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)
The power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways. (Webster’s Dictionary)
My first thoughts seem to be on the negative forms of influence. For example, when I am a stumbling block to my children because of my bad habits and failings I have a negative effect on them or when a moodiness creeps in on one child’s attitude it can influence the attitudes of the others.
So how do I nurture the capacity of causing a positive effect on my family and they for each other? Doesn’t it simply boil down to ‘right living’? When I fall isn’t the best witness to pick myself up, to acknowledge my failing to myself and others, to ask forgiveness and carry on? Isn’t it to teach my family, using words only when necessary, generosity, a warm heart and a spirit of service; and doesn’t this course of action produce peace and joy? Don’t peace and joy profoundly influence the world around us?
I know these things, yet I need to read an action plan to myself at the beginning of the day, the middle of the day and at the end of the day that each moment must be deeply lived for the glory of God and that I am responsible for leading (not pushing or cajoling) my family into that understanding.
In the final analysis doesn’t this translate into the fact that, it’s NOT all about me?
I’ll need to thank Ken for continually reminding us of the JOY theory: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself third. Marlane, are you putting yourself second, or worse yet first? So, if we do first things first all will fall into to place and I won’t need to worry about whether I am being a good influence on my family and the world around me.
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.
Recently updated for the 2026 back-to-school shopping season!
What follows is advice for shopping for your family’s next computer, from our IT SysAdmin, Levi.
Before we talk about dollar amounts
You get what you pay for
The number-one thing to remember when buying technology is that you generally get what you pay for. That doesn’t necessarily mean a cheap computer is worse—one of my favourite and most-used computers was US$5 brand new—but different brands and product lines prioritise different things.
Sales and promotions
The industry changes quickly. If a product is on sale, there is a good chance the retailer is clearing inventory because newer products are replacing it. Because of that, and because computers are often designed to last only two to four years, it is unwise to purchase something on sale without remembering the strong caveat that there is usually a reason the store is trying to clear it from its shelves.
In my experience, money saved at purchase often ends up being spent later when the computer must be replaced sooner. In many cases it makes more sense, both financially and logistically, to buy the model that is not on sale. This principle also applies to refurbished products.
It's not to say that you shouldn't buy something that's sold for less than MSRP, but that you should inspect the potential reasoning for the discount and take that into account when making the final decision.
Education discounts and back-to-school sales
Apple considers home-schooling parents to be teachers for the purpose of education discounts that apply to primary and secondary education staff. They place limits on purchases, but many products are discounted by roughly 10%. Apple’s education store is here, and other manufacturers run similar promotions, so if you have a specific product in mind it is worth checking whether the manufacturer offers an education discount.
In the months leading up to the school year, these discounts often become stronger and may include promotions such as “buy a laptop, get free headphones”. Although these promotions are aimed at students heading to post-secondary education, they often include school “staff”, just like the year-round education discounts.
A keen observer might point out that the earlier warning about sale prices applies here as well, and that is not entirely wrong. The difference is intent. A sale on an older product may exist simply to clear shelf space, whereas education discounts exist because manufacturers know that if they get a student using their brand early, that student may become a repeat customer later.
Laptop versus desktop
Beyond practical considerations, such as whether the computer needs to be portable or remain in one place for supervised use, remember that $1,000 worth of laptop buys something with different priorities than $1,000 worth of desktop. Comparing the specs between the two categories is somewhat like comparing two different fruits.
What about a tablet?
Tablets are excellent devices. They handle certain tasks in ways that make more sense than a traditional computer. Like the comparison between laptops and desktops, however, a tablet is a fundamentally different device with different priorities, primarily a large touchscreen and battery inside a slim case.
We should also remember that using tablets and laptops teach different skills. Children develop different kinds of hand–eye coordination and different expectations about computer interfaces depending on which device they use.
Now, what’s your budget?
Less than $500
At this price point, the best value is usually a Chromebook. Because ChromeOS is a lightweight operating system that requires fewer resources, it can deliver good performance for the kinds of tasks students typically perform without requiring expensive hardware.
Acer, Dell, and Samsung all make solid Chromebooks, though there are a myriad of brands. If possible, it is useful to see the computer in a brick-and-mortar store to evaluate build quality and durability. If you are looking for the cheapest possible computer, Costco’s lowest-priced model is often surprisingly good value.
Windows computers do exist at this price, but part of the cost is the Windows licence and the hardware capable of running Windows. Unless you specifically need Windows to run certain software, a Chromebook will often provide better value.
$500+
At this level, many more options become available, including traditional Windows computers. HP, Acer, Dell, and MSI are brands that frequently offer solid models.
Apple’s two cheapest computers, the Mac mini (yes, the lowercase is correct) and the recently-released MacBook Neo, both start at under $700 with education pricing.
Chromebooks also exist in this price range, often with more storage. Many are hybrid devices with touchscreens that fold around to function as tablets. I'm not personally a fan of these designs, but they can be useful for users who would benefit from the dual use.
$1,000+
At this point, more powerful Apple computers become affordable, along with higher-end Windows devices from companies such as Dell and Microsoft (particularly the Surface line), which are often positioned as Apple-like alternatives. There is generally little downside to a computer at this price, or even several hundred dollars more, so long as the buyer understands they are paying a premium price for a premium product.
I would venture to say that most people have enough interest in robots that they would give a few moments of their time to allow themselves the amusement of watching robots in action. Beyond this, I have observed that fewer people actually have enough interest in robots to wrestle with how they work and to learn what their abilities and their limitations are. I think that there also exists a middle-ground camp of those who imagine that they might have an interest in robots but they are just not sure of ‘where to start’.
So often, we lose ourselves in parenthood. Our own desires are often set aside as the demands of parenthood are so constant. I hope that you can just take a deep breath as you make it through another day - and so did your children.
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
— Robert Louis Stevenson
Does your family love games? Or would you like to incorporate more family games but are not sure where to start? Games have been proven to rapidly develop cognitive functions in all ages.
Games the Build the Brain is a favourite resource of home schooling families everywhere! Find a fabulous game in this booklet, and learn which cognitive skills it builds and supports. Then, play it with your family to reap the cognitive and relationship benefits!
A serious golfer, when his game starts going out of control, immediately reflects on the basics of the game and then focuses on himself and disciplines his mind, body and will in order to correct any bad habits that may be causing the downfall of his game. He may even ask help from a friend and make himself accountable to this person help him carry out a set plan for improving.
We live in hectic times, and Christians are not immune. When we realize our life is starting to get out of control, we should do no less than a serious golfer. We also should immediately go back to the basics of Christian living. Then we must take charge of our thinking, and exercise our will to change or break any bad habits, form good habits and limit our wants.
When a nun complained to Mother Teresa about not having enough time to care for all her patients, Mother Teresa responded by saying that means you must spend more time praying....
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.