What's Your Homeschool Schedule with 9 Kiddos?

The most-asked question our larger-than-average family gets is this: "How do you handle all those kids AND homeschool?" Well, to be completely honest, we probably get the "How many kids do you plan on having anyway?" one even more often, but you'll have to ask God for the answer to that one. :) I, however, will attempt to explain how we do all that we do with 9 kids (one, a young adult), all while keeping the peace and order in our humble abode! So, here we go!

Mark and I have 9 blessings on earth so far (and 7 in Heaven), ages: 19, 12, 10, 9, 7, 6, 4, 2 and 8 months. Below is our usual schedule, but with a baby and a toddler and life in general this can all change at a moments notice. Overall, I like having a schedule so that the kids know what to expect and when, but I do NOT let it rule me. It's just a guide. It helps tremendously that we school year-round! It allows for extended holiday breaks and breaks throughout the year when I feel "burnout" coming. :) I am also a firm believer that just because a schedule works well for one family it might not work well for another, so keep that in mind when trying to create one of your own!

Our Schedule

7:00 - wake-up, make bed, tidy up rooms, put away night clothes and eat
7:45 - kitchen chores completed and teeth brushed
8:00 - Devotions/Scripture Memory and then the Preschool! The older kids teach younger ones preschool (it is really neat to have the older ones learn to teach their siblings...it develops their abilities in so many ways!)
8:15 - Seatwork (kids sit at kitchen table and do math/English/spelling/geography/typing - different requirements on different days). Annalise (19) blogs, Facebooks, workd on her ministry, keeps an eye on kids or bakes.
10:00 - Eva (8 months) naps.
12:00 - Everyone has finished school USUALLY. Eva is awake.
12:00 or 12:30 - Lunch
After lunch - outside play time/educational games/reading/educational DVD's or YouTube unit studies (this varies according to my whim...ha)
3:00 - Eva naps
4:00 - Kids are inside. Afternoon chores (usually it's a pretty light workload). Reading time.
5:00 - Get ready for Daddy's homecoming (vacuum, set table, ready dinner, etc.) and wake Eva 6:00 - Dinner
Kitchen Cleanup by kids while Mark and I discuss our days (this is GREAT therapy for Mommy) or read to Judah
7:30 - Family Worship

When do you feel as though you've actually ACCOMPLISHED all that you need to accomplish?

I would say that I feel as though I have accomplished everything I needed to accomplish if I have homeschooled the kids, done at least 1 load of laundry, done some everyday chores (dusting, vacuuming, counter tops, general upkeep, etc.), prepared a good meal, had the kids learn life skills of some kind, and I have basically "worked at home" all day. It varies so greatly what I do each day that I would say that if I felt as though I have been a worker at home, according to Titus 2. I am to be loving my husband, loving my children and being busy at home. If I've done that to the best of my ability, then I've accomplished a lot. However, it can get monotonous and it can feel as though I haven't accomplished much, BUT drudgery is part of motherhood and that's all part of God's perfect plan. See this post! The Proverbs 31 is an ideal woman, accomplishing A LOT. I don't believe that any woman could accomplish all that she did every day, and we need to keep that in mind or we'll drive ourselves crazy! BUT Proverbs 31 is a GREAT outline to use overall!

Any organizing tips or secrets?

1. Never leave a room empty-handed. Always return something to its proper place.
2. 30 second rule....If it takes less than 30 seconds to put away, do it immediately!
3. Have pick up time before Daddy gets home and before lunch time!
4. Teach kids to do chores and to pick up as they go (30 second rule with them, as well)

Any tips on how to get the kids to clean up after themselves?

As I've mentioned time and time again, we are big on "chore training". My kids all have chores. We use this age appropriate chore list as a guide. Our kids have chores as soon as they can crawl and they will pass them on to a younger sibling when the younger sibling is ready. The younger sibling will become the "apprentice" and the older becomes the "master or teacher". The younger will watch the older do the chore between 2 and 5 times before they attempt it themselves. Then they move onto doing the chore themselves, with the older one watching and instructing PROPERLY (no bossing allowed...Mommy's listening in). After about 2-5 times of the younger doing the chore under the older's supervision and instruction, the younger will do that chore on their own. From that point on, Mommy checks up on them randomly to see if it was completed properly. If it was not, then Mommy instructs the younger on how to correct it. Of course, age is always factored in.....I don't expect my two year old to wipe the table the way I would. BUT, they should be doing it to the best of their ability. How old should a child be when they begin having chores? Our kids start chores as soon as they can crawl, and although it's tedious to Mommy in the beginning, I've found that it pays off BIG TIME in the long run!!! What does God think about chores?

Shouldn't kids just be kids?

Unfortunately, today's society has taught us that life should be easy, kids should be kids, take the easy way out in life, but in all reality I can't find where it says any of that in Scripture. In fact, Scripture says that LEADERS and SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE will work hard! Shouldn't we be training up the future leaders of tomorrow's familys and world?

Using the below Scriptures when teaching children about chores and hard work will mold their spirits now and train them for their futures! This is why we believe that children should regularly contribute to household maintenance.

*Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and never succeed. Proverbs 12:24
*He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. Proverbs 12:11
*All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23
*Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:22-24

What are the consequences for not completing chores?

IF chores are not completed with a good attitude and without being asked/reminded, they will either have reading/play time deducted or be given extra chores. This system has worked really well and, honestly, we rarely have an issue with attitudes or chore completion. They know that Daddy and I mean business. They also are used to having chores, because they start doing chores as soon as they can walk. In fact, the older ones are so used to doing their chores and do them with a proper attitude that the younger ones CAN'T WAIT to go into an "apprenticeship" under the older ones to learn the chores! Now, yes, chores get repetitious, but they do get done with correct attitudes and without being told (the majority of the time, anyway - no one's perfect).

I hope this was of some help and an encouragement to you! May you all be WORKERS AT HOME and follow God and His Word in all you do!

Homeschooling and Socialization - The Great Debate!

Repost from 2006

Since I was raised in a "pioneer homeschooling" family, it has given me so many opportunities to observe, experience and debate the homeschooling vs. socialization issue. By far, it is the most criticized and worried about subject pertaining to homeschooling.

I have many, many articles on socialization with homeschoolers and the studies done by non-homeschoolers that prove that the outright majority of homeschoolers are getting more real-life socialization than their public school counterparts. For instance, homeschoolers are socialized VERTICALLY, rather than HORIZONTALLY. They socialize with their peers, as well as their 4 year old sibling and the 16 year old neighbor down the street. They can even successfully carry on a conversation (yes, an actual conversation) with an adult. Now, when any child reaches adult hood, will he be then socializing horizontally or vertically? Which is more practical for "real life?" After all, isn't "real life" what we're preparing our children for entering, whether homeschooled or otherwise? If so, homeschoolers are right on track! The horizontal socialization vs. vertical socialization is my favorite defense for homeschooling! I always have that one tucked away for my defense of my choice of education.

Some other good socialization points are as follows:

Research conducted by Michael Brady entitled Social Development in Traditionally Schooled and Homeschooled Children, a Case for Increased Parental Monitoring and Decreased Peer Interaction endorses this idea. Brady states, "There seems to be an overwhelming amount of evidence that children socialized in a peer-dominant environment are at higher risk for developing social maladjustment issues than those that are socialized in a parent monitored environment."

Research supports this. According to Home Schooling and the Question of Socialization by Richard G. Medlin, "Home-schooled children are taking part in the daily routines of their communities. They are certainly not isolated; in fact, they associate with--and feel close to--all sorts of people."

Hope that helps someone with this issue!

Homeschool Failure - Refuse to Fail or Burn Out

There are so many moms who need to know that they are not failures in God's eyes and that Jesus has given them every tool they need to complete their task set before them. Every homeschool mother has dealt with doubt, discouragement, or feelings of inadequacy at one time or another. No mother should believe that she is alone in her feelings of failure.

One thing that you must set forth to do is to refuse to give into the feelings that creep in through Satan’s lies and our own finite human reasoning. Keep your eyes set on the author and finisher of your faith as you go about your daily housework and homeschooling tasks.

Where to Meet Jesus: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." [Matthew 11:28-30] The stressful and the commonplace days can take our focus off Jesus and put the load solely on our own shoulders. The weight brings us down into despair when all He asks is for us to share our troubles with Him.

The Way to Go: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” John 15:7 Pray and ask for daily help according to the promises in His Word. He is there to help you. All you have to do is ask according to Scripture.

How to Go: “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me.” Acts 20:24 Focus on the end goal, leaving your personal struggles to God.

How to Keep Going: "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21 Go in faith, accepting the task God has given you. Let Him determine the logistics while you press on in peace.

Accept the vision God has revealed to your through His Word. Recall the vision regularly. Move toward the finish line while casting your burdens on Jesus. Fix your eyes on the only one who is the finisher, the motivator and the only unfailing source of strength.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

If Jesus had the ability to endure the cross and still see the joy before Him, we, too, can foresee our joy at the finish line, but first we must fix our eyes on the only One who can see us through – Jesus!

Keep watching for more posts that encourages those who feel like "Homeschool Failures". Sign up to receive e-mails or follow this blog on the left hand sidebar! Check out other posts under the category: Homeschool Failure!

Homeschool Failure - A Firm Foundation

Establishing your recorded goals on a firm foundation is a vital component of a plan that will enable your vision to withstand many storms. That firm foundation is the Word of God that will never pass away. Assign as many of your visionary inspirations as possible to Scripture, such as the ones listed below. You compilation of verses will serve as a motivation, as well as effective ammunition against any doubt as to why you should continue homeschooling.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Matthew 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

1 Peter 3:15 "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

Luke 6:39, 40 "Jesus said: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher."

Jeremiah 10:2 "Learn not the way of the heathen."

Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."

Psalm 1:1 "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers."

Job 23:11-12 "My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread."

Proverbs 13:20 “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”

Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Isaiah 54:13 “All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace.”

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Proverbs 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.”

Psalm 119:97-104 “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.”

Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7 “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”

III John 4:3 “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

Exodus 24:7 “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and will be obedient.”

Keep watching for more posts that encourages those who feel like "Homeschool Failures". Sign up to receive e-mails or follow this blog on the left hand sidebar! Check out other posts under the category: Homeschool Failure!

Homeschool Failure - Expect Opposition to the Vision

“He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44b

Many homeschool mothers make the detrimental mistake when they believe that planning their course of action is sufficient preparation for success. They set a lofty expectation, thinking that because they have a recorded vision in their hands it makes them exempt from attack and discouragement. In reality, a vision is just one of the many tools used to combat the “father of lies”.

When you engage in the valiant fight against the prince of darkness, you must come to the understanding that you will unquestionably engage in spiritual warfare and experience assaults from Satan. Satan will undoubtedly detect your desire to succeed at something which he hates – parental involvement and godly instruction in the life of your children. He hates to see God’s Word honored and children growing up to genuinely love the Lord. Be assured, he will fight against your efforts every chance he can get.

The enemy’s game plan will take on many forms such as doubt and discouragement possibly stemming from the disheartening words from family and friends. Do not let these thoughts take root in your life by entertaining the lies he whispers in your ear. Remember that he is the “father of lies” and deception is his native tongue. Instead, build a hedge of protection, knowing why you have established these goals for your family by basing your decisions on Scripture. This might not be an easy task, but when you set up this barricade against the arrows of the enemy you will have a secure place in which to rest in your choice to educate your children at home.

Keep watching for more posts that encourages those who feel like "Homeschool Failures". Sign up to receive e-mails or follow this blog on the left hand sidebar! Check out other posts under the category: Homeschool Failure!

Homeschool Failure - A United Vision

After you have chosen how to record your homeschool’s mission and vision statement, choose a quiet place and time to develop a united vision with your husband or support person. List the ideas that sparked your interest in homeschooling and led you to believe that this was a positive choice for your family. List the academic benefits that homeschooling offers, as well as what skills and character traits you desire to see your children attain by the time they graduate. And, most importantly, secure that firm foundation by listing your Biblical reasons which support your decision to homeschool your children.

Keep watching for more posts that encourages those who feel like "Homeschool Failures". Sign up to receive e-mails or follow this blog on the left hand sidebar! Check out other posts under the category: Homeschool Failure!

Homeschool Failure - Recording Your Vision

If you were to embark on a long-term home improvement project, you would certainly have a finished result envisioned before you even thought to pick up the phone to call a general contractor. If this project was to build a house, you would need blueprints that depicted the inside and outside of the structure. It would be essential that you had an end to which the team you hired would be working toward.

Neither you nor the professionals you hired would just pick up some lumber and start hammering away. Where would you be without a plan; without blueprints; without goals? If that was to happen, no one on the team would have a unified vision of what was to be built and complete chaos would ensue. Soon enough you would become disheartened and discouraged at the lack of progress that had been made. The homey cottage you envisioned would look more like a dog house for good ol’ Rover. Sure, you might be able to pick up the pieces and make something of your effort. But how much pain could you have saved yourself if there had been a vision, a plan, and goals in mind? Vision is needed, and a vision needs goals.

Just as you would require having a hard copy of a plan when building a house, it is just as essential that you have a recorded vision for which to aim, in order to be successful in your undertaking of homeschooling. Whether you are a brand new homeschooler, just starting out, or a veteran with many years served, each and every homeschooling family should record the reasons why they have chosen to educate their children at home. These reasons should be kept in a place where you can reference them without delay. Being able to see these goals regularly will prove to be an encouragement to you, urging you to press on toward the goal when the inevitable days of discouragement stare you in the face.

The first thing to consider is whether you would prefer to record your thoughts and reasons in a one or two-page vision summary or, if you are a little more creative, a vision notebook.

A vision summary can be saved to your computer’s hard drive, edited periodically and printed off as needed. This short synopsis can be hung on the refrigerator or placed in a devotional or Bible as a visual reminder. A vision notebook could contain headings with a bullet point list of goals that fall under that heading. You could also record successes made under such headings as Biblical knowledge, academics, chore training or character development, so that you can easily view the progress that has been made in each area. Other things to consider adding to your notebook are encouraging quotes related to homeschooling or homemaking, encouraging Bible verses or a list of blessings you receive by being a homeschool and stay at home mother.

Consider, also, keeping a running list for each child that includes issues that call for improvement and objectives to achieve. These areas could be related to academics, spirituality, chore training and character traits. You might even list each child’s strengths to encourage and weaknesses on which to improve, as well. As with the summary, this notebook should be kept within reach and should also be easily accessed when the days of feeling like a failure come.

It does not matter which tool you decide to use to record your vision as long as you refer to it often, reminding yourself of why you are doing what you are doing. This will prove to serve as an encouragement and a motivator when you encounter a difficult day or time period in homeschooling.

Homeschool Failure - The Business Model and a Philosophy of Education

When a company embarks in its business venture, the board of directors develops a business plan, which includes a vision statement and a mission statement. The vision statement is a detailed description of what the company desires to accomplish within a set number of years, which serves as a guide for directing the company toward completing the long-term goals listed. A mission statement describes why the company exists, as well as the company’s current capabilities and focus. Essentially a mission statement is where the company is presently, and the vision statement is where the company plans to be in the future. Both of these serve as an important tool in the development of a strong and successful business. Neither of these can be eliminated if the company wants to be successful in their business venture.

Some might think it a bit excessive to develop both a mission and vision statement for your homeschool, but it is not. A business can be defined as serious work or an endeavor that requires an investment with the expectation of making a profit. Could a homeschool be described in that manner? Home education is certainly a serious work that requires an investment of time, money and sweat equity, in which you hope to produce a young adult who is adept in various life skills. The outcome your child experiences is your profit, or positive gain. So, why not plan your homeschool as you would a business? Plan for success and stick to the plan!

Homeschool parents should be in agreement of their homeschool’s objectives and motivations, in order to provide a measure of accountability and to be like-minded in this endeavor. If you are married, your husband, as the head of your home, should either help plan or approve the mission and vision statements of your family’s homeschool. If you are a single parent, you are in charge of your homeschool and might consider seeking outside counsel to assist with accountability and the focus in your mission.

When Mark and I began our own journey of homeschooling we decided to join a local support group, so that we could experience the support and friendships of those who were climbing the same mountain that we were beginning to ascend. This particular support group was somewhat of a pioneer homeschool support group, of which my parents were members when I was homeschooled. These seasoned support group leaders prudently recognized the need for vision and consequently required that each prospective member develop a “Philosophy of Education”. This proved to be an excellent requirement that charged each member of the group to determine and to put in writing their chief objectives behind their decision to homeschool.

Our family’s philosophy of education included similar concepts that one might find in a business’ mission and vision statements. In establishing our own educational ideology we were recording the reasoning behind our choice to home educate. Through this simple, yet inspiring, one-page summary of our thoughts and goals, we preserved our purpose for our family’s home education course. Through the years we have modified our philosophy of education to better fit our family’s revised vision, while continually implementing the principles in our summary. This has proved to be a driving force, compelling us closer to the established goals for our children.

Take a look at our family's Philosophy of Education for some idea starters and tune in next time for more on how to develop your plan and set your goals! Sign up to receive e-mails or follow this blog on the left hand sidebar! Check out other posts under the category: Homeschool Failure!

Do you ever feel like a Homeschool Failure?

It seems as though I receive many hits on my blog from people who have searched the web for "homeschool failure". Either there are a lot of people looking to scathe the reputation of homeschooling, searching the web for a list of people that have failed in their attempt to homeschool OR they are homeschool moms looking for encouragement when feeling beaten down in this godly calling (like we all do sometimes). My guess is that it's the latter, more often than the former.

I would just love to beat the devil at this and tackle this discouragement that ALL homeschool moms feel (at one time or another) with SCRIPTURE! Sooo.....I need to hear from YOU! Homeschool Mamas - What makes you feel like a "homeschool failure"? What have you done to battle those feelings and keep on pressing toward the goal? Please leave a comment below with you responses!

I look forward to investigating this further and encouraging each other in the process!

The Importance of Developing a Philosophy of Education

Reposted from 2005

I think that developing your own philosophy of education is extremely important when making the decision to homeschool your children. It is needed for the best possible chance of succeeding at this sometimes tiresome job.

Below is the philosophy that we developed when we first decided to continue my family's tradition of homeschooling. Our homeschool support group actually requires that all of its members develop their own philosophy of education before they are "allowed" to join the group. At first, I thought it was a simple task and I didn't see the point of completing it. But now I do! For years I kept a copy of this posted on my fridge to remind me daily WHY I was doing what I was doing. What an encouragement that was! I hope that everyone out there takes the time to develop their own.

The Metzger Family’s Philosophy of Education

Heritage Christian Academy

Education is a life-long experience. We believe that our children’s education in childhood should be primarily directed by their parents. Parents know their child better than anyone and they know their specific needs. As I have learned through being homeschooled myself, homeschooling provides a great opportunity to mold your child’s scholastic education to meet your child’s individual needs. A homeschool teacher can tailor the school work to fit the child’s strengths and improve on their weaknesses to the best of their ability. There is no need to push the child beyond their limits and no need to hold them back from what they want to achieve. The sky is the limit! Homeschool provides an atmosphere for learning unlike any other. It provides a boost of confidence in what you can achieve.

We want our children to develop godly relationships with their peers through socialization. That is one of two main purposes for a homeschool support group. Support is valuable for the parental instructor, but also for the student. Socialization with peers and interaction with people of all ages is an important part of the educational process. Homeschool support groups also allow for the parental instructor to continue their own educational process by learning from other mom’s experiences and trading ideas and information.

We want our children to graduate, as homeschoolers, with self-confidence, a deep knowledge of God, a Biblical worldview and a superior and personalized education. We seek to enable them to become the godly men and women that God wants them to become. A firm knowledge and personal relationship with Jesus is the basis of an excellent education. Education is meaningless without Jesus! Parents enable their children to learn and, in turn, apply godly morals, values and principles. We seek to train our children up in the way that they should go, as said in Proverbs.

"Train up a child in the way he must go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

Snow Days! Do you take off Homeschool?

Q. Since there's no missing the bus and no slippery and hazardous roads to avoid, do you still insist on having your children do their schoolwork on "southern snow days", since they are few and far between?

A. Nope...we take off! When I was homeschooled myself, my Mom let us take off, as well. Being southerners, who know that snow doesn't come that often in this neck of the woods, we take every opportunity to do "life school" on snow day! This "life school" would include the following!

Science Lessons

• Weather
• Earth science
• Making of a snow gauge (HERE)
• Capturing and studying of snowflakes (HERE)
• Learning about the water cycle (HERE)
• Research snow animals/hibernating animals
• Density of water, snow and ice (HERE)
• and more... (HERE)

Math Snow Lessons

• Figuring out Snow to Liquid Equivalent Conversion (HERE)
• Learning how to make a snow gauge (HERE)
• Graph the snowfall by the hour
• More winter math (HERE)

Geography Lessons

• Research what areas of country receive the most snowfall (National Snow and Ice Data Center)
• Research which area of the state recevied more snow this time and why (approach of the storm, air temps, elevation, etc.)

Survival Training

• Learn to build an igloo (HERE)
• Surviving in snow (HERE)
• Wilderness Survival (HERE)
• Building a lean-to (HERE)

Dramatic Arts/Creative Play

• Playing "fort"
• Pretending to be stranded in the wilderness
• Making snow forts, angels

Physical Education

• Running, jumping, hiking through snow, etc.
• Sledding
• Building snow forts
• Throwing snowballs

The Metzgers Eating Snow Cream (12/26/10)

Home Economics

• Planning snow attire the night before
• Gathering and laying out snow gear the night before in anticipation (this is a needed skill, especially in a large family)
• Learning how to organize and care for wet clothing/shoes (logical place for everyone to enter the house, where to place the boots/shoes, put wet coats and such in the dryer)
• Making snow cream (HERE)
• Making hot cocoa
• Planning for and making a hot soup for lunch or dinner
• Starting a fire (either gas or wood-burning)

As you can see this list could go on and on! The beauty about homeschooling is that you can do things like taking a day off to enjoy the beauty of God's creations, while learning through having fun! Since we school year-round, we also do not have the pressure to finish our lessons at a certain time of the year (although, even if you DON'T school year-round, you can tack on extra days as needed, as well). Try to break out from that school-timeline/schedule mindset and be free to utilize the resources that surround you every day! Take time and enjoy making memories by homeschooling "real life lessons" now and again!

What are your winter weather or snow day ideas for your homeschool?

Third Wave of Homeschool Persecution - Be Aware!

This article is a MUST READ for every Christian homeschooler! This is the THIRD WAVE OF ARGUMENT that seeks to curtail or crush the homeschooling movement—specifically, the Christian homeschooling movement—is coming. You need to know about it. You need to get ready to fight it. My parents, among many others, fought hard so that we could have the homeschooling freedoms we enjoy today. Prepare to fight for this same right so that your children have this incredible freedom to home educate!

Should I leave out "difficult" words in the Bible when reading it to my children?

Q. How do you handle reading aloud such words in the Bible as "homosexual", "harlot" and such as that? Do you omit them or do you explain to all your children what those words mean?

A. We attend a family integrated church, where the pastor preaches the Word of God to all ages. No parts of the Bible are omitted and we follow the same principles at home, during family worship. Remember, the “Book of the Law” (the copy of the Scriptures at that time) was read to ALL the people....old, young, children, and even nursing infants. I don’t see how we can seek to imitate the Bible and leave out anything. However, there is a delicate way of handling this....we do not explain the direct meaning of these terms UNLESS we are asked for those meanings. Depending upon what ages are present, we explain on their age level of understanding. The word harlot could mean a person who kisses men who are not her husband or someone who sells s-x for money.....it all depends on the age and understanding of the one asking AND who else is present. We would bring the subject up again, if not brought up sooner, as the child ages and gains more understanding of sin.

It is also good to remember that Joshua read the ENTIRE Book of the Law to the Israelites...young and old. That should be an example of how we should lead our children!

"There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them. " Joshua 8:35

“Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. For He established a testimony in Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, that they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments, and not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God.” (Psalm 78:1-8, emphasis added).

Correcting School Work in a Large Homeschool Family

Q. I would love to hear how you manage school work corrections. Do you do it daily, do they correct their own (older ones), do they re-work errors, etc. It seems corrections take a large amount of time?

A. Well, I usually play "round robin". They all sit at the kitchen table and do their seatwork. Some will be doing seatwork, while others may be on the computer doing typing lessons, and another might be watching their math instructional DVD while a small group of littles are doing preschool work/play. Because they're not ALL at the table at once, it staggers the grading period for me (it's not *all* coming in at once). Now, yes, it does all come in at once on occasion, but I just grade it in order as it comes in (whomever was first in line for grading, gets graded first). I record everything in "The Homeschool Tracker" as it comes in and that helps to keep it manageable. No one corrects their own work due to accountability, though Annalise (18 - graduated) will sometimes help with the littles and their corrections. So, yes, I do it daily...right away, not waiting until everyone and everything is completed.

As for re-work. My kids get a certain number of points counted off for the first error on a problem (say, math) and then more points off for each time after that. I do make them re-work the problems for mastery. If it's a step-by-step problem, I will not tell them where the mistake is located...they need to learn to spot it. In other words, I'm not looking to check something off as incorrect, but completed (like in school), but rather that they have MASTERED whatever the concept is. If they have mastered it over a short period of time, and I know that they know it, I will omit problems or sections after one review problem is completed correctly and rather quickly. This really motivates them too hurry up and "master" concepts! Makes it easier on me, as well.

Even with corrections we seem to be done with seatwork, and most everything else, by noon (usually, anyway...there are "those" days, too!).

Should Children Be Salt and Light in Public School?

Studies have found that between 70-88 percent of teens who profess to be Christians are leaving their parent's faith by the time they are in their second year of college. Other studies have shown that 85 percent - the vast majority - of Christian teens do not hold a Biblical world view. Yes, there is the 12-30 percent who do graduate with their faith and beliefs intact, but Christians parents should not want to take that huge risk in light of God’s Word!

When taking into consideration the argument that children should be sent into the public schools to be salt and light, one needs to look a little closer at the passage from which this argument originates. Matthew 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

In this particular section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is telling Christians to be the salt of the earth, while also warning them that if they lose their saltiness, it will be gone forever. They will be thrown out (transliterated: "violently thrown out") and trampled on (transliterated: "rejected with disdain"). The section where it says, "loses its saltiness" is actually transliterated from the Greek as "being foolish" or "to act foolishly." Jesus, then, rhetorically asks how they can be made salty again, if they have lost that saltiness. Once they have lost their flavor, they will have forever lost their reputation for being salty and will be no further use in the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. All is lost.

If most Christians agree that the Bible never contradicts itself, then we should all be in agreement that we are completely able – though maybe not willing - to follow each and every command and heed all warnings given to us in Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." We cannot obey this commandment if we send our children out to school, because we would be unable to be with them but for a fractional part of a day. If Scripture is in harmony and not in contradiction of itself, then God would require that both Matthew 5:13-16 and Deuteronomy 6:6-9 be used in conjunction with each other, instead of in conflict. Are we unable to minister as a family unit to others - still being salt and light - while teaching our children the Lord's commands while we sit at home, when we walk along the way, when we lie down, and when we get up? Why is there a need to let children go out on their own, with the tendency to be foolish or to lose their flavor, when there are wonderful and Scriptural alternatives to sending them out while they are still spiritually immature?

Just as my brother and I were salt and light in our family’s ministries when we were homeschooled as children, so are my nine homeschooled children. Instead of being sent out to minister to others on their own, without parental instruction and protection, they minister alongside my husband and I in various ways (pro-life ministry, witnessing, etc.). We are all called to the mission field. We are all called to be salt and light. However, in order to live out Deuteronomy 6:6-9, children should be salt and light with their families, so that the parents are able to teach, train and protect their children from losing their “saltiness” while still ministering to the world under our protection and guidance. We are to be in the world and not of it. We are to be teaching our children why we are not of this world; how and why to spiritually combat that which is of this world; and how and why to put feet on those beliefs! That real-life ministering under the parental guidance, as described in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, brings spiritual maturity not found within church pews or public school hallways. As Christian parents, we must live in this world while showing our children the WHAT and WHYs behind what we believe. Without that understanding and continual guidance, which cannot be done if children are out of the parents’ Biblical coaching and mentoring 5 days a week, they will leave home with a poor Biblical worldview. When we include them in learning the practicalities of living out the faith, we can actually observe our children living out their faith while we are guiding them in the world. After that period of initial training, we can watch them slowly head out into the world. That is when they can be salt and light on their own. But for now, under our guidance, while also being salt and light, is where they belong.

Another important consideration when using the salt and light argument to argue for the freedom to send children out under the godless instruction of another is the foolish propensity of children. If Proverbs speaks frequently about children being naturally foolish, why would we send our half-grown children out to be the salt and light without our consistent direction and instruction, which is spoken so highly of in that same book of the Bible? When they are able to be mature, stand their ground unceasingly, while eloquently and decisively defend their faith as in 1 Peter 3:15 - ("Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."), then they are mature enough to be out on their own, consistently free of their childish folly warned about so often in Proverbs.

We must also consider and meditate about the meanings of the below verses in relation to sending our children to be under another’s instruction, guidance and mentorship for 7 to 8 hours, 5 days per week, 9 months per year.

Luke 6:39, 40 "Jesus said: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." Do I want my child to sit under a "spiritually blind" person for 8 hours a day? Do I want him to emulate that teacher and accept the godless curricula as normal and acceptable instruction? Maybe my child will come out of it as the 12-30% who are STRONG and STAND FIRM to the faith, but do I want to take the risk that he will not, especially after considering what Jesus stated about salt permanently losing its effectiveness? I take this warning very seriously.

Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him." Some children are very responsible and sensitive to the Holy Spirit. These children would do well being salt and light at young ages, but how long might it take for that salt to start to lose its flavor? This verse clearly states that children are naturally prone to foolishness and giving into foolish things, albeit less and less as they spiritually mature. I do not want my children, as sweet and godly as they are, to give in to foolish temptations, lose their saltiness and maybe even determine that their faith is not “for them" at some point in their future. Until they show complete spiritual maturity, our children will be salt and light while under their parents’ instruction.

Jeremiah 10:2 "Learn not the way of the heathen."

Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."

Psalm 1:1 "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers."

Our family has chosen to let Scripture live out harmoniously in our home. We allow our children to live out Matthew 5:13-16, being salt and light to a dying world, while Mark and I obey the command given to us in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, perpetually instructing our children of the ways of God. Our desire is to follow Job 23:11-12, "My feet have closely followed His steps; I have kept to His way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread."

Does it cost a lot to homeschool?

Homeschooling in the News is created by Homeschool.com and sponsored by Laurel Springs School.

In the public schools, the average spent on the education of a child is $10,000. Honestly, I never understood how they could spend so much when I am able to do the exact same thing for far less. Now, there is data to prove what I already knew, one does not have to spend a lot to effectively educate their child or children.

Continuing with Dr. Ray’s newest study on homeschoolers and their academic performance, we find a break down on their success on standardized tests based upon how much the family spent on each child to educate them. The results? There was not a great difference in their scores. Those spending $600 or more per student scored on average in the 89th percentile, while those spending less than $600 per child scored in the 86th percentile. Only a 3% difference yet both sets still scored over 30% higher than their public school counterparts.

So, new homeschoolers no longer need to be concerned that they do not have thousands of dollars to educate their child. Even with returning to a single income, they can pursue the task of educating their own children.

Thanks for reading,Susan HarrisHomeschool.com News Editor "Homeschooling In The News" is compiled and delivered by Homeschool.com and sponsored by Laurel Springs School.With over 25 years of experience, Laurel Springs' philosophy of education honors each child's gifts, talents, and learning style. Laurel Springs is a personalized distance learning school and resource to home school families, private and public schools, tutoring centers, students achieving personal life goals in acting or sports careers, and families living abroad.

Do You Shelter Your Children?

HOME Where They Belong
Gena Suarez, co-Publisher, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Do you “shelter” your children? That’s a bad word in some circles, we’re finding. Something is creeping into the church (and even the homeschooling community) and it isn’t biblical. It is an “anti-sheltering campaign” of sorts, and it’s full of holes. Think about it. What does it mean to shelter? Protect. Defend. Guard. Preserve. Watch over. Shield. Safeguard. Hmmmm, so far so good, right? Sure, until "pop psychology" comes in and tells us that we should allow our children to taste a little of the world in order to understand it or pray for it. That we should not “over-shelter” them. Nonsense.

What’s the opposite of shelter? Expose. Endanger. We parents are called to be like our Father in Heaven. He is the greatest “Shelterer” there ever was, and it is us He shelters – or watches over; protecting us, preserving us, shielding us. Praise Him for this! Glory to God who knows how to parent (shelter) us perfectly. May we as parents follow this model – His model. Let’s continue to shelter (love) our children as He loves us. Dismiss the garbage that crawls in; don’t buy it. We’re promised there will be false teachers, liars in the church. I want to keep my eyes focused on Christ, come what may.

Parents: Keep sheltering them. You are bringing them up in the love and admonition of the Lord, not in the latest speaker/teacher. May you be blessed as you continue to walk in obedience! Lord, thank you for sheltering me. Please never stop. “Over-shelter” if You will (if there is such a thing). Fine with me! Over-protect, Over-defend, Over-guard me; please do! I’ll take it all, Lord. Keep me tight to Your side. I’m safe there. There, I can breathe. It’s where I live.

"For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." -Psalms 61:3

- Gena

Amen and Amen! I have been saying this forever! Excellently put!

~Lisa Metzger

Shelter, Isolate or Inoculate???

This is from HERE

We recently received a letter asking this very question. Are there parents who believe in isolating their children? Yes. Are there parents who believe in sheltering their children? Yes. What is the difference between “isolating” and “sheltering”?

“Isolationists”

In some families around the country, parents are raising their children under the belief that the very best thing for them is to “isolate” them from the world. What does this actually mean?

Well, to “isolate” means: 1. An aisle or and island. 2. To place in a detached situation. 3. To place by itself. 4. To insulate.

Many isolationists truly believe that they are following the Lord. We have read many letters from people who have raised their children with the idea that any type of outside influence, besides that of the parent, should be avoided at all costs. They believed that children were not able to handle the dangers that surround them in this world and so they pulled them from the world and kept them separate from it. They used the Scriptures which say to “come out and be separate”.

An isolationist’s children are kept from the company of other children, unless the parent is there at all times interacting, also, and keeping an eye on the children. The family usually stays together at all times and only interacts with one another or other families who believe exactly the same way. The reason they do this is because they believe there is so much sin in people and in the world around them, that they must keep their children away from it, lest they learn it from others. A bit like a virus that you can catch.

We have three families who wrote us requesting our thoughts on the subject. All said approximately the same thing, that they isolated their children as they were growing up but when their older children reached a certain age, they left their homes in rebellion. Each young adult couldn’t get away from their parents quick enough and soon after they left either started picking up bad habits of smoking and drinking, or worse, became involved with drugs.
They now question whether “isolating” their children was a Biblical solution to child training as the end result did not build a Godly character.

“Sheltering”

The next form of child training is where the parents have an attitude of “sheltering” their children.

Let’s look up what SHELTERING means:

1. To cover from violence, injury, annoyance or attack. 2. To defend; to protect from danger; to secure or render safe; to harbor. 3. To take to cover or a safe place.

If you are any type of a God-fearing parent at all, you are going to want to shelter your children from harm. Whether that harm comes in the form of physical, mental or spiritual, you will want to protect them! This is from God. God has given our small children into our keeping to care for them and to train them in His ways so they will be able to serve Him when they grow up.

First, God shelters us! It is in His very being to protect us from danger. This is the reason why He gave us the commandments to obey. Through our obedience we would be safe from harm. He also shelters us when we seek Him in prayer.

Psalms 61 “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle forever; I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. (Vs. 1-4)

What is the difference between isolating and sheltering? There are many differences.While isolating a child keeps him from others, a parent who shelters will give opportunity for their children to learn and grow from others. They will place them in an environment where other people will come into their lives and they will be exposed to different attitudes, actions, and beliefs. When they are exposed to something that the parent sees is against their Biblical standards, they train and teach their children what is wrong versus what God would have them do or think. This is to prepare them for later on in life when mother and father will no longer be around to shelter them from danger. They will have to be aware and awake without the help of their parents to keep an eye out for what is “dangerous”.

Herein is a huge difference, the sheltering mentality teaches children what “dangers” in life to look for. The isolationists keeps their child insolated so they never see danger and will never know what to look for when they are released into the real world of adulthood. In a way they are thought to be kept in a clean, virus-free, sin-free, bubble at home, never to be tainted by sin carried in by others.

One very big problem with the isolationist’s theory… sin isn’t something you catch. Sin is inborn in each of us and only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from this disease of death.
So what should we do as parents who want our children to make right choices as they live in this world?

“Inoculation”

Christian parents are to shelter and protect their children from harm and at the same time train them to be “inoculated” against the world.

This inoculation takes place as we daily point out to them what the world is saying is true and then showing them what God’s Word says. It is a constant time of teaching them and training them in Biblical values vs. secular humanism that bombards them from every media surrounding them.

It is imperative that parents teach their children the “dangers” that they will face. Just as God has placed in animals in the jungle the instinct to sniff and smell out danger, so has God placed parents to train their children to watch out for “sin” dangers. We cannot place our heads in the sands like ostriches and walk in fear of the world. We are only to fear God, not man.

One of the main goals for our children to strive for, is to be a person that can be in the world and see the hurt and the pain and suffering of the lost, and to be able to lead them to Christ, without any spiritual harm coming to them. This is possible by being inoculated through the blood of Jesus Christ living in them. They must have a saving knowledge ALL THEIR OWN, not just their parent’s, of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Christ, through the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit, will then lead these children through the hidden minefields of life. He alone will be the one to keep them safe when they leave the safety of the home. It is our job, while we have them, to shelter them, yes, but to also prepare them to leave in the arms and safety of the Lord, the moment they are born. They are not ours. They are God’s. It is our duty to not have their world only be their parents. This is total selfishness on the parent’s part. We are to get them ready to help souls that are lost and who are to find their way to Christ. This is why our children are alive. Not to serve us as parents, but to serve our Heavenly Father.

Here is what Jesus calls us to train our children to do:

31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

If we are afraid of the world, how can we do what He has called us to do? We CAN do it because of HIS blood. His blood causes that death virus of sin to die and then we can live in Him! We can then do His will, not our own! This is what our children are to be taught so that they can go into all the world and preach the gospel…. And maybe sometimes even speak.

God’s blessings,
A. B. Leaver

Why a Schoolteacher thinks public education has failed and homeschooling is BEST!

Read the rest of the article HERE after reading the excerpt below....

Based on my experience, I believe that students in regular classrooms learn many self-defeating lessons from their teachers and classmates. These include:

The rules are always changing, and since you never know when the teacher is going to enforce them, try to get away with as much as you can until she starts screaming. Then blame your neighbor.

You don’t need to think about your education. The teacher will decide what you should learn, you’ll do the things that she decides matter, then she’ll give you a grade that represents how well you can follow arbitrary directions.

While the teacher can make mistakes and move deadlines all the time, you will be penalized if you misunderstand the directions.

Almost everything you learn is a measure of your docility, not your intelligence or your effort.
Working with others is more important than learning actual content. Group projects, no matter how unfair, inefficient, and tedious are here to stay, and if you complain about it taking 10 hours out of class to make a collage that demonstrates 15-minutes worth of learning, tough. Life isn’t fair.

Life isn’t fair, so thus it is okay for me to be unfair.
Don’t question textbooks, even though most of them are riddled with errors and omissions.
Learning is for school, school is painfully monotonous, so learning must be boring, too.
Learning is for school, so once the day ends, you’re free to do whatever you find fun.
Learning can only take place in hard plastic desks, in crowded classrooms, while being told exactly what to do.
Nothing is more important than fitting in. If you don’t fit in, there must be something wrong with you. Maybe you should buy some more accessories? Try a different hair style?
The earlier you start dating, the more important and grown up you are.
Talking about Jesus is for people who are “not open minded” and are “trying to push their beliefs on others.” Incidentally, would you like to wear a rainbow pin to support the gay marriage?

Reading in school? Are you crazy? We have to get ready for the state tests!

As an adult, I find myself reading and studying to make up for the fact that, during most of my years in “regular school,” I didn’t learn anything. Nothing. I can barely describe who fought in major wars, the type of government France has, the capitol of more than half of our 50 states, how to calculate compound interest, how to diagram a sentence, how mitochondria fuel cells, or how electricity makes its way through power lines and into my computer. Given the state of education, I’m lucky I can read, and that was something I learned while homeschooling.

I spent eight hours a day, 180 days a year, waiting for the teacher to get to the point or for the class to stop talking or for us to stop reviewing, for the third time, the material we had already learned, in order to help the kids who had talked right through it the first two times. School is tough on the good kids, because they don’t have the solace of goofing off and enjoying time with their friends in class. They might spend 30-50% of their time in school watching the teacher manage the behavior of other students, while getting scolded for reading during the downtime.
Modern-day schooling is a daily exercise in mediocrity, or worse. Students are taught in hundreds of ways, all day long, that your output doesn’t matter, how much you’re learning doesn’t matter, what you think about it doesn’t matter. What matters are grades and popularity.

Read the rest of the article HERE

My husband won't let me homeschool!

Q. My husband said that we need to send our older child back to public school while I homeschool my younger child at home. Some have told me that I need to obey him. What do you think? Also, what are your thoughts as far as the education and religious aspects? Do you have other homeschoolers that you do activites with?

A. Yes, I totally agree with the godly counsel you have received. If your husband has put his foot down, you are under his authority. I would never step out from under that "covering", so to speak. God will have to work on his heart. Honestly, usually it is the wife who sees the benefits (spiritually and otherwise) before the husband does, in regards to homeschooling. I wouldn’t give up hope quite yet. I definitely wouldn’t push ideas on your husband, but it might be nice to share these ideas, without putting any pressure on him or sounding like a nag. So, anyway I totally agree with the husband being the leader of the home, etc.!!!!

I do believe that homeschooling is the only way to fulfill many commands to parents in Scripture AND to reap the blessings that God has clearly spelled out for us in His Word. Below are some verses that we have come to use as our spiritual foundation for homeschooling in our family. Now, I will say that since I was homeschooled as a child, I do come to this decision a bit more naturally than others. I have seen the benefits...both educationally and spiritually...and I have always wanted the same for my own children. Mark, my hubby, on the other hand could have cared less one way or another when we married, but now he is full-out sold on homeschooling! He, too, has seen and studied on the many benefits and is glad that I have held to the opinions I formed early on from my own homeschooling experiences. Below are some reasons we wouldn't choose anything other than homeschooling for our family. Maybe that will give some food for thought.

Studies have found that between 70-88% of Christian teens are leaving their parent's faith by the time they are in their second year of college! They've also found that the vast majority of Christian teens do not hold a Biblical world view. YES, there are the other 12-30% of those who DO make it through school with their faith and beliefs intact, but many Christians parents do not want to take that HUGE risk! Some studies who that 3 out of 4 children/teens are leaving their parents faith after being in the public school systems.

Our family honestly seeks to obey Deuteronomy 6:6-9 "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." We cannot obey this commandment if we send our children out to school, because then we wouldn't be with them but for a fractional part of a day.

Luke 6:39, 40 "Jesus said: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." Do I want my child to sit under a "spiritually blind" person for 8 hours a day? Do I want him to emulate that teacher? Maybe he will come out of it as the 12-30% who are STRONG and STAND FIRM to the faith, but do I want to take the risk that he will not, especially after considering what Jesus is saying here? I take this warning very seriously.

Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him." Some children are very responsible and sensitive to the Holy Spirit. These children might do well being salt and light at young ages. However, this clearly states that children are foolish and that they give into foolish things, albeit less and less as they mature. I do not want my children, as sweet and godly as they are, to give in to their foolish ways, lose their saltiness and maybe even determine that their faith is not "for them" at some point in their future.

Jeremiah 10:2 "Learn not the way of the heathen."

Proverbs 13:20 "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."

Psalm 1:1 "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." Our family desires the blessings promised with not sitting under the wicked's counsel.

"I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place their child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt." Martin Luther, A.D. 1537

"In not mentioning God, my public school teachers preached a thundering message daily. By implication they taught that God is not relevant to most areas of life...with every lesson, in every class period, all day every day for 12 years I was being taught to think like an atheist in the academic realm and didn't even know that I was being indoctrinated." ---Chris Schlect, Scriptural Worldview Thinking

Here's a great article on how we compare raising/educating our children to raising plants in a greenhouse!

A lot of people like to use the "salt and light" argument as to why their children should attend public school. This is our family's view...Matthew 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

This passage is taken from the Sermon on the Mount, which was actually preached to the Pharisees and those who thought they were nearly perfect in their obedience of the Scriptures, not just the bystanders. It was to show them how quickly they can "lose their saltiness" and not recover it and how important it is for them to be examples of God's Light in the world. In this particular part of the Sermon on the Mount, he discusses the salt of the earth and shows that if they lose their saltiness, how can they be made salty again. They will be thrown out (transliterated: "violently thrown out") and trampled on (transliterated: "rejected with disdain"). The section where it says, "loses its saltiness" actually is transliterated from the Greek as "being foolish" or "to act foolishly." Then, after they lose that saltiness, he rhetorically asks how they can be made salty again? They will have lost their reputation for being salty. So, if Proverbs speaks so frequently about children being naturally foolish (because the control of their sin nature is not yet conquered), why would we send our half-grown children out to be the salt and light without our consistent direction and instruction, which IS spoken highly of in that same book of the Bible? When they are able to BE mature, stand their ground unceasingly, while eloquently and decisively defend their faith as in 1 Peter 3:15 - ("Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."), THEN they are mature enough to be out on their own, consistently free of their childish folly spoken about so often in Proverbs. Our children ARE salt and light! The only difference is that at their different stages in the "greenhouse", they minister along side us in various ways! We can actually observe our children living out their faith while we are guiding them in the world. After that greenhouse period of initial training, we can watch them slowly head out into the world. THAT is when they can be salt and light ON THEIR OWN. But for now, under our training and instruction is where they belong. Both Matthew 5:13-16 AND Deuteronomy 6:6-9 can be used in conjunction with each other, instead of in conflict. We minister as a family to those who are unchurched or unsaved - still being salt and light - while teaching them the Lord's commands while we sit down, stand up, walk along the way, etc. We don’t see a need to let our children go out on their own, with the tendency to be foolish or to "lose their flavor", when there are wonderful and Scriptural alternatives to sending them out not fully spiritually mature.

For more information check out: "Homeschooling from a Biblical Worldview" by Israel Wayne. I have yet to hear a biblical argument against any Scriptural principle in that book . Another good resource is Voddie Baucham and his ministry.

Well, if you're still reading this (sorry....a book, I know!)....yes, we do have outside activities...MANY! Most of our activities and outside lessons come from The Homeschool Hut in Mint Hill. Our children take: Judo, sign language, ballet, art, high school Bible and before they have taken Spanish and science! LOVE that place! They also take many field trips and classes through our homeschool group. I know that many are scared of the perceived lack of socializing in homeschooling, but I promise you...one look inside any homeschool family I've ever known and you will see that they are probably more socialized than the average public/private schooled family. Can you keep them from socializing? Yes. But to me it's more difficult to do that, than to not!

My brother and I are both homeschool graduates. I went on to a 4 year college and made the Dean's List every semester. I was also asked by a Congressional candidate to be their public relations manager while still in my junior year of college. My brother was appointed to West Point USMA by 3 congressmen/women, instead of the usual 2, because he had such diverse experience in community involvement, social and sports activities and the like, as well as being academically superior to others seeking the appointments. He never would have been appointed if he had been held back from social activities. He ended up graduating at the top of his class at West Point and is an Army officer now. Even those kind of stories show that even in the "pioneer" days of homeschooling, anything was possible!

Another thing to consider is this....public/private school children socialize horizontally (with their peers), whereas homeschooled children socialize vertically (with all ages) and can usually carry on conversations with people of all ages. To me, this better prepares them for "real" life than to let them only associate with their peers.

ANYWAY...now that I've written a book, I hope you made it to the end! LOL! I am passionate about homeschooling (hmmm...wonder if you can tell!) and love to talk about it's MANY benefits!

~ Lisa