that mean the most to me.

I heard a quote recently, "When people think that unschooling is revolutionary, and scary, they forget that's most of human history, was unschooling." (from the movie trailer Being and Becoming) It struck a chord. As I've pondered deeply and prayed consistently about how we educate our children, more and more I'm convinced that God is moving us into a new season full of new lessons and new ways of going about learning in general.

As I've talked about this with other homeschooling moms, I'm amazed how many of us feel the same way (not all, but many) and yet, we're all trying to find the balance. Heart/ head, textbook/exploration, should do/want to do, read about the tide pools/get wet reaching for a sea urchin in the tide pools, responsibility/throw caution to the wind, life is short/days are long, hard work/don't forget to have fun, it's time to grow up/enjoy childhood while you can...the list goes on and on.

I'll always be a mom who needs to "cross her t's and dot her i's" when it comes to education, and I love contemplating curriculum choices for each new year. However, I think there is much to learn from "unschooling" and following our children's (and our) God-given inclinations as we all learn through the gift of homeschooling. In our family, our educational goal is to set our children up for the best introduction possible to God's plans and mission for each of their lives, discipling their hearts as we do. I'm trying to listen to the inclinations of my heart, searching Scripture for God's best for our growing family, and asking His Spirit to convict and guide as we seek to please Him with how we live out our lives. What matters most to me is that we are serving God in all that we do and searching for His will in our lives and it's so unique for each individual. Our children express many different types of intelligence.

 

Change. It's brewing...

More and more, I'm embracing my children's inspiring creativity and soaking in where we are now.
They'll only be little once and there is so much to cherish during the "little", so much to explore!

I don't want to miss this moment.

I don't want to be too busy to write puppet shows and plays and orchestrate elaborate shows.

I never want to have so much on our To Do list that we miss the very things that we really ought to do..like pray and read (both God's Word and books of all kinds) and play and explore and build and bake and reach out to others in need; like linger over breakfast in conversation and somehow end up talking about the meaning of life, theology, our favorite things, manners, hopes and dreams, how to build a dart board, China, adoption, fears, concerns, yesterday's memories, today's plans, and the possibilites for our future...all in one encounter. I love watching my kids grow in their friendships and teamwork with one another and I especially love watching them as they care for their younger siblings gently...not because they have to, but just because they long to. For me, this is one of the sweetest rewards of our Quantity Time homeschooling as a family and I hope it sets them up for success in their future families.

I want there to be enough time in our days to stop and smell the roses, to work through arguments biblically, to go on one-on-one dates with all of our children, and flow where the wind takes us every now and then!

These are very special days of making very special memories and training very special hearts.

I don't want to miss it!

It's clear that God has been nudging me for a while to follow my instincts and His voice, focus on what matters most...Him. It's obvious that the tides are turning and how we have "done school" historically is preparing for change. It seems to me that God is prompting something new on the horizon.

There's freedom in the thought of it...

 

 

endless possibilities...

I'm in. I'm excited. Brodie's ready and willing (as always!). And, I have absolutely NO IDEA what that means. NO CLUE what that looks like. Ha! But God, He does. He leads, we follow. That's the way it goes around here.

 

 I'm encouraged as we are able to see what we've been up to in our schooling/learning/exploring/experiencing, going back every now and then to reminisce. I'm inspired and curious and prayerful as this promises to be an exciting year with the addition of two new family members just around the corner.

 

I thank God for the life lessons we will all gain this year that go way beyond any textbook learning. I thank Him for prompting my heart to a reevaluation of our educational experience as our family grows. And, I look forward to what He has planned for us with the rest of our school year and beyond!

These children, they are an incredible gift from the Lord! They are a blessing and a challenge and inspiring and precious. They sometimes drive me crazy, but they always make me grateful. They are God's and they are mine and I am exceedingly thankful for the privilege of raising them.

 

 

I pray for God's grace to train them well for Him and I'm grateful everyday that God has chosen this road for me...trials and all...I'm thankful. I'm trusting and leaping and falling and praying and reading and thinking and asking God for guidance as the homeschool tides are turning.

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, 
ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

Acts 4:13

 

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!" 

Psalm 127:3-5

HOMESCHOOL BLOG

In our family, much of what we do for education is "intangible" to a certain degree, meaning we experience it, but it doesn't always translate to a concrete, paper-pencil product. Although I keep binders and workbooks for records, at times I've felt disappointed that so much of what we do for school and what we're learning together goes undocumented...and it's the undocumented stuff, the life experiences, the triumphs of the heart that mean the most to me.

I'm always seeking spiritual encouragement, primarily through God's Word, but I also appreciate practical affirmation for the homeschool journey/life journey we're on. My heart's desire is to offer back to God some of what He's generously bestowed upon me over the years and I'm prayerful that the words here can do just that. May what He's teaching me pour out for another and may the meditation of my heart be acceptable in His sight as I follow Him wholeheartedly.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."

Psalm 19:14

As I've pondered deeply how we educate our children, more and more I'm convinced that God is moving us into a new season full of new lessons and new ways of going about learning in general. I'm listening to the inclinations of my heart, searching Scripture for God's best for our growing family, and asking His Spirit to convict and guide as we seek to please Him with how we live our lives and educate our children. This chronicle is part of that journey as it unfolds...

It's clear that God has been nudging me for a while to follow my instincts and focus our homeschooling more and more on what matters most...Him. This school year (2012-2013), I'm realizing that how we have "done school" historically is changing. As followers of Christ, we pray to morph over the years as we mature in Him. We hope that five or ten years from now, things will look different yet again as we grow. We are not interested in stagnance.

We certainly don't have all the answers and we really don't fit very well in the box,

but prayerfully this blog can serve as a memoir of sorts for my family and maybe even an encouragement to another homeschooling mom or dad who seeks the same goals we do...

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Matthew 22:37-39

So, here goes my tribute to our family homeschool journey. I've kept a private record of our homeschool experiences in the past, but with all the homeschool conversations I find myself engaged in, I'm thinking this blog might be a space to share more of the path God's taking us on through our choice to educate at home. Perhaps it might even dispel some of the mystery that homeschooling is intimidating and shed light on just how fun and rewarding extra time together with our children really is...even in and sometimes especially through the challenges.

I'm beyond thankful for life lessons that hurdle the boundaries of textbook learning through blessings that homeschool provides. And, I'm so grateful that the Lord has prompted our hearts to a reevaluation of our educational experience as our family grows and changes. I look forward to what He has planned for us with each new school year and eagerly accept His grooming process through the tough times as well, believing our trials produce a harvest. Mostly, I pray we can glorify God in our parenting and homeschooling and in everything that we do, from Him, to Him, and through Him.

"So, whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

1 Corinthians 10:31

EDUCATION OF THE HEART

The school year is wrapping up. Will we finish strong? The children are acting up. How will we respond?

 

As I added homeschool links here, I got to thinking about some of the things

God has been teaching me over the years as a homeschooling mom.

 

In reflecting on a timeline of my life thus far, I can see various separate seasons where God has used multiple years, even decades, to accomplish His will for me through trials. It's been in and through those journeys that I have found Christ.

Was He purposeful in allowing/orchestrating those afflictions? Yes. Is He finished with me yet? No way.

 

And, it's not only the big, bad, sad stuff that bears the mark of God’s permission, but also sometimes the mundane. If our every experience is designed to infiltrate more of God’s image into our existence, then we ought to see even the everyday people and events we encounter as the instruments God is using to accomplish His wise and loving purpose for our hearts.

 

"And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but

with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

2 Corinthians 3:3

 

I've learned so much about this just by homeschooling my kids.

 

Our children play a vital role in this development, daily, and there are no mistakes with God. He knows just who He gave to us and why. With this twist in perspective fully adopted, I've even learned to thank God for the very things that might appear to be “thorns in my flesh” by viewing them as His workmanship in my life.

 

In particular, I've found homeschooling and parenting my children to be the very catalysts to draw me to my knees, bring accountability for integrity to the surface, shine a flood light on my inadequacies, and prove just how much I need a Savior.

With each daily challenge I face with my kids, I see how God is using

my responsibilities to them as His instructional tools in my own life.

 

How will I respond?

 

With my perspective aimed at seeing God’s handiwork in my character development as I seek to teach my children, it seems that I too am receiving an education [of the heart]. Ignoring this calling or avoiding the challenges of parenthood disqualifies me from a huge portion of God’s grooming process.

 

Here is one small example. Daily, as I seek to spend time in solitary prayer and devotion with Jesus in the morning,

inevitably my children will need me and my baby will need to be fed.

 

Will I choose to see these moments as interruptions, or will I receive them as God's opportunities?

 

As God has graciously been educating my heart, He has taught me that laying down my plans and desires for the benefit of others (in particular my children) is one way I can show my love to Him and show His love to them. He has also taught me to see the times when I physically lie down with the baby as moments of rest and prayer. He has given me His desire to do this, joyfully, not because of my natural inclinations, but because of His love for my son.

 

I've learned that as I feed my baby, I can pray in the silence and ultimately end up thanking God for drawing me to Himself through prayerful retreat. I’ve started to see these special moments as metaphorically and literally being still, and knowing that He is God. (Psalm 46:10) Especially in a culture which has decided that babies are inconvenient, I praise God for showing me how to discern His education for my heart by experiencing the sacrifices of parenting. I praise God for altering my perspective and helping me to find Him through the ministry of motherhood! True, it's not easy...but it's not supposed to be. We're supposed to need Him. True it is, as well, these moments are flying by and I will miss them when they're gone.

"For thus says the LORD:
'Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees.
As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.'"

Isaiah 66:12-13

 

Perspective. How we view our circumstances greatly affects how we respond.

 

The same goes for homeschooling woes. When I'm up against a behavioral issue while doing

schoolwork with the kids, it's easy to get frustrated if my perspective isn't kept in check.

 

Interruption or opportunity?

 

The choice is mine to make. Will I see the disciplinary issue in the middle of my lesson as an interruption to my plans or as the very opportunity I've been waiting for that day? Will I burst out in anger or practice patience, kindness, and self-control?

 

 "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

Proverbs 15:1

 

And how about the other kids as they look on? Surely, their little spongy minds and hearts are absorbing my every move.

Definitely, as they learn to read and write, the education of their hearts is on the line.

 

How will they respond?

 

I'm the parent. I'm imitating God, my Father, and it's up to me to set the pace.

The way I do so has eternal implications, I'll make no mistake about it.

 

So, I pray to learn the Father's heart. How would He view these moments?

 

"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'”

Matthew 19:14

 

Am I going to get it wrong sometimes? Of course...that's what imperfect sinners do, but as I seek first

His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), will there be improvement? I hope so! As it is written:

 

"He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John 3:30

 

So I pour myself out and look for God's response to my children and I'm able to realize that it's a blessing to have an interaction with a child where I get to train their heart and speak truth into their young, malleable life. It's a blessing to take the time to pray with a loved one that is struggling. It's a blessing to practice the fruit of the Spirit and cry out to God as He refines me through my shortcomings. And, it's a blessing to know that God has given me the chance to be His heart of instruction to one of His dear little children. Will I accept the challenge? Will I make the most of the opportunity?

 

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."

Ephesians 5:15-16

 

Lord, as we parents raise and teach your kids, may we be on the lookout for your hand in our own lives as well. May we become more and more like you with every challenge (opportunity) that we face head on. And may we learn to thank you for loving us enough to invest in our lives through an education of the heart.

 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Galatians 5:22-23