Category Archives: Uncategorized

Our Homeschool Week Ending 7/19

This week was very little studying and a lot of tomatoes. Our keyhole garden science project is producing tomatoes. We are picking about 15-20 ripe ones a day! For just six plants, I’m impressed. I remember last year we couldn’t get anything to grow.

We shared a few of them, but kept the rest.

Gallons of chili mix for the deep freezer! The tomatoes and 3 kinds of peppers are from our garden experiment. Spices added and smelled great, considering it’s like 100 degrees out side and no one is wanting chili. All we’ll have to do is add the meat and and beans when we’re ready to cook chili.

We will share more later when it’s time for church and homeschool group chili suppers.

No more summer schooling for us. We are taking the rest of July off. The kids can just have some downtime and fun. I’m going to be having fun too, but downtime isn’t going to be happening. I’ll be organizing my resource links, and making lists, finding back to school bargains, and changing some organization strategies , and wearing out my printer, and running out of ink, and…

For more about our keyhole garden science project click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/14/homeschool-gardening/

and here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/05/23/watching-our-garden-grow/

betty jo

Roar!

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Dinosaurs…kids love them and want to learn about them so homeschooling parents teach it. But the study of dinosaurs can lead to debate, especially for the parent who is using social media to ask for lesson links or curriculum suggestions. This discussion/debate is active once again as many of us are planning out our studies for the school year. I have some thoughts, article links, and some teaching resources here.

https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/05/25/dino-debate/

betty jo

Preparing the Defense

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With so many new homeschooling families seeking advice, I thought reblogging this one would be a good idea.

Still Learning Something New

When we started our homeschooling journey some 16 years ago, it wasn’t as popular of an idea as it is now. I had some awesome seasoned homeschooling moms prepare me with what to say when, not if, but when, I would face negativity about our family’s choice for education.

“What about socialization?” “Do you have a teaching certificate?” “Don’t you want them to go to college?” “They are going to miss so many opportunities.” “But your kids will be weird.” “Is that legal?” These questions have come from church members, neighbors, public school teachers, strangers, and even family members. There’s been hard days/weeks/months that I have questioned our homeschooling decision and have had to remind myself why we do this!

I’m glad to have had a “heads up” that these questions would be coming. And, I am so thankful that I had some ideas about how to handle them. There’s…

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To Homeschool or Not

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“To homeschool or not to homeschool” that is the question that many parents are asking themselves. Most homeschool groups, private and public schools start in August, so now is the best time to be making that decision if your children are school age.

My first piece of advice is not to “cave in” to pushy advocates on either side of the education debate. You MUST do what is right and best for your family. And only you can determine that. Period.

With that being said, I’m definitely a home educating advocate (for many different reasons). I’ve been homeschooling for a while (about to start our 16th year). I’m part of the leadership team for our local homeschooling support group. I’m an admin for Homeschooling Around the World https://www.facebook.com/groups/567122276640599/?notif_t=group_r2j and Schoolin’ Swag https://www.facebook.com/groups/210519735725683/. You would be welcome at either or both groups.

For months I’ve been hearing daily of families who are considering home education (for many different reasons) and have some questions or are seeking a little advice. If this is the case for you, then I recommend you just ask a homeschooler about it. Homeschoolers love to talk about homeschooling (both the good and the not so good). In fact it’s our favorite conversation.

If you have made the decision to home educate, of course I have some advice for you on how to start this adventure (oh yeah, it will be an adventure). Here is my top 5 list explaining what I think should be done first.

1 Pray for wisdom and patience.

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

3. Check out a local homeschool support group or co-op. If you’re not aware of one, this link may help you find one http://www.home-school.com/groups/

4. Figure out your teaching method and your children’s learning styles. This link has a free assesment for both you and your children if you are unsure. http://www.mardel.com/ Hover the mouse over “Homeshool” on the header. From there click “Resource Center” and “Currently Homeschooling”. There you will have the choice of “Learning Style” or “Teaching Method” assessments.

5. Remember that you want your child to love homeschooling so plan some fun and interesting learning activities and plan for unexpected learning opportunities.

For links to my posts containing advice on home education click here https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/homeschooling-advice/

Please know that I welcome your questions and comments. Like I mentioned above, homeschoolers love to talk about homeschooling.

betty jo

The Meanest Mother

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I’m going to be happy the next time my kids tell me, “You’re mean!”.

Morning Story and Dilbert

I had the meanest mother in the whole world.

While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs or toast. When others had cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different than the other kids’ also.

But at least, I wasn’t alone in my sufferings. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.

My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. You’d think we were on a chain gang. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. She insisted if we said we’d be gone an hour, that we be gone one hour or less–not one hour and one minute. I am nearly ashamed to admit it, but she actually struck us. Not once, but each time we had a mind of…

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The Pen of POWER

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Still Learning Something New

One of the most often used tools as a homeschooling mom is my red gel pen. It is known around here as “The Pen of POWER” (that needs to be said with a fading echo on the word “power”). With my trusted red gel pen I “X” out wrong math answers and missed spelling words. With my red ink I circle, underline, and comment all over essays and reports. I use this pen to record grades on their “PERMANENT RECORD”.

Sometimes I catch a look of dread as I am giving an assignment back to one of the kids as they notice the red all over. They know they will have corrections to make. They are learning that it is better to do it right the first time. Sometimes they may think that I’m being too critical with the grading. But, I “X”, circle, underline and comment because I’m…

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One Lovely Blog Award

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I am humbled and surprised to have received the One Lovely Blog Award ! Thank you, Pastor Roland from http://obministry.wordpress.com/

In order to receive the award I must list seven random facts about myself:

My eyes are green
My husband and I have been married 22 years
I am the president of our local homeschooling support group
I cannot carry a tune, not even in a bucket, but love to sing anyway
I believe that chocolate should be it’s own food group
I think that babies are the best people
My favorite books to read are Christian fiction stories

Also, part of getting this award entitles me to nominate someone else to receive the award. I nominate My Tropical Home! You can link to this lovely blog here http://mytropicalhome.wordpress.com/

betty jo

Dino Debate

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If you are part of social media or a news follower you have no doubt seen this already. This science quiz from a student at a private Christian school went viral not long ago and has sparked a rather ugly debate.

This is the curriculum that the test was over that has triggered such harsh comments from the atheist communities.

You can click here to link to the article from the Huffington to get a glimpse of what the evolutionist opinions have been http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/26/4th-grade-science-test-creationism-questions-dinosaurs_n_3163922.html

I love the response from Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis. They are inviting everyone to view their video, download a booklet, and take the quiz themselves, all at no charge. This offer is only good for a limited time. You can link to their site and free downloads here http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2013/05/23/families-use-atheist-attack-teach-kids-truth.

Being a lawyers kid, I love debate. And as a Christian I love the Word of God. As wonderful as it is to have faith and belief that the Biblical account of creation is true, quoting the Scriptures from Genesis chapter 1 won’t get us anything but ridicule from non believers when it comes to the Creation vs Evolution debate.

^“24And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

²⁸God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

²⁹Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

³¹God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”

Proper science examines all evidence claimed and critically researches different theories before reaching conclusions. This is how we “do” science in our homeschool. I feel this is how all science should be studied, whether in homeschools, private schools, or public schools.

As Christians, I feel we need to arm ourselves and our children with scientific evidence. We need to understand the correct scientific lingo and vocabulary and use it accordingly. It’s time to take a stand and join in the debate.

Sadly, young earth creation evidence is not mainstream although there is much available. Below are my other favorite sources for exploring creation evidence:

http://creation.com/

http://www.icr.org/article/science-resources-for-homeschool/

http://thatsafacttv.com/

If you enjoy a good fiction read, you should take a look at The Fossil Hunter by John B. Olsen, This book is loaded with the scientific community opinions and is available in libraries or can be purchased from most book retailers.

I encourage you, no matter which side of the creation/evolution debate you are on, that you will debate with respect and factual evidence.

betty jo

Update on Ian

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ian

So many have been praying for Ian. He is a boy from our neighborhood who was violently attacked at a public school playground that is just a block away from our house. He had some brain hemorrhaging and swelling issues as a result of the beating and had to be air lifted to Vanderbilt Hospital. Miraculously, he is on the road to a complete recovery.

We attended a prayer meeting at the school playground at 4:00 Thursday. It was so good to gather with our neighbors for a time of prayer for our community, public schools, Ian, and the boys who attacked him. Thanks to social media, we were able to reach brothers and sisters in Christ with our prayer requests and many agreed to stop what they were doing at 4:00 and join with us in prayer.

Matthew 18:19“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”

Since there are more than two agreeing in prayer about this situation, I am expecting wonderful changes!

Click here for the previous post and link to the original news story https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/05/22/ian/

You can link to the updated news story here http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/home/ticker/Juvenile-charged-with-assaul–208554221.html or type “Ian Poole” into the search bar here http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/

betty jo

Ian

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The following is from my town’s local news station. After you read the article, scroll down a little and take a look at the comments that follow. I’ve been homeschooling for 16 years and have been out of the loop about what has been going on in our local schools.

http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/12-year-old-in-hospital-after-brutal-playground-beating-208390761.html

Morgan Elementary School is about a block from my house. Z7 plays there after school hours sometimes. E17 has homeschool color guard practice there. Both Ian and the unnamed bully are my neighbors.

I am horrified, angry, and so sad.

There is a prayer meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 23 at 4:00 CT at the playground. Would you please join with us in prayers for Ian, his family, our local public schools, and my neighborhood.