Category Archives: Homeschooling Support Group

Abeka, Lifepac, and FIAR, Oh My

Did you catch the line when the girl says, “You might be a homeschooler if you are filled with fear and dread when you hear the word ‘Saxon'”? That may not be the case for all homeschoolers, but it is certainly the case for this homeschooling momma. There’s other strange homeschool vocabulary words that give me shivers. Abeka, Lifepac, and FIAR, oh my! The list could go on but I’ll stop here so you won’t get frightened too.

I suppose I should explain. Those strange words are names of popular homeschooling curriculum. If you have ever had the opportunity of being around a group of homeschooling parents, you have most likely been trapped in a discussion (aka debate) on which curriculum is best.

I suppose I should explain more. First, every homeschool family is different. God designed us that way. With that being said, what kind of cirriculum works best can only determined by the individual family. What works in your homeschool is probably not what works in mine or in the Jones’ homeschool. The second reason why curriculum discussions are so scary is the reactions of others when I say (insert a slight southern, country, redneck accent), “Oh, we don’t use curriculum, I make it up.”

However, over the course of our 15 year homeschooling journey I have practiced a more refined response to the “What cirucculum do you use” question. “Our family learns with a history timeline based unit study approach that includes notebooking and lapbooking. We choose this reinforced learning method because it enables me to teach history, science, language arts, music, art, and religion to the children all at the same time just altering the lessons with more requirements for the higher grades. With these unit studies, we use online resources, text books, video, audio, and library materials. Each child has his own spelling and math programs based on their skill level. Also starting in the middle grades, each child gets to choose his own elective for each grading period. We research catalogs, talk with other home educators, read reviews, compare costs, and assess our children’s individual weaknesses and strengths before deciding on each years educational choices.” That’s better, huh?

So my advice to the new or dissatisfied homeschooling parent is to pray it through before you start buying curriculum. And figure out your child’s/children’s learning style and your preferred teaching method so you can narrow down your choices.

Learning Styles:

Kinesthetic – Student learns best with hands-on activities

Auditory – Student learns best through hearing

Visual – Student learns best by reading, viewing pictures, observing

Teaching Methods:

Unit Study – Reinforced learning in which the same topic is covered in several subjects

Classical – Latin, Trivium, Rhetoric

Charlotte Mason – Real life observation and discussion

Unschooling – Informal lessons determined by child’s interests

Traditional – Text books and work books

Eclectic – Some sort of combination of the above methods

For another article with advice for the new homeschooler wondering where to start click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/03/24/another-new-homeschooler-and-another/

betty jo

http://www.holyspiritledhomeschooling.net/

Spring Formal

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I was treated to breakfast by one of my nearest, dearest, and longest homeschooling mom friends. The purpose for this was to plan this springs Teen Night. Of course, this led to the discussion of past events.

Here’s some photos “besties” from last spring when we threw a prom (alternative) for our homeschool support groups high school students.

The girls made their own corsages. Notice their purity rings.

We met at White Haven, a local tourist spot. for a photo shoot.

Dinner and shared dessert at a nice out of town restaurant .Outside in the garden gazebo. This is where they danced “The Cupid Shuffle”

Mini golf.

Changed and comfy playing board games at the after party.

This year’s teen night will be different but still wonderful. Our support group has grown so much that our estimated head count looks like a minimum of 20 teens. After photos and dinner we have party at a reserved hall with Wii games, music, costume trunk photo booth, and an ice cream sundae bar.

E17, B15, and myself are very excited about these plans and looking forward to this special night. Z7 says it’s not fair. He doesn’t want to wait 8 more years for his homeschooler’s night out.

betty jo

Link up for Beautiful Family Friday! http://www.holyspiritledhomeschooling.net/

Another New Homeschooler And Another …

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It’s spring and almost time for the school year to come to a close, but there are quite a few parents making some changes about their children’s education. Many are deciding to home educate.

Just this month alone, we added 5 families to our local homeschool support group. At a parent’s meeting, one of the newer moms made the comment that she was looking forward to learning from the “veteran” homeschoolers. I looked around the table to see who she was talking about, and I was shocked that she meant me. I had never thought in the terms of me being a “veteran”. After all, I school a second grader. I really did not know how I could help her out. But wait, I have been homeschooling for 15 years. I have a homeschool grad and two more in highschool and a special needs child as well as that second grader. Maybe I can help. At least I can advise about what not to do. I certainly have experience with what does not work well.

I’m an admin on a brand new Facebook homeschool support group page, Homeschooling Around the World, and we already have several members. Many are just starting their homeschool journey. And they too are looking for some “veteran” advice.

Yesterday while I was at the library, I met a mom and teen daughter who will begin home education for themselves in August. She asked me to point her in the right direction to get started. So for her and whoever else is wanting to start home educating , here’s my top 5 list on what to do first:

1 Pray for wisdom and patience.

2. Learn your state laws: http://www.hslda.org/laws/ or http://www.nhen.org/home.html

3. Checkout a local homeschool support group or co-op: http://www.home-school.com/groups/

4. Figure out your teaching style and your children’s learning styles. This link is good for helping with that: http://www.soyoucallyourselfahomeschooler.com/category/homeschool-approachesmethods-series/

5. Remember that you want your child to love homeschooling so plan some fun learning activities.

If you would like to be added to Homeschooling Around the World on Facebook, join here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/567122276640599/571481952871298./?notif_t=group_clucomment_reply

For more of my posts about our homeschooling and my personal thoughts about teaching:

https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/02/26/not-so-weird-after-all/

Abeka, Lifepac, and FIAR, Oh My

http://stilllearningomethingnew.com/2013/03/11/concerned-teacher/

Train Up A Child?

Why And How

Happy Schooling,

betty jo

World Water Day

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Genesis 1:9-10

^“9And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.”

With today being World Water Day, our homeschooling support group toured our local Coast Guard Headquarters. The kids found it interesting that the Coast Guard is both military and police of our ocean coasts and rivers ways. Our group was so large that we had to split into a big kid group and a young kid group. I stayed with the Z7 and the younger ones. Our guide was great with them. Touching some equipment and trying on gear was ALLOWED! The kids even got souvenirs to take home.

If you live near the coast, or like us, live near riverways, you should see about a Coast Guard Headquarters field trip. These are some wonderful people. I do not think I realized how much they do for us.

Also for World Water Day or really anytime:

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/water.html

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/water/water/index.cfm

betty jo

Happy Birthday Dear…Everybody

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For the past few years our homeschool support group has thrown one big birthday bash for all of our members. This year our Debbie did not want any help with the decorating and wanted to surprise us. And she did! Each table was decorated with a month theme.

We had a good turnout for the birthday party. I didn’t get a head count but at least 70 were there.

For the night’s entertainment Jason Lindsey (a homeschool dad, traveling science teacher, and all around nice guy) presented us with a Creation based “Hooked on Science” show. We all loved him. Here’s his link: http://www.hookedonscience.org/

For dessert Debbie made four cakes, one for each season!

Thank you so much Debbie. You make all of our homeschool group parties so special.

For another post about our homeschool support group and our Debbie click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/02/23/what-do-you-get-when-you-cross/

Happy Birthday!

betty jo

Silver Lining

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Acts 2:44 says, “All the believers were together. They shared everything they had.” This is an excellent example for homeschooling support groups and co-ops. We try to work ours this way. If we have a skill or a talent, we share it to benefit the others.

Check this out…Isn’t this cool?

This is a picture of “Silver Lining”, a color guard group for homeschooling teen girls, practicing their tosses at the park. Two of our new members used to do the band and color guard thing back in high school. Now they are teaching it to my daughter.

They have plans for performances and to march in parades. They work their routines to popular Christian music. See, I told you this was cool.

Here are some photos of the first public appearance of Silver Lining!

This is Silver Lining performing at our homeschooling support groups Graduation/Achievement night.

betty jo

Gothic Revival in Western Kentucky

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We toured some local historical churches with our homeschool support group. The three we visited are over 100 years old. Not that old on the scale of old churches around the world, but old enough to have history. Each of these were designed in a Gothic Revival manner, meaning that they look like mini middle age cathedrals.

The windows we admired were beautiful stained glass, the Bible in art, just like those windows from long ago when the common man could not read the stories for himself, but instead saw them in the church windows.

As I stood amazed at the artisan skill, I was humbled at the thought that God chooses not these fine buildings for his home, but us. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God.” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

One of the tour guides reminded us of this lesson from Luke 21:5-6, ^“Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” I’m glad to have seen these and shared them with my kids and friends before that happens.

betty jo

Not So Weird Afterall

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15 years ago homeschooling wasn’t all that popular. It was for hippies, survivalists, and religious fanatics (or so I thought). I did not fit into any of those categories, But, there I was pulling my kindergartener out of of public school anyway.

I checked out 2 different homeschool support groups and neither seemed to have hippies, survivalists, or religious fanatics as members. They were just normal moms that happened to be educating normal kids at home. The larger group had 25 or so families, the smaller had 6. Make that 7, because that’s the one we joined.

These awesome ladies helped me so very much. They taught me to breathe, relax, and pray. They prepped me on how to answer all the opposition questions that would come my way. You know those questions, “What about socialization?” or “How will they get into college?” , etc (insert eye rolling here). They encouraged me and built me up.

This homeschool support group must not have been alone in encouraging newbies. The number of homeschoolers in our country is now over the 2.5 million mark. Families are seeing home education as a viable option to traditional schooling. The opposition questions are still being asked but not as often and are now mixed with some very positive comments. It’s not so weird anymore.

Oh, and by the way, throughout the course of our 15 years homeschooling, I’ve happily learned to be a hippie, a survivalist, and a religious fanatic. betty jo

What Do You Get When You Cross….

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So what do you get when you cross some Pentecostals with some Non-Denominationals and some Baptists, and some Lutherans? I know, you just braced yourself for a tasteless joke, but it’s not a joke. It’s our homeschooling support group. And such a wonderful example of the Body Of Christ at work. We combine our different talents, we plan without arguing, and we concentrate on two essentials…Relationship with Christ and home educating. Everything falls beautifully into place. The differences in our Christian faiths and our homeschools is one of the things I love most about us.

Once a month we have a Family Night. Tonight was our belated Valentines Party. I hope you have a “Debbie” in your support group. She offers up her church for our fellowships. And she decorates. I’m serious when I say she decorates, I mean in a Martha Stewart could learn some stuff from her kind of way. Tonight the tables were clothe in red with vases of roses and candles. (of course she used the battery/bulb ones – lots of littles) She sprinkled the tables with kisses and red hot hearts. Windows were decorated with reminders that God loves us. Oh yes, streamers and balloons, too. I didn’t get pics to share with you, but our yearbook mom did. I’ll see what I can do to get them so you can see.

Each family night has a food theme. Tonight’s was Italian. We had so much food. I indulged in about 5 different pastas. Yeah, I tried my own too. As good as that was the desserts were better…CHOCOLATE everything! And cheese cake. I may not be eating again for a day or two I’m so stuffed.

The kids had a conversation hearts stacking contest, exchanged Valentines, and made thank you cards for Marines in training. I overheard lots of laughing. Isn’t that the best sound ever…to hear our kids laughing!

Let’s share some support group ideas.I’d love to hear what others are doing with theirs. betty jo