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