Fairy tales are often what colors our childhood and facilitates our dreams. They are filled with sadness and happiness. Love and loss. Good vs. evil. When researching the top fairy tales, Cinderella, Beauty & The Beast and Hansel & Gretel came up in the top 10. It is interesting to realize that most fairy tales introduce a family that already has suffered a loss of either a mother or a father. The topic is briefly addressed but the “why’s” are not explained in detail.
When I think about the many fairy tales that I have read or watched, the first thing that comes to mind is a dream to find a prince, marry him and live happily ever after. I love the idea that a fairy tale takes your imagination to the next level. Where the mice design dresses, where commoners live in castles and where candy houses exist. You have to admit that these stories would be pretty bland if it weren’t for these elements of opportunities.
Happy Home Schooling to all of you – especially to the families new to WISDOM. This eLetter (Terry’s Terrific Learning Connections or Terry’s Tender Loving Care) is meant to encourage and inspire families homeschooling their children.
We are living in uncertain times. Some of us have homeschooled for years, while others leaped into homeschooling this September. No matter what lies ahead of us, homeschooling our children is a great choice! There were times when I got distracted by academics or parenting issues and those were what I focused on.
Today I encourage you to focus on your relationship with your child / children. Why not add relationship building activities to your daily / weekly plant?
Make a list of what each child loves and try to include that in your homeschool week / life as much as possible. Talk often. Eat good food together slowly. Play games. Go for walks. Read great books aloud. Read the Bible and pray together to relieve stress and anxiety. Hug often.
Do whatever builds your relationship with your child as much as possible. Our days together might seem long, but the years are so short.
I'd like to pass on a very helpful book, that has brought some variety, fun, and creativity to our writing. It is called, "If You Are Trying to Teach Kids How to Write You've Gotta Have This Book". There are endless ideas.
One thing Marjorie Frank (author) recommends in her book is to sit with the children and write when they write. They're more interested in writing when we partake as well. I break from our "Understanding Writing" program on Fridays to insert an assignment from this book. I find my 8 year old, 11 year old, and I can all do the same assignment. It's generally lighthearted and refreshing. I highly recommend it.
It was with the support of their local school principal that Ken and Marlane Noster brought home their eldest child, half way through grade 3. The superintendent threatened to charge them with truancy. The late 80’s were rife with inconsistencies in treatment of home schoolers.
In response to the first Alberta Home Education Regulation of 1989, Ken was invited to help a school board develop its program for administrating home schooling. He and Marlane began to pray for an answer to two burning questions: how can a board designed to administrate schools administrate home schooling? and what am I being called to do?
We asked WISDOM parents, students, facilitators, staff and Parent Advisory Council members to offer suggestions to the following question – how do we beat the January blues? Read on for many great ideas that have worked well in the homes of other home schoolers.
I was somewhat thrust into home schooling without a great deal of preparation. About all I knew was that I had the right to teach my children at home, and in my first year I simply brought home all our daughter’s textbooks from school. It soon became clear that importing the school into our home wasn’t going to work very well so, in our second year, I copied both method and curriculum from another home schooling family. This whole time, in an effort to research what other options might be available, I spent a lot of time reading books on education in general and some on home schooling.
Transcript of talk by tutor Ben van den Bosch given at WISDOM’s Great Books event, January 30th, 2016.
Often, history education consists of a short study of ancient history and several years of study about the time since the discovery of the Americas. There is so much information about the last 500 years that the sheer volume overwhelms earlier history. This emphasis is what most of us of the last generation experienced in our schooling.
There is a danger in this. We begin to think that the time before 1492 is in the same realm as myths and legends. Biblical stories, and perhaps Christ himself, are not seen as historically true. But if we have a more complete picture of history, preferably chronologically from the oldest known civilizations, we can see how God prepared the world for His coming, and how mankind responded. His Incarnation can be seen for what it is: the central event of all history.
Happy Home Schooling Christmas Style! This eLetter (Terry’s Terrific Learning Connections or Terry’s Tender Loving Care) is meant to encourage and inspire families homeschooling their children.
Christmas is getting closer each day. Perhaps you are looking forward to it – perhaps you aren’t. Perhaps you are wondering how you will get everything done or perhaps you already know you won’t get everything done (like me!). Perhaps you are hurting over the loss of what could have been and are aching over what is. Wherever you and your family are, I’d like to remind you God is with you and nothing in the past year has been a surprise to Him. Sleep in peace.
In the next month or so, we have an opportunity to slow down, focus on the meaning of the season AND to continue bonding with the hearts of our children. I’d suggest making every effort to do so – because while the days are long, the years are, oh, so short. We really don’t have much time with each of our children. What you do today – each day – counts!
AND how lovely it is, that you have made the decision to home school your children. No, it isn’t easy, but it is worthwhile. It sometimes takes all our energy, time and money, but what else would we rather spend our energy, time and money on? (Smile)