Bible Reading Plan for Children

We do family devotions and Bible reading daily with our children, but from around age seven, our children also start to read the Bible on their own. When I first started having them do this, I just let them read the Bible in order. However, I realized that I needed to change that when my daughter came across the narrative about David’s children, and did not understand what had happened to Tamar. Thankfully, she came to me with her questions, and I was able to gently explain that what happened to Tamar was a terrible thing, but she was not old enough to be told what that was. I explained that just knowing about certain bad things is a burden on a person’s heart, and there are some burdens too heavy for children to carry. I explained that when she was older and could carry that burden, I would answer her question, but for now, she would need to trust me in holding onto it for her.

While she was satisfied with this answer, I realized that I needed to give more specific direction in what our children were to read each day. I found several good websites that offered Bible Reading Plans geared toward children, which did not include content that the kids may not be ready for. I settled on one, printed it out, and saved a copy of the text on my computer. Since that time, I have been unable to located the website where I found this plan. I really wish I could give credit where it was due, so if anyone knows where this plan originated, please let us know!

Daily Bible Reading Plan
Section 1

_ Genesis 1:1-2:3 _ Genesis 2:4-25 _ Genesis 3 _ Genesis 4:1-16 _ Psalm 1 _ Romans 8:3-39 _ Matthew 3:13-17 _ Genesis 6:8-22 _ Genesis 7 _ Genesis 8 _ Genesis 9:1-17 _ Genesis 11:1-9 _ Psalm 46 _ Proverbs 2:1-15 _ Colossians 3:9-17 _ Genesis 12:1-9 _ Genesis 12:10-20 _ Genesis 13:1-13 _ Genesis 15:1-21 _ Psalm 49:1-9 _ Proverbs 3:1-26 _ Genesis 18:1-15 _ Genesis 18:16-33 _ Genesis 19:12-26 _ Genesis 22:1-19 _ Genesis 24 _ Psalm 14 _ Proverbs 10:1-10 _ Genesis 25:27-34 _ Genesis 26:1-6 _ Genesis 26:17-34 _ Genesis 27 _ Psalm 15

_ Proverbs 10:11-21 _ Genesis 29:1-30 _ Genesis 32 _ Genesis 33 _ Psalm 16 _ Proverbs 10:22-32 _ Genesis 37:1-11 _ Genesis 37:12-36 _ Genesis 39:1-6 _ Genesis 39:7-23 _ Psalm 18:25-34 _ Romans 13:1-7 _ I Corinthians 13 _ Genesis 41:14-40 _ Genesis 41:41-49 _ Genesis 41:53-57 _ Genesis 42 _ Psalm 91 _ Proverbs 11:1-9 _ Proverbs 11:10-21 _ Titus 3:1-8 _ Genesis 45:1-16 _ Genesis 45:17-28 _ Exodus 1:15-22 _ Exodus 2:1-9 _ Psalm 40 _ Isaiah 58:10-14 _ Proverbs 11:22-31 _ Exodus 2:11-22 _ Exodus 3:1-15 _ Psalm 19 _ Proverbs 12:1-4 _ Exodus 4:1-17

_ Exodus 5 _ Genesis 3 _ Exodus 7:15-24 _ Exodus 8 _ Exodus 9 _ Exodus 10 _ Psalm 23 _ Proverbs 12:15-28 _ Exodus 12:1-28 _ Exodus 12:29-36 _ Exodus 12:37-42 _ Psalm 25 _ Proverbs 13:1-12 _ Exodus 13:17-22 _ Exodus 14:5-14 _ Exodus 14:15-29 _ Exodus 15:1-21 _ Exodus 15:22-27 _ Exodus 16 _ Psalm 27 _ Proverbs 13:13-25 _ Exodus 20:1-20 _ Numbers 13:1-24 _ Numbers 13:25-32 _ Joshua 1 _ Psalm 29 _ Proverbs 14:1-12 _ Joshua 3 _ Joshua 6 _ Judges 6:11-23 _ Luke 19:28-40 _ Matthew 26:17-30

Section 2

_ Matthew 26:31-56 _ Psalm 22:19-27 _ Luke 22:54-62 _ Luke 23:1-25 _ Luke 23:33-49 _ Luke 24:1-12 _ Luke 24:13-35 _ Psalm 32 _ Proverbs 14:13-25 _ John 20:24-31 _ John 21:1-7 _ John 21:15-25 _ Psalm 33 _ Proverbs 14:26-35 _ Judges 6:11-23 _ Judges 6:33-40 _ Judges 7 _ Judges 14 _ Judges 16:4-21 _ Judges 16:23-31 _ Psalm 34:1-10 _ Proverbs 15:1-15 _ I Samuel 1:1-20 _ I Samuel 1:21-28 I Samuel 2:1-10 I Samuel 2:12-26 I Samuel 3 I Samuel 8:1-22 I Samuel 10:1-15 I Samuel 10:16-27

_ I Samuel 15 _ Psalm 37:1-11 _ Proverbs 15:16-33 _ I Samuel 16:1-13 _ I Samuel 17 _ I Samuel 18:1-16 _ Psalm 51:1-13 _ Proverbs 16:1-16 _ II Samuel 1:1-16 _ II Samuel 1:17-27 _ II Samuel 5:1-16 _ II Samuel 7 _ II Samuel 9 _ II Samuel 22 _ Acts 1:1-11 _ I Kings 1:28-48 _ I Kings 3:1-14 _ I Kings 3:16-28 _ I Kings 4:29-34 _ Psalm 61 _ I Kings 8:22-30 _ I Kings 10:1-13 _ I Kings 10:14-29 _ I Kings 11:1-13 _ Psalm 84 _ Proverbs 16:17-33 _ Acts 1:12-26 _ Acts 2:1-13 _ Acts 2:14-43 _ I Kings 11:26-40

_ I Kings 17:8-16 _ Psalm 85 _ Ephesians 6:1-3 _ Proverbs 17:1-15 _ Jonah 1 _ Jonah 2 _ Jonah 3 _ Jonah 3, 4 _ Daniel 3 _ Daniel 6 _ Psalm 147 _ Matthew 4:1-11 _ Psalm 89:5-13 _ Proverbs 17:16-28 _ John 3:1-21 _ John 4:4-42 _ Luke 6:12-19 _ Psalm 90 _ Proverbs 18:1-12 _ Matthew 5:1-12 _ Matthew 5:13-26 _ Matthew 5:33-48 _ Matthew 6:1-15 _ Matthew 6:25-34 _ Matthew 7:1-12 _ Matthew 7:13-29 _ Matthew 13:3-23 _ Psalm 92 _ Proverbs 18:13-24 _ Mark 4:35-41

Section 3

_ Mark 4:35-41 _ Mark 5:35-43 _ Mark 6:30-44 _ Mark 6:45-56 _ Psalm 93 _ Proverbs 19:1-10 _ Matthew 17:1-13 _ Matthew 18:1-11 _ Matthew 18:23-35 _ Psalm 96 _ Proverbs 19:11-21 _ John 9:1-41 _ John 10:1-21 _ Luke 10:25-37 _ Luke 11:5-13 _ Luke 12:13-34 _ Luke 12:35-40 _ Luke 15:1-7 _ Psalm 97 _ Proverbs 19:22-29 _ Luke 15:11-21 _ Luke 17:11-19 _ Luke 18:9-14 _ Luke 19:1-10 _ Luke 19:16-30 _ Matthew 21:28-32 _ Matthew 25:1-13 _ Psalm 98 _ I Samuel 20:1-17 _ Proverbs 20:1-16

_ John 14:1-14 _ John 14:15-31 _ John 16:5-16 _ Psalm 99 _ Proverbs 20:17-30 _ John 17:9-19 _ Acts 5:1-11 _ Acts 6:1-7 _ Acts 8:26-40 _ Acts 9:1-9 _ Acts 12:1-17 _ Acts 19:23-41 _ Psalm 148 _ Proverbs 21:1-10 _ Romans 5:12-21 _ Romans 6:1-14 _ Romans 6:15-22 _ Romans 7:14-25 _ Romans 8:1-17 _ Romans 12:1-12 _ Psalm 101 _ Proverbs 21:11-20 _ I Corinthians 1:18-30 _ I Corinthians 10:1-22 _ I Corinthians 15:12-28 _ I Corinthians 15:35-58 _ Psalm 103 _ Proverbs 21:21-31 _ II Corinthians 1:3-11 _ II Corinthians 5:1-10

_ II Corinthians 6:14 -7:1 _ II Corinthians 9:6-15 _ Psalm 104 _ Proverbs 22:1-16 _ Galatians 3:15-25 _ Galatians 5:16-26 _ Galatians 6:1-10 _ Psalm 111 _ Proverbs 22:17-29 _ Ephesians 1:3-14 _ Ephesians 1:15-22 _ Ephesians 2:4-10 _ Ephesians 3:6-13 _ Ephesians 3:14-21 _ Ephesians 4:1-16 _ Psalm 112 _ Proverbs 24:1-10 _ Ephesians 4:17-31 _ Ephesians 5:1-10 _ Ephesians 5:11-20 _ Psalm 113 _ Proverbs 24:11-22 _ Philippians 2:1-11 _ Philippians 2:12-18 _ Philippians 3:12-21 _ Philippians 4:4-9 _ Colossians 1:15-23 _ Colossians 2:6-15 _ Psalm 114 _ Proverbs 25:2-14

Section 4

_ I Thessalonians 4:13-18 _ I Thessalonians 5:1-11 _ II Thessalonians 1:3-12 _ II Thessalonians 2:1-12 _ II Thessalonians 2:13-17 _ Psalm 115 _ Proverbs 25:15-28 _ I Timothy 2:1-5 _ I Timothy 4:7-16 _ I Timothy 5:1-8 _ I Timothy 6:3-10 _ Psalm 119:165-175 _ Proverbs 26:1-16 _ II Timothy 2:1-13 _ II Timothy 2:14-26 _ II Timothy 3:14-17 _ Psalm 121 _ Proverbs 26:17-28 _ Hebrews 1:1-14 _ Hebrews 2:5-18 _ Hebrews 3:1-6 _ Hebrews 3:7-19 _ Hebrews 9:11-28 _ Hebrews 9:19-39 _ Hebrews 10:19-39 _ Hebrews 11 _ Hebrews 12:1-13 _ Hebrews 12:14-29 _ Hebrews 13:1-17 _ Psalm 125

_ Proverbs 27:1-14 _ James 1:2-18 _ James 1:19-27 _ James 2:1-13 _ James 2:14-26 _ James 3:1-12 _ James 3:13-18 _ James 4:1-12 _ Psalm 133 _ Proverbs 27:15-27 _ I Peter 1:3-13 _ I Peter 1:14-2:3 _ I Peter 2:4-10 _ I Peter 2:11-25 _ I Peter 3:8-22 _ I Peter 4:7-11 _ I Peter 4:12-19 _ Psalm 135 _ Proverbs 28:1-14 _ Psalm 100 _ Psalm 139 _ Proverbs 28:15-28 _ II Peter 1:2-11 _ II Peter 2:1-22 _ II Peter 3:1-14 _ Psalm 146 _ Psalm 4 _ Psalm 119:1-20 _ Proverbs 29:1-14 _ I John 1:1-10

_ I John 2:1-11 _ I John 3:1-9 _ I John 3:10-24 _ I John 4:7-21 _ I John 5:1-12 _ Psalm 145 _ Psalm 24 _ Proverbs 30:1-14 _ Luke 1:5-25 _ Luke 1:26-38 _ Luke 1:39-56 _ Luke 2:1-7 _ Luke 2:8-20 _ Luke 2:21-38 _ Matthew 2:1-12 _ Isaiah 9:6-7 _ Jude 1:17-25 _ Psalm 47 _ Psalm 150 _ Revelation 20:1-10 _ Revelation 20:11-15 _ Revelation 21:1-27

 

Homeschooling in the Early Years

Seven years ago when Polly started homeschooling Kindergarten, I wondered how I would be able to spend the time teaching her while there were also two younger, busier sets of hands and feet in the house. What I learned (which I briefly alluded to in A Homeschool Epiphany) was this: It was Kindergarten.

Really. We weren’t spending hours each day studying Trigonometry, Physics and SAT prep quite yet. At five or six years old, children do not need a great amount of academic seatwork. Phonics, handwriting and memory work were the only formal academics that I chose to do. By “formal academics,” I am referring to subjects that require a textbook or workbook and focused daily concentration at the kitchen table. Those few formal subjects could all be very easily completed while the younger siblings were napping… or at least having a “quiet time.”

Reading

I very recently addressed the methods that I use to teach my children to read in Tips for Teaching a Child to Read, so I will keep it short here by simply mentioning my favorite reading resources:

1. LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD
2. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann, or Alpha-Phonics: A Primer For Beginning Readers by Samuel Blumenfeld. Which one I use depends on the age and level of the child I’m teaching. For more details, check out my post about reading referred to above.
3. Bob Books by Bobby Lynn Maslen

Handwriting

For Handwriting, I fell in love with Handwriting Without Tears when Jan Olsen showed it to me at a homeschooling convention seven years ago, and I’ve never used anything else since. There are a number of teaching tools available with the program, but I use only the following three items:

• Letters and Numbers for Me – Of the three items listed here, this is the only one that needs to be purchased each time you have a new student. The others are all non-consumable.
• Teacher’s Guide
• Slate Chalkboard

Memorization

Memorization is wonderful for young children. Their minds are capable of soaking up scripture, poems and so much more in these years, and we have seen the benefits resulting from exercising our children’s memories from an early age. How did we implement memorization? Well at one time, our children were involved in AWANA, and we would spend five or ten minutes daily in reviewing and reciting verses. We no longer do AWANA, and instead, rely on the direction that My Father’s World curriculum gives in recommending verses to memorize. However, you don’t need a program, curriculum, or book (except the Bible itself)  in order to teach your children scripture. You can select verses yourself, which you find important to memorize. Memorizing the books of the Bible, or learning the Ten Commandments is a great way to begin. You could also do a simple internet search for scripture suggestions. In just a few minutes of googling the web, I found these two websites: Kids Talk About God and Mentoring. I have not looked at either of them very closely, but at first glance they look quite promising.

Family Devotions

This leads me to the idea of family devotions and leading your children to Christ. I have a lot of thoughts and ideas on this subject, and as such, this topic will deserve it’s own blog post at a later date. For now, I’ll suffice it by sharing my three favorite resources for family devotions:

1. Leading Little Ones to God
2. Egermeier’s Bible Story Book
3. The Child’s Story Bible

Some families like to use textbooks for other subjects – Math, Art, Science, History, etc. -  from the very beginning. If that works well for you, that’s great! However, we used a different approach in homeschooling our young children, and for those of you who are looking for something a little less formal, keep reading.

Math

I’ve fount that with Preschoolers, Kindergartners, and even 1st Graders, Math can be very effectively taught informally during play (with blocks, for example), games, or at times of the day that are conducive to teaching math, such as mealtimes. While eating grapes, for example, I might look at my child’s plate and say, “Look at that! You have six grapes on your plate. If I gave you three more, how many would you have? What if you ate one?” And so on. Meal preparation is a great time to talk about math concepts. While preparing dinner, I might demonstrate that there are three teaspoons in a tablespoon, and perhaps follow up by asking, “I need two tablespoons of sugar. How many teaspoons is that?” We supplement somewhat with simple math workbooks sold by stores such as Walmart, SAMS Club, or even the Dollar Store, but those are more for fun and we don’t make it a big issue. Hand-on math is much more valuable to helping a young child learn to think of math conceptually. FYI, I can vouch for the fact that this kind of simple, real-life math truly does prepare children well for more formal math later on. Our older children have done very well as they have grown and moved on to math textbooks, scoring far above average in the standardized tests that they have taken.

Art

Art is as simple as providing the tools, the place, and the time for kids to create. Stocking up on art supplies such as finger paints, modeling clay, crayons, and colored pencils, and letting them have fun have worked well for us. Another activity we like to do is study the artwork in their favorite picture books, and talk about how the artist achieved the different effects. I’ll ask the children what they think the artist used to make the pictures: Pen and ink? Pencils? Oil Pastels? Watercolor paints? I may point out how the artist used squiggly lines to make water look like it is moving, or other techniques that we see. Looking at Pictures is a nice supplemental resource to introduce children to Art History and Art Appreciation.

History, Science, etc.

History, Science, and such can be done by reading real book about real people, real periods of time, and any science topic that we could possibly want to learn about. Fun With Nature books have taught us all about birds, lizards, and flowers. Let’s Read and Find Out Science Books have taught us about storms, germs, hair, and stars. The The D’aulaires have taught us about Abraham Lincoln, Pocahontas, and George Washington. If You Lived… books have taught us about Colonial Times, the Westward Expansion, and Native Americans. These books can all be read while cuddling on the couch, sometimes with little siblings cuddling up too, sometimes while they play nearby, and to be honest, sometimes while they make a big, noisy mess!

More Direction Needed?

At times when I have desired more direction through the use of a curriculum with my younger children, I have enjoyed using gentle approaches such as Five in a Row, which uses delightful, classic, children’s literature. I could read these wonderful books while a sleeping or nursing baby laid in my arms, or while a one or two year old would climb up and down from the couch to peek at the pictures. Three or four-year-olds could sit through most of the stories, and participate in many of the follow-up activities.

We are in homeschooling for the long-run, and with 13 years to homeschool each of my children, there is plenty of time to delve into plenty of textbooks and mathematical formulas. Why rush it? I believe in enjoying the gentle, early years of homeschooling, while I still can.

Note: There are a number of book recommendations in this post, and I have provided Amazon links for your convenience. Please know that many of these books can be found at your library, and you do not have to spend a fortune on books to homeschool a young child. I’ve referred you to my personal favorites here, and these are the ones that I have felt to be worthwhile purchases over the years. Borrow the books from the library when possible, and if you think that you’ll read it again and again, then consider whether to make the purchase. If you do decide to buy, please consider using the links provided here. Believe me when I tell you that I don’t I don’t do this for the money; I’ve actually earned just $10 in commissions in over two years! However, every little bit helps, and if you like my book suggestions, I really would love it if you’d use my links in making the purchases. Thanks!

 

Tips for Teaching a Child to Read

Lay the Foundation

Read to your children. A lot.  Nothing else will spark their love for books like this will! Even when they are old enough to read for themselves, continue to read great books to them. For some wonderful book recommendations, check out the following lists:

• Five in a Row curriculum: This is a fantastic curriculum for the early years; however, simply using the booklist to make some good library selections is very beneficial as well! In particular, look at the Before Five in a Row booklist for very young children.
• 1000 Good Books List

Teaching Letter Sounds

Before beginning to teach my children to read, I like to give them a lot of exposure to letters and teach them all of the letter sounds. The Leapfrog Company makes a few wonderful products that have helped us greatly to that end. One is the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD. Leapfrog actually has a whole video series – Letter Factory, Talking Words Factory, and Storybook Factory – but the only one that I particularly recommend is the first one. Another great Leapfrog product is the Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet Set. Magnetic letters stick to the refrigerator, and when each one is inserted into a little device, it sings a song reinforcing the sound associated with the letter. I highly recommend both of these products which provide a lot of help in preparing children for a phonics program.

Teaching Phonics

For Kindergarten, my main academic goal is that my children will be reading with proficiency by the end of the year. I choose to spend the majority of my one-on-one teaching time with my K-ers working toward this end.

I begin with a solid phonics program. If I am teaching a child younger than five years old, my favorite program is Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, by Siegfried Engelmann. I like this for the younger set because the author assumes that the child is unfamiliar with each letter sound. The program is extremely gentle, completely scripted, and designed specifically for very young children. I started using this book to teach one of my children at age three, and she was reading quite well by age four. Who’d have guessed she was our firstborn?

Another favorite, which I used with my next two children, is Alpha-Phonics: A Primer For Beginning Readers by Samuel Blumenfeld. It moves a bit faster than 100 Easy Lessons, and is probably a more complete program, but in my experience, it is not well-suited for children younger than five years. I prefer this approach for five year olds, because at that age my children already know all of the letter sounds and are developmentally more mature and ready for a faster pace.

My fourth child is currently learning to read, and I’ve used a bit of a combination with him. Last year when he was four, he had a great desire to learn to read, so I started him with 100 Easy Lessons. We made it a good portion through the book, but upon the start of this year (his Kindergarten year), he was still not reading with ease. Now that he is five, we put the 100 Easy Lessons book away, and are using Alpha-Phonics. He zipped through the first part of the book doing several lessons a day, largely a review for him, until he came to the part where his current level seems to be. We’re moving along a bit slower now, but I am very happy with the rate at which he’s progressing.

Supplementing

When a child is beginning to read with some amount of proficiency, perhaps halfway through 100 Easy Lessons or 15-30 lessons into Alpha-Phonics (you be the judge), I begin to supplement their phonics instruction with Bob Books by Bobby Lynn Maslen. We do traditional phonics on Monday through Thursday, but Fridays are special because on that day, we read Bob Books instead. The change of pace gives them something to look forward to and keeps enthusiasm fresh.

Beyond Phonics

When we move past the need for phonics instruction, I simply let the children read. I’ve been very blessed with voracious readers so far, and I don’t have to give them much nudging to head for the bookshelves to select books of their own choosing. However, in addition to their free reading selections, I want to make sure that they are consistently reading something that is right at their level, neither too easy nor too difficult. For this reason, I use Pathway Readers, assigning one chapter each day. Early on, I will sit with them daily and listen while they read aloud. Once they reach around second grade, I allow them to read their Pathway chapter independently on most days, and I will only have them read it aloud to me once a week. Pathway Readers are sweet and wholesome books produced by an Amish publishing company. The earlier books contain stories about children living on an Amish farm, while the later books contain segments of classic literature, stories of historical figures, and lessons in virtue. The books span from a first grade to an eighth grade reading level, and I greatly appreciate having challenging material on-hand that is also age-appropriate in content. Often, children are capable of reading at a level well beyond their actual grade level, but finding books with suitable content can be difficult!

Preserve the Books

Phonics books tend to take a real beating. While none of my phonics books are particularly expensive, I have already eaten the cost of two copies of 100 Easy Lessons. Upon the start of this year, I saw that the binding of our Alpha-Phonics book was beginning to fall apart, and the corners of some pages were becoming badly wrinkled and torn. At this point, I came up with a brilliant idea. Yes, I said “brilliant,” not to toot my own horn, but to stress that this is something I should have done years ago! I purchased a large (3 inch or so) three-ring binder and some plastic page protectors, disassembled the pages of the book, put them inside the protectors, and inserted them into the binder. With this solution, I expect that I will be able to use the book for the next twenty years, and with as many children as I choose to use it. The binder also has several pockets inside the front and back covers. The pockets provide an excellent spot to keep our Bob Books. Additionally, when Fred and I pack up his school work at the end of each “Mom School” session, we store all of his schoolbooks inside the front of his binder to keep them neatly together until the next day.

Give Them Something to Play With

Little kids are antsy. Some more than others. Most of my children have had a tendency to touch and crinkle the corners of the phonics book pages during lessons, and doing this for 20 minutes a day can really take a toll on the books. When they begin to do this, I give them something else to hold. A small piece of modeling clay to squish and squeeze works very well, as does a small piece of soft, silky or knit cloth to rub. Note: If you try modeling clay, be sure to use a white color unless you want green or red smudges all over your book!

Challenge Them to a Race

Sometimes Alpha-Phonics will provide long columns of words to read, and it can be easy for a child to become sidetracked. Case in point? Fred is a talker, and enjoys discussing each and every word in his lists. A few days ago, he came across the word “cap.” He excitedly proceeded to tell me about his favorite baseball cap, and to inform me that a cap could also be called a “hat,” and did I know that in Minnesota Cuke, Larry the Cucumber called his hat a “fedora?” While I adore Fred’s enthusiasm, we have to keep the chit-chat to a minimum to prevent a 20 minute lesson from becoming a four hour lesson! When we have long lists like this, I will typically begin by pointing out (or asking him to point out) what all of the words have in common. I might ask, “Did you notice that all of the words in this list start with ‘ca-?’” Then I will challenge him to read the list as fast as he possibly can. He enjoys the challenge of a race, and when he gets sidetracked, I can simply remind him, “Remember, you’re racing!” and he will get back on track.

Make a Game

One of our favorite homemade learning tools is a game called “Roadblock,” which I learned about at a homeschool workshop with Carol Barnier. FYI, Carol credits this idea to Peggy Kaye’s book, Games for Learning. To get started, I made a simple gameboard with around 20 slots, decorated it with a few drawings (a house, a tree, and a gas tank), and slipped it into a plastic page protector. I also made a tiny orange paper cone and gathered a few matchbox cars. Here’s how it’s played: In each slot, I use a dry erase marker to write a letter or word, depending on what skill I want my child to practice. We get out a little matchbox car, fill it up with gas (sound effects are encouraged), and begin the game. Slot by slot, I have the child tell the letter, letter sound, or word that they see. If they get stuck, I put up the little orange cone (aka the “roadblock”) and we go over the difficult letter/word a few times. Then we go back to the beginning of the board, leaving the roadblock in place. When they get to the roadblock, they usually get it right this time. At this point, they are allowed to crash through the roadblock and knock it out of their way, continuing along the board. When they get three roadblocks during the game, it’s time to put it away to play again tomorrow. When they are able to complete the board, I erase the board and put up some new letters or words, being sure to include some that gave them trouble before. Note: This game is highly versatile and is great for teaching other subject areas as well – especially math facts!

 

A Homeschool Epiphany

We are six weeks into our seventh year of homeschooling. Back when we started, we had three children: a five year old, a three year old, and a one year old. Today, with baby number seven on the way and children from ages two to eleven years, our homeschooling days and routines look dramatically different than they did when we first began. The other day, however, I realized something amazing and wonderful: It’s not getting any tougher!

Don’t get me wrong. Homeschooling is not easy, per se. It requires commitment, effort, and discipline. When I say that it’s not getting tougher, I mean that although our family and homeschool have grown, and although the scope of their school work has expanded, I’ve found that each year’s new demands and challenges are balanced out by new benefits and blessings. Homeschooling has not become much more difficult, and I’ve never been tempted to view it as an impossible task. Want to see why? Here is our experience thus far:

Homeschooling a 4-6 year old with a few younger ones in the home

The Challenges

• Homeschooling is a new and unfamiliar territory
• The school child is too young to do assignments alone; Mom is needed for one-on-one teaching for every subject
• Mom has little assistance and a lot of work in addition to homeschooling: housekeeping, meals, caring for babies, keeping toddlers from hurting themselves, etc.
• Mom could be pregnant (We’ve had a baby every 1 1/2 – 2 years, all the way up through the present!)

The Blessings:

• School does not require much time at this stage
• Younger siblings are still young enough to take naps – an adequate amount of time to complete most schoolwork
• Most lessons are relatively easy, gentle and fun
• Much of school time is also quality, relationship-building time
• The 4-6 year old can and should begin learning to do a few household chores (folding and putting away own laundry, etc)

Adding in a second child

The Challenges

• Learning to juggle multiple levels
• The older child’s schoolwork now requires longer than a naptime
• There are still babies or toddlers to care for
• Mom could be pregnant – along with accompanying morning sickness and/or fatigue

The Blessings:

• Mom has taught Kindergarten before and knows what to expect
• Mom has a year or two under her belt and has developed confidence in her ability to do this
• Mom sees some fruits of her labor in the older child, and is motivated to stick with it
• While some school subjects still require Mom’s one-on-one attention, the older child can do other schoolwork independently; Mom’s actual tutoring time doesn’t change
• The older child is taking on a few more chores, helping Mom even further
• The second child is learning to do some helpful chores, which gives Mom two good helpers!

Adding in a third child

The Challenges

• Taking time management to a whole new level
• Older children begin to develop their gifts; This is actually a blessing, but it does require more time, attention, and finances (perhaps music lessons, sports, art or drama classes, etc.)
• Older children’s schoolwork becomes greater in scope, and more advanced
• There may still be babies and toddlers to care for
• Mom could be pregnant – and not 29 anymore

The Blessings:

• Enter the concept of multi-level teaching: My Father’s World (our choice), Konos, Tapestry of Grace, etc.
• Enter the concept of rotating children among different “school stations;” Example: at 10:00, one child babysits (in eye & earshot of Mom), one child does “Mom School,” one does “Computer School” and one does “Independent School.” At 10:30, everyone switches to the next school station.
• Older children have become independent learners and are mature enough to do most work on their own. They only require Mom’s one-on-one tutoring for their most difficult subjects (Composition or Math, perhaps). Other subjects require regular assessment, but not a great deal of explaining and teaching.
• Seeing more growth and fruit in older children
• Most people have stopped asking the “socialization” question, because they can see the fruit too. (Either that, or they just think that you’re stubborn and there’s no use in bringing it up ~grin~)
• Confidence and strength in the conviction that the family is doing as the Lord has called

Adding in a fourth child

The Challenges

• Much the same as the “third child” list, only with more children!

The Blessings

• Mom is an old pro at homeschooling
• Mom is an old pro at multi-level teaching
• Older children require even less one-on-one instruction
• Mom has learned a wealth of household management skills and routines that keep the home running smoothly with little stress
• Mom now has four great helpers who have been trained to know where they should be and what they should be doing during the critical school and chore hours of the day

This is as far as we’ve come so far. My oldest child is in 6th grade, so we’ve yet to experience junior high/high school. I am sure that there will be new challenges and demands as we move into those stages, but they don’t frighten me. I am excited to see how the Lord is going to work in our lives and equip us to meet the task. He has called me to homeschool, and has never forsaken me. I have not viewed any of the demands as “burdens.” Yes, it is work, and yes, it is a challenge. But is it enjoyable? Is it a blessing? Is it worth it? Yes, yes, and a thousand times yes! I have complete trust that in the years we’ve yet to experience, He will provide for every challenge that we face, and we will always want to give Him thanks for the years to come.

 

Fun Time with Little Ones

Homeschooling when you have little ones can be a bit of a challenge at times, and I’ve written in the past (here and here) about how we schedule our school time to help keep the preschoolers occupied and out of too much trouble. Today I’d like to share another idea that has greatly helped our homeschool days to run smoothly:

Spend time with the little ones FIRST.

When my little ones get lots of mommy time before we begin school, they are more content to share my attention with their big siblings for a while. In my daily schedule, I have allotted a block of time each morning, just between chores and school, for Little Kids Time. Putting it on the schedule is so helpful to me, because that time can otherwise be shoved aside to make room for matters that are more visible and pressing. How easy it is to become so intensely focused on homeschooling the older ones, cleaning up messes, preparing meals and taking care of the house, that we can forget to do the other important items: cuddling, reading, and playing with those little people who love us and need us.

I printed a list of fun activity options to enjoy during Little Kids Time, and attached it to my homeschool clipboard. Each morning, the children or I will choose one or two activities to do together. One of the unexpected joys in this time is that the older kids strive to finish their morning chore packs early so that they can join in! Here are a few highlights from Little Kids Time during these first two weeks of school.

Window Markers

Sidewalk Chalk

Modeling Clay

Gym Class

This one is the best. After the forward rolls and a game of “Follow the Leader” with hopping, skipping, and galloping, we started a game of “Duck, Duck, Goose…” or perhaps I should say, “Guck, Guck, Ssss” (you’ll see why!) Here is a delightful video of how that played out. For those of you that know about George’s struggles with learning to talk, you’ll be interested to know that duck is:

1. a new word (he just learned it during the game this morning)
2. a cause for celebration, and
3. the reason that I decided to get out the camcorder today!

Tomorrow, I think we’ll either blow some bubbles, or do some cutting and gluing… maybe both!

Note: For a great list of fun ideas to do with little children, check out this post by Kim at Raising Olives.

 

Wax Tablet Project

I heart my curriculum.

We completed our first week of homeschool yesterday! This year, we are studying Rome the the Reformation (My Father’s World Curriculum). So far, the children’s enthusiasm is through the roof. One of the girls commented that she wishes “that we would do school all the time and never take a vacation again.” For the record, that’s not going to happen, and I am sure that her opinion on this will change as the year progresses. However, I am very glad that they enjoy school enough to make such a suggestion!

One of our projects this week was to make our own wax tablets (tabulas) similar to those used in Roman times. Rather than wood and real wax, ours are made solely of cardboard box remnants, non-hardening clay, tacky glue, duct tape, and assorted scraps of fabric. I am quite impressed with these, and the kids love them! Take a look:

From the outside:

The kids write, draw, or whatever, then press and smooth out the clay to re-use. When finished, they press the stylus into the clay to store it until next time.

Notice the stylus. I cut the brushes off of some old, thin paintbrushes, and sharpened the sticks in a pencil sharpener. It worked quite nicely!

Here are all five tablets opened up. I liked how each child chose a different color combination of fabric and clay!

In the two days since we completed the project, the kids have used these so much – including most of four hours spent in the van today. I admit, even Iron Man and I spent a portion of the day playing with them. Typically with crafts, we save our projects for a week or so, take a picture, then toss them. I believe that these tablets, however, are going to take up permanent residence in our home.

 

Family VBS!

Last week, we had the wonderful opportunity to participate in our church’s Vacation Bible School. This was a unique experience in that it was actually “Family” VBS – made for entire families to engage in together! All of our children agreed that this was their favorite VBS year ever, because they loved having the whole family together. Iron Man and I enjoyed it too!

As an added bonus for our family, the theme happened to be Rome: Paul and the Underground Church. A bonus because during this homeschool year, our focus of study is the history period from Rome to the Reformation. Our VBS theme gave the children a nice, hands-on jumpstart on their studies for the school year! Here are a few pictures from the fun and exciting week. For the sake of privacy of other families, who may not wish to have their pictures posted on the internet, I have been careful to blur out photos of any children outside our family.

Our little Romans

The Animal Sacrifice Area included cats, dogs, hamsters, and snakes, among other things. No, there was no actual “sacrifice” of animals at this VBS! There was simply a sign posted with prices, and parents explaining to their children that in Roman times, people would buy animals to sacrifice to their “gods.”

Each night, we started in a large group for singing, followed by a circle time with our smaller family group. Each smaller group was given a Roman name; ours was “Marius.” We had 6 families in our family group, which included about 17 children. Iron Man was the leader of the Marius group, and it was wonderful for him to simply be able to lead the discussions and direct the flow of activities. The parents were able to do the actual caring for their own children and helping them with crafts and games!

Then we were off to the marketplace, where we could choose to visit a number of different shops and trades, such as metalworking, architecture, leatherworking, and calligraphy/scroll making. Here are a few of our children making wreaths.

We also went to “Grammaticus” – or Roman School. The children learned about how Roman children were educated, learned a few words in Latin, learned about Roman numerals, tried out an abacus, and got to take one home!

Princess’ Roman numerals. If you look closely, you will see her attempts at “I” “II” and “V” which I thought were rather good – and quite precious!

Little George spent a large portion of VBS evenings right here on my back. He is actually very content there!

Usually during our marketplace or snack time, there would be some sort of “hubbub” in the marketplace. One night, a Roman nobleman released a slave. Another night, a beggar stole bread and was nearly taken off by a guard to be flogged, when the woman he robbed went and paid a gold coin on behalf of his crime. Another night, a guard shut down the metalworking shop because the owner refused to worship the emperor due to her Christian beliefs.

After marketplace and snack, we would go to visit Paul, who was under house-arrest, and his guard, Brutus, to whom he was chained. Don’t let the smile fool you – Brutus was quite an unpleasant jailer, and the kids referred to him as “Mr. Grumpy-Pants.” However, one night Brutus fell asleep on the job, and when he awoke he was very surprised that the kids didn’t try to help Paul escape. He began to soften a bit in the following days, and by the last day, he converted to become a Christian. Poor Brutus… At the news of his conversion, his commanding officer gave him a new post: shoveling horse stuff at the Emperor’s stables.

Following our visit with Paul, we went to visit the “Underground Church” each night. In Paul’s days, Christians could not meet in large, beautiful churches or buildings. They had to meet secretly, in places like dark caves, to avoid arrest.

After visiting the cave – or “underground church,” it was time for the Roman games. There were two or three games each night, and they were so much fun! Here are just a few… Chariot races, with the parents and other adults pulling the kids around on their chariots.

Hoop and stick races…

Bubbles couldn’t resist using her wooden hoop as a hula-hoop.

and building a wall out of boxes.

Then we were back to the sanctuary for more discussion times and music.

It was a great week. Family VBS is truly a wonderful concept that encourages families to share the experience and get excited about learning together. To listen as even little Princess chatted away about Paul and the Underground Church, to engage in discussions of eternal value with the whole family (both at VBS and at home) and to watch the kids get excited about what they were learning… to me, these are priceless!

 

Homeschooling and Socialization

Kim over at Raising Olives wrote a fantastic post about homeschooling and socialization. Quote:

If you homeschool or have considered homeschooling then chances are excellent that you have been asked about or have considered the “detrimental social effects” of homeschooling your children.  As a person who has been faced with this thought since childhood, I find it mystifying.  If I wished for my child to be a terrific writer I would seek to expose him to superb literature.  If I wished for my child to excel in art, I would seek out magnificent works for him to study.  If I wished for my child to become a great orator I would take him to hear those who excel in oration.  However,  if I wish for my child to learn socialization skills then current thought dictates that I should send him to a classroom with 20 other 5 year olds.  We know how kind, thoughtful and well-spoken most 5 year olds are, why would we think that they are the ones who are best equipped to develop these traits in our own children?  I think that society has sold us a bill of goods.  “They” have said it long enough and loud enough that we now believe that children cannot be “well socialized” unless they spend large amounts of time with their peers.

To read the full post, click here.

FYI, I am in no way criticizing the public schools here. I believe there is a place for them, and there are some wonderful teachers out there, as well as some great kids attending them. However, as a homeschooler, I have heard the socialization question enough times to recognize that there are many people who have the idea that homeschooled children are going to somehow miss some critical element to their social development. Before I decided to homeschool myself, I wondered the same thing. Now, however, I disagree with that notion entirely, and for that reason, I greatly appreciate articles such as the one linked to above. As a side note, those types of questions came a lot more when my children were younger, and we were new to homeschooling. As some of them have grown older, the questions are fewer and farther between. I believe that when people in our society get to actually see the children who are products of homeschooling, their worries and concerns are largely alleviated. Thanks for a fantastic read, Mama Olive!

 

“I don’t care what Archimedes did…”

“I don’t care what Archimedes did; We don’t run naked in the house.”

Those aren’t words you don’t hear every day, are they? They sure caught my attention as I heard them come out of my husband’s mouth. I followed his voice until I found him finishing a talk with Fred, who was now hopping off of a chair and skipping out of the room.

I asked Iron Man what that was all about.

He elaborated: “Bubbles told me that yesterday, while Fred was trying on his bathing suits, he ran through the hallway naked. I talked to him about it, and he said he was trying to be like Archimedes.”

I couldn’t resist a giggle.

Have you ever heard this story? We read it in Archimedes and the Door of Science a few weeks ago. Excellent book, by the way. I’m learning a lot from it, right along with the kids!

The story goes that King Hiero of Greece gave his goldsmith a lump of gold to make him a crown. The goldsmith did the work and presented the king with his crown. The workmanship was perfect, but something didn’t seem right to the king. It just didn’t seem to be the same amount of gold that he had given the goldsmith. He weighed the crown, and sure enough, the weight was equal to the amount that he had given the goldsmith. He couldn’t figure it out, and it was really bothering him, keeping him up at night. He sent for Archimedes and asked him to figure out if the goldsmith had cheated him.

Archimedes took the crown home and pondered the question. He did nothing but think about this, trying to determine how to find the answer to the king’s question. He wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t sleep, wouldn’t bathe. Nothing but total focused concentration on the question before him. Finally, Archimedes’ slaves became desperate to take care of him. They determined to get him to bathe. They dragged him, kicking and screaming, down the street to the bath and plunged him in the water.

While in the water, Archimedes began to ponder how his weight in the water would cause the water level to increase and overflow. A lightbulb moment occurred as he realized a way to solve the question of the gold crown. He jumped out of the water and ran home, completely forgetting his clothes. Which, by the way, was the part that Fred re-enacted yesterday.

So Archimedes returned home and gathered the crown, a lump of gold of equal weight, a jar, and a bowl. He filled the jar completely with water and set it in the bowl. He then immersed the crown in the water, allowing the bowl to catch all of the displaced water. He then repeated the process with the lump of gold, and found that less water was displaced. Through this, he discovered that the king had indeed been cheated. The crown was actually made of a mix of silver and gold. Gold is more dense (heavier in weight) than silver, so more silver was needed to equal the weight of solid gold, therefore taking up more space, therefore displacing more water.

The book doesn’t mention what the king did to the goldsmith, but I’ll bet it wasn’t pretty.

Interesting, isn’t it? Archimedes seems to have been quite a brilliant guy, albeit eccentric. But, most definitely, not a good example of modesty for Fred.

 

Some of the best things about homeschool

Being the first person to hear your child read

Watching your children teach each other

and learn together

Seeing the little ones get into mischief…
like when George discovered the Passover Matzah
(he thought it was the best Saltine cracker ever!)

Realizing that an occasional video for a rambunctious toddler is fine…
especially when they can learn something from it!
(Signing Time is the best!)