When I think of the movie line "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My," it makes me think about the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. For those of you who haven’t seen it or need a refresher, I will summarize some of my favourite characters.
There were 3 characters that all needed something. They figured if they met the Wizard of Oz, he could give them what they needed.
There was The Scarecrow who needed a brain. A Tin Man who needed a heart and The Lion who needed courage.
Thankfully we are born with a brain and a heart. And I think it’s fair to say that courage can come and go in our lives. But as parent’s, we are responsible for facilitating growth in all 3 of these areas. And I believe that the Lord has designed us all uniquely. We are all born with different gifts and talents. That’s what makes us special. When my sons were younger at times I felt overwhelmed towards the great responsibility it was to raise them. What if I make a mistake? What if I forget to teach them a life skill? What if I am too strict? What if I am too lenient? Yet as our children grow up, so do we as parents. We adapt to their needs and opportunities that facilitate character building.
Preparing For Fall Facilitator Visit
The following are a few tips to allay anxiety, concern, and apprehension of your facilitator’s home visit with you. (Click on the links for more.)
- Conference with your spouse - and children if appropriate - concerning the goals, planning, and overall vision for each child’s year. Write it down in order to refer to it when your facilitator comes. Keep it simple and to the point.
- Review previous assessments (ie: Spring 2006) and education plans in order to reflect and evaluate ‘where we’ve been’, ‘how we’re doing’, and ‘where we’re going’. Some parents have even filled out the new assessment right on the previous form. If you are new with WISDOM or have misplaced the previous assessment, view education plan samples and the blank assessment form.
- E-mail or call your facilitator within a reasonable time frame prior to the visit for special requests, concerns, scheduling preferences, or anything that will assist the facilitator in making the most of the visit for all involved. If you do not know who your facilitator is, please contact the WISDOM Office to find out.
- Make samples of the children’s work available for your facilitator’s perusal.
- If possible, have a preliminary written draft of each child’s education plan.
- Pray for God’s guidance and for the effective use of the limited time available with your facilitator. We’re praying for you, too.
- Enjoy your facilitator visit, and the start of your new year of study!
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.
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 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.
Welcome to the first edition of Terry’s “Terrific Learning Connections” (and Tender Loving Care, too) for WISDOM Families.
I’ll share great links, contests and connection opportunities for WISDOM Families and Students monthly. I usually share a lot of these ideas on Facebook but want to open it up to the entire Family of WISDOM Home Schoolers.
May/June 2025 - 30th Anniversary Special Edition
March/April 2025
May/June 2023
Are you beating your head against a wall? Is your thirteen year old impossible to teach? Is the curriculum that has worked so well in the past suddenly "boring?"
I recently spoke with a mother of many who, after completing an enjoyable unit study of reading and discussion on Holland, decided her fourteen year old son should follow-up this project with something concrete. She asked him to write an essay on the history of the development of the tulip industry - a topic they had all found to be interesting. As days of reluctance dragged into weeks of resistance, a normally affable mother-son relationship became outright antagonistic....
Unfortunately, almost all of us take our definition of "school" from the limited experience of our own schooling. Whether or not we actually acknowledge it, the public school system becomes our model of how things should actually work. We presume learning is best broken up into defined subjects, that tests are the best measure of learning, that we should finish the math book each year, and most of all, that school is work...