I must say, to think of Elka and Brodie actually experiencing the Great Wall in person after having learned about it makes me thrilled! They're the lucky siblings who get to accompany their dad to China once our adoption is complete (prayerfully this coming fall). Especially for Elka, who has dreamt of this moment for years, this trip will literally be a dream come true!
And, for Aida, who got to visit Beijing in 2011 on a mission trip with her dad,
studying what she has already experienced first hand definitely brings it all to life.
What a privilege it is to homeschool! What a joy to send my children to far off places in Jesus' name where they can grow in compassion for the world around them. May this be only the beginning for each one of them!
Every now and then a song comes along that moves our family.
This past month Yiruma's River Flows in You has been that song.
As I'd listen to instrumental holiday music while putting India to sleep this Christmas season, Yiruma's song would come on every here and there. Each time I found myself carried away and wondering more of the composer.
Finally, one day I looked him up, his song too...and I asked Brodie if he'd try to learn to play the song for me.
He obliged. :)
One of the greatest gifts God has offered our family is the gift of music. We never signed up for piano at the perfect age of five. We never took guitar lessons. But, what we HAVE always done is prayed...
We've prayed for God's will for our children's lives. We've asked Him to bless them with desires that align with His will for them. We've sought His ability to infuse our children with talents and interests that He would have them pursue and He has been abundantly faithful to do so.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for welfareand not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11
We aren't the types to force our kids into things that WE think is right for them. We do a lot of listening, guiding, buffering, and every now and then we close a door. But, for the most part, we await God's plans for our children, try to say yes as often as possible, and believe with our whole heart that He will accomplish His will in each of their lives.
Apart from our failures, inadequacies, and the many things we will surely do wrong along this parenting journey, God WILL have His way with each child He's blessed us with. He WILL use them for His glory. His plans cannot be thwarted. The music in our home, despite our lack of formal lessons, proves it.
I listen intently to the melodies flowing through my son's fingertips...the one who never took a lesson. He plays beautifully.
There is emotion in his music that dwells beyond his years. He feels the song. And I do too.
I wash dishes in another room while guitar strings strum. A daughter, she too never a lesson, plays from her heart and God's heart as she sings for His glory and leads us all in worship. And I marvel at what I've not done to achieve all of this.
But God, this is His doing. He's given the children His song. He's given them gifts from Him.
What I do or don't do cannot thwart His plans. The music in our home proves it.
"Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me."
Psalm 27:10
"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!"
Psalm 95:1
(This is the song that started it all for Brodie.)
(And another inspiration.)
(Another excellent reminder that God is in control no matter what.)
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand."
There are those homeschool day discounts that prove to be worth their while. Though I'm not one to search these out often on my own, every here and there a friend will encourage us to go. It was a fun day today on the ice with friends.
Olia was the surprise of the day.
It was her first time on the rink and she got right in there with the instructor's games, making new friends and all! :)
Olia, you're so fun!
Thank you, friends, for getting us out on the ice this Christmas!
'Tis the season!
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
Our kids have always loved time in the kitchen...What kid doesn't?!
Last year when Aida discovered her love for History in the Baking, we started to take our time in the kitchen more seriously. There are real life advantages in allowing children to explore food preparation in the home...
and homeschooling allows us ample time for such delicious fun!
The other day, Elka and Noble paired up all on their own and put together a healthy feast for lunch. They were beaming at their accomplishment! What stood out most was their attitudes as they worked together and served our family. One of my favorite blessings from homeschooling is watching siblings big and small work through life together. It's beautiful!
What a blessing homeschooling always proves to be...even in the kitchen.
But as soon as the steam swirled free, I breathed in damp black top, felt the sting of wondering who to sit with at lunch, tasted the chili and sour cream at the end of the cafeteria line. I remembered the lunch lady's fingers, gloved and singed with each piping russet. I remembered how I always felt bad for her. Thick and quick the memories rushed.
I went to public school from kindergarten through 12th grade. It wasn't all bad. Some of it was quite good. But, when I think back on those 13 years of my life, what I remember most are the relational things...both positive and negative. When I think through how my schooling experiences left marks on my life, I'm grateful for how the Lord has used them, but I'm also grateful for some of what my kids won't experience for having been homeschooled.
True, God uses struggles and growing experiences for our good and His glory.
He is faithful to do so.
And yet, what a blessing to bypass some of that which chips away at innocence.
Deep thoughts linger today simply from slicing potatoes.
It seems God works through many means.
"I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil."
Some days we study the tide pools in our textbook.
Other days we explore our local tide pools in swim suits.
Some days we read educational materials.
Other days we watch.
This is the variety that makes homeschooling so enjoyable.
Learning can be difficult at times, but I know I learn most when I enjoy the input,
so we do our best to also make learning enjoyable for our kids.
Today was a watching/reading day. We started with a history DVD as I had planned. As we discussed it's content we ended up on a rabbit trail which segued into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This, in turn, led us to the JESUS film (which I hadnot planned), a blessed detour for our day indeed!
We popped some popcorn, added a few candy corns (since fall is in the air), and snuggled up to watch the most important story ever told. We were able to watch nearly the whole film together, though we chose to fast forward through some of the brutality when Jesus was mocked and flogged. I didn't want the kids to miss the depth of it all, so we did watch some of the hard-to-watch scenes, and it seemed to make an impact.
Though we're all familiar with the stories of Jesus' life, they never cease to stun us. Some of the kids were moved to tears and seeds were planted...again. As parents, we sow and sow and pray and pray. We expose and instruct and teach and train and we beg the Lord beckons their hearts to His.
Since watching the film, the kids are all dressed up as shepherds, wise (wo)men, Mary, and a donkey at the moment, playing out what they absorbed today. This is education. In fact, it's the MOST important education of all...the spiritual education of hearts, the tilling of eternal soil (not to mention teamwork and playwriting to boot!).
We're cultivating heart-soil over here today. Nothing matters more to me in my time spent educating my kids. It was a privilege to share the gospel with each one of them again today and I pray the Holy Spirit infuses their souls.
Feeling grateful for our JESUS film school.
(Note: The version we watched of the JESUS film was a bit
shorter than this full length version and edited of some content.)
(This is the full length children's version of the JESUS film.)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, t hat whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
When it comes to curriculum, I like simple. HUGE surprise, I know.
In a family as complicated as ours, simple reigns, and this applies to most things...including curriculum.
When it comes to curriculum, I also tend to like "tried and true". I know what I buy and that's what I buy. I know what we'll use and that's what we use. I know what works for us, so typically I don't do a ton of branching out with the basics.
We use A Beka for elementary school language arts. Though sometimes the worksheets can feel cumbersome, they definitely hit the basics using Scriptural references, colorful pages, and readers with a spiritual emphasis. We don't always do every single detail per page in the older grades because some of it is quite lengthy, but I do have a sense of thoroughness by the end of each year with A Beka. It's a yearly staple.
Though not quite as colorful as A Beka, my early readers always enjoy them. The stories are witty and {simple}...which carries weight around here as I've already pointed out.
Thus, the Bob Books are keepers.
Those are my two elementary age curriculum highlights for today.
I loved how little Nova was looking on as Olia worked through her lessons this afternoon.
It's amazing how much the younger ones absorb by simply being around...another homeschooling perk!
Less is more for us when it comes to core curriculum, so I like to make the most of our purchases and how we spend our time in the books. I definitely don't want to dabble around too much or waste resources and efforts. With each school year that passes, I realize more concretely what works best for us with longevity and I'm thankful for some of our staples...including A Beka and Bob.
The sharks were a highlight, as were the Japanese spider crabs we had recently learned about after our crab catch of the day this summer. Though these were smaller than the giant ones we read about, it was still really neat to see them in person and sort of feel like we knew them firsthand.
I think one of my favorite moments was the look on Boden's face when his daddy actually got one of the birds in the aviary to land on his arm! (Why am I surprised?He is, after all, the bird whisperer!)
Heroic!
Why is he so calm? If only there had been a video camera on me today as I tried to shoo a bird out of our house...again! Of course, this time my bird trainer husband wasn't home to help/laugh at me. Anyway, that's another adventurous story altogether. (Why do we get so many birds in our house?!)
Anyway, back to the aquarium...
We were filled with wonder at the beauty of God's creation under the sea.
I was filled with wonder that our tribe of children did so well for the day.
I think we've officially crossed some hurdles since our adoption last year! Yay!
All in all, it was a blessed day filled with lessons from the Lord, both spiritually and educationally.
Surely, we'll be looking forward to the same outing next year.
"All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."
We're "back to school", though truly I never felt like we had left.
For us, life is school and school is life and even a spontaneous decision tobuild a loft
as a team this past week fits the learning bill around here and equals "school".
Perspective.
It's been a less than traditional reentry into the 2013-2014 school year, but as I reflect, I wouldn't have it any other way.
THIS is the reason we homeschool!
To think outside the box and discover exciting ways to learn, to come together as a family and acquire more fruit of the Spirit, to go with the flow and learn flexibility, responsibility, creativity, teamwork...
these are benefits that come with homeschooling.
We're making some BIG decisions these days, some to do with adding more children to our family. We're making it work and seeking to glorify God in the process. We're choosing to see that we have room in our hearts and room in our home and God's confirmed this decision through various sources repeatedly.
We can see that He has been on the move...and thus, so have we!
So, today as we sit down with paper and pencil, I choose to enjoy the normalcy. But, never fear! I'm on the lookout for another unconventional method of knowledge-absorbing potential just around the corner. What will God teach us this year??
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."
I definitely consider reading one of our top priorities in education and I pray I might instill in the hearts of my children a deep love for reading over the years. Naturally, some will enjoy this valuable tool more than others, so when the library is hosting summer reading incentive programs I jump at the chance to participate.
It's encouraging to see even my kids who've historically been more resistant to read (mainly because it's a challenge) perk up and READ and READ and READ simply because there's a bookmark reading log and reward in sight.
Genius!
I'm not huge on charts and the like, but when the librarian handles the painstaking details,
I'm in.
(Thanks for the ever-rare "Mom in action" photo, Brodie! Ha! Can you just feeeel the pearls of perspiration as I PRAY my tribe of children doesn't completely obliterate the serenity that IS the library with our less than ambiguous presence?? Ahh...the exhale that takes place when we ALL make it safely {and quietly} out the front door.)
Though, I do love the library.
And, who knew a kid's meal at Rubio's could bolster such discipline?!
There's something to be said for charting progress and this summer we've found the library summer reading program to be just what we've needed to kick start a new school year filled with enthusiasm to read.
For most of us anyway...This guy prefers to rearrange the library's landscaping!
Thanks, library!
Thanks, Rubio's!
(Insert mental photo memory here of our table full of children all sitting proper
with their VERY OWN kids meal right after ourbig day in court. It was really fun!)
"Let the wise hear and increase in learning." Proverbs 1:5
