Home schooling with WISDOM

Supporting traditional home schooling, where parents have control over what is taught to their children, how it is taught, and when it is taught.

How many containers do you need to fill a science program?  Peculiar question, huh?  Perhaps I should ask:  How many weekends does it take to fill your science program containers? 

It should be noted that some solutions for signing a PDF are about putting your actual, visual signature (or something that is good enough to be one) on the file, while others are about adding a digital "signature" in a different sense to the file to show that it was you who signed it. Sometimes one or the other is what's needed and you'll want to make sure you've picked the right one.

On computers

While Adobe Reader might be treated as an industry standard, there are other options.

  • Foxit has a free reader with signing capability.
  • On macOS, the built-in Preview app, which is the default app for opening a PDF file, has an option add visual signatures and few handy ways to create them that are easier than clicking and dragging with your mouse.
    1. Open the file
    2. In the menu bar, go Tools > Annotate > Signature.
    3. From there you can pick an existing signture, or add a new one with a simple webcam scanning process to digitise one written on paper, or finger-draw one on the laptop trackpad or a connected phone. (This is also where you'd remove existing saved signatures.)

On mobile phones & tablets

Here are a few suggested apps for filling out and signing PDF documents while on the go! 

iOS

Android:

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!

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.

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; but the superintendent threatened to charge them with truancy.  The late 80’s were rife with inconsistencies in treatment of home schoolers.

Observations of a Large Adoptive Family

In May 2005, having an approved international home assessment in hand and seeking God about international adoption, we connected with a relief organization (WACSN: West African Children Support Network) working in Liberia, West Africa. Their work involves, among other things, finding homes and processing adoptions for abandoned/orphaned children living at the WACSN orphanage in Monrovia.

When people seek more information about the science and technology event, one of the first questions that I hear – with a tone of apprehension in their voice – is: “Is this a science fair?” The answer I give is “no” – to which I hear a sigh of relief.  

kyra4 “It’s not fair! I’m so lonely, and I’m stuck at home instead of in school!”

“I’m just curious to see if I could make it—if I could do the work, and fit in with the school kids.”

“High school is an important time to see how I fit in with the world!”

“How can I be a witness to others if I’m home schooled? You should let me go to school where I can help others.”

“You don’t know how I feel about this. It’s really important to me, and I know it’s what I should be doing—it’s what I want!”

Sound familiar?

Kyra3Have you considered what a wonderful resource we have in the growing number of graduates who have been home schooled right through high school? I hadn't until I found myself in a position of great need.

I found that my involvement in the administration of WISDOM, the farm, and my commitments to my church community; not to mention the education and formation of my children, kept me rather busy. Praying for discernment, and wrestling with what I must let go; I found the answer was not to let go of anything more at this time, but to find assistance. The most logical solution in my mind was to find help with running my home; so began the search for a part-time housekeeper. I was insistent that I find someone who would fit into our home as an extension of our family unit - someone with integrity who shared our values. I never did find her....

When I look back on my years of home schooling through high school, I am sure that I will have many fond memories of WISDOM’s Online Courses. Since the autumn of 2003, I have taken seven online courses, all of which were profitable. I take one every season – In fact, one season I took three at the same time! My plans are to continue into my eighth course in the upcoming school year. I do not wish to stop!

I was not sure that I would feel this way when I first signed up for a course three years ago. This was the “Introductory Great Books” course. When I looked at the reading list initially, I was uncertain as to whether I could manage the weekly reading assignments, or discuss them adequately. After all, books such as the “Iliad”, the “Aeniad”, and, at that time, “War and Peace”, can seem rather intimidating to a nearly-thirteen-year-old! I thought that the conversation might be over my head, especially as there were students in the class several years older than me. However, encouraged by my parents, and made hopeful by seeing that such favourite authors of mine as Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien were on the list, I took a deep breath and signed up for the course.

 
 
 
 
Part of The Gilbertine Institute