Encouragaing Writing

Our December 8 meeting, a roundtable discussion about building writing into our homeschool programs, was full of lots of creative ideas.  Many people use many different ways to teach writing, to encourage writing outside of "school," and to get their children to write during school time.

Something that our family has done with our young children is to use dictation and narration.  Dictation is reading a sentence to your child and having him write it out.  Then together you gently correct the sentence (make sure it starts with a capital letter, ends with correct punctuation, etc.).  Since I always kept a read-aloud book going, I would look a page or two ahead of where we were in that book for a sentence that addressed something that we were learning about (using question marks or commas in series, identifying prepositional phrases, etc.), and that would be the sentence I used for dictation.  

Narration is when a child reads a story and then tells the story back in his own words.  We have used this in conjunction with the history and science books that I have my children read.  Once a week, they would draw a picture, then write a narration for one of those books.  For first and part of second grades, they would dictate the story to me, and I would write it down and then read it back with them.  Once they were able to write on their own, I had them write their own narration.

For older children, formal writing seems to be done a little less frequently, and many of us wondered how often we should be requiring writing.  Jenni shared that her assessor suggested that her grade school aged daughter ought to be doing book reports 2-3 times a year.   Anna shared that she gets writing prompt ideas from Pintrest and gives those to her children periodically.  (Maybe once a month?)  She asks them to write a five sentence paragraph about the prompt.  Lisa shared that she has her older elementary and middle school aged children write a synopsis of an article from World magazine about twice a month.

What about larger writing projects?  Lisa recommended the missionary biographies published by YWAM and their corresponding unit studies.  At the beginning of the school year, each of her children (ages 10-15) chooses one biography to read.  The unit studies have writing assignments to go along with each biography, and she uses those to have the children prepare a presentation at the end of the year.  I also utilize a large writing assignment each year.  Beginning in the fourth grade, I have my children write one research paper of appropriate length (2-5 pages for grade school, 5-7 for middle school and beginning high school, 7-9 for high school) each year.  We go through the writing process of making research note cards, outlining, and writing both rough and final drafts.

Anna and Lisa also talked about encouraging their children to creatively write, not necessarily for school.  Anna's children have notebooks in which they are allowed to write their creative ideas.  Right now they are working on graphic books.  They actually keep their notebooks in the truck so that they can write while they are going places.  Lisa's daughter keeps several notebooks with story beginnings in them that she has written.  They aren't all finished, but she keeps them together in one place so that when she gets an idea she can simply pull out the notebook for that story and pick up where she left off.

Finally, we talked about "formula writing."  I've heard SAT essay graders present at homeschool conventions that the College Board is very much against "formula writing."  They pointed out that this includes using "ly" words and other strategies that I've heard are used by certain writing programs.  However, the anecdotal evidence that has been heard from college students is that those are the kinds of things that professors are actually looking for in college writing assignments.  I think our group came to the conclusion summed up by one of our dads, "There is life after the SAT."

Ultimately, I think we all know that writing is important, but sometimes struggle with fitting it in to our busy days or forcing children who don't like it to do it.  Hopefully, we all came away with some ideas that will help us to do a little more writing and to encourage our children to try some new (and perhaps less intimidating) ways of writing. 

Websites for Teaching Pre-school or Kindergarten

For our meeting last March, Becky compiled a list of websites that provide resources for teaching pre-school and kindergarten aged students.  I know that it has taken me eight months to get it up on the NDCHEA site, but I hope that someone will still find it useful.

These are just a few ideas of what's available online to help you teach your PreK- or Kindergarten student: 
discoverykids.com - Games and educational activities
funbrainjr.com - Games and educational activities
scholastic.com - Games and educational activities
starfall.com - Games, printables and more, and also a subscription option
ABCMouse.com - A "learning path" for PreK/K with educational games and activities.  Subscription service only.
1plus1plus1equals1.com - A blog with free printables.  Also things to purchase.
Confessionsofahomeschooler.com - A blog with free printables.  Also things to purchase.
schoolsparks.com - Free worksheets to print
PBSKids.com - Games and educational activities
Worksheetworks.com - Free worksheets to print

There are numerous other sites and blogs that are available, as well as dozens or more apps.  Simply do an internet search for "homeschooling my preschooler" OR "free worksheets for preschoolers" OR "free apps for preschoolers" (etc.).

Get Real -- October meeting discusses Todd Wilson's presentations at 2014 CHEO Convention

At NDCHEA's October 14 meeting, Lisa Caupp encouraged us all with a synopsis of Todd Wilson's presentations from the 2014 CHEO Convention.

She began by asking each of us, "Why do you Homeschool?"  It is important for all of us to keep in mind our primary purpose (or two) so that we can weigh any opportunities or curricula that we are considering against our goals.  It may be a great opportunity or a great program -- but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is great for our family.  It may not be a good fit for us.

Next, she covered Todd's "Four Pillars of Home-Education." The first pillar is the knowledge that Home is Best.  Our home is the place where we "train up our children in the way they should go."  Home is the place where our family relationships are built, where our children primarily learn about Christ and see Christian principles in action, and where it is safe to try new things, even if we fail at doing them.

The Second Pillar is that Parents are Best.  The Bible specifically commands parents to teach children the commandments of God:  "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."  (Deut. 6).  We know our children better than anyone else.  We pray for our children.  God directs us in the teaching of our children.  We are the best teachers for our children.

The Third Pillar is that Every Child is a Masterpiece.  It is so heartbreaking when children think they are stupid or fail to measure up.  Yet sometimes, we inadvertently put that idea into their heads by failing to treasure the unique masterpiece that each child is.  Do we treat them like God's masterpieces?  Do we try to fit them into a box rather than treasuring them for who God has made them?  Lisa challenged us, "What works of God are you missing in your children?  What works are they missing?"

The Fourth Pillar is Relationship First.  The most important thing in homeschooling is the relationship that you have with your child.  The subject that you are teaching is secondary.  Sometimes certain subjects need to be put on hold for a while if they are causing strife between you and your child.  Lisa shared how math was causing fights between her and one of her children every day.  They ended up putting it aside for a couple of months while she worked on strengthening the relationship.  Then they were able to resume the academic work. 

For the second part of her presentation, Lisa talked about the importance of being honest with ourselves and with others.  She talked first about the lies that we tend to believe -- that others' children are smarter or better behaved than ours are, that others' homes are cleaner than ours are, that others' marriages are better than ours are, and similar lies.  It is important to remind ourselves that such ideas are not from the Lord and that they will steal our joy.  Even if these ideas look true or come from a source that we trust, we need to be compare every idea to scripture to see if it measures up.  If not, then discard it.

To help combat lies in our lives and our friends' lives, we need to be honest, vulnerable, and transparent in our relationships.  She recommended that we each have at least one person with whom we can be completely honest about our struggles.  Obviously, not every person is a safe person to be vulnerable with, but it is important to have a good friend with whom we can really be ourselves.

Remember, truth is an anchor and it will set us free.  She ended by reminding us,
You are exactly the mother your children need.
Your children will become what God created them to be.
Perfect homeschooling families are not real.
You are doing a great job.

It was a great encouragement to all of us who were able to attend.  Please take some time this week to encourage another homeschooling mom.  And if you need more encouragement yourself, check out Todd Wilson's website, www.familymanweb.com or come to the next NDCHEA meeting!

Character Training - Last NDCHEA Meeting of 2013-2014 School Year

The last NDCHEA meeting for this school year was held on Tuesday, May 13.  Our topic was "Character Training."  Becky graciously facilitated this discussion on the importance of character training and some tools that can be used to undertake it.

As Christians, character training is essentially training in godliness.  Scripture encourages us repeatedly to be like God.  Some character traits come naturally to us, but more often than not, they are gained through habitual practice.  Therefore, as Christian parents, we must endeavor to form habits of Godly character in ourselves and in our children.  Often the formation of character comes through trials, but we can also teach some of these traits.

Story books can be used to teach positive character qualities.  One set, recommended for children beginning at ages 8-10 can be purchased at www.graceandtruthbooks.com.  Search for "The Children's Character Building Collection."  It is a set of eleven books.  Another book, recommended for ages 5-10, is "A Hive of Busy Bees."  It can also be purchased at the same website.

For grades K-3, Becky has used a book called, "A Child's Book of Character Training."  It has easy definitions of several character qualities, such as faith and diligence, as well as stories and applications for each.  For all elementary school ages, she has used a more extensive program called "Laying Down the Rails," which is available at www.simplycharlottemason.com. 

I know it is easy for me to put aside formal character training because our family is very focused on academics.  However, I thought even I could take time to read aloud and discuss some of these stories with my children as a way to encourage them to develop a Christ-like character.  It also never hurts to have those reminders for myself! 

Great Meeting!

On March 11, NDCHEA hosted an informational meeting to those interested about homeschooling.  Five moms attended and were able to hear presentations on different ways that NDCHEA members homeschool.  Styles included the Charlotte Mason method, relaxed homeschooling, "boxed" curriculum, eclectic, and classical.  Many books discussing these methods are listed in the booklist section of the blog.

Following the presentations, attendees were able to ask general questions of the group.  For the last bit of time, the homeschoolers shared their children's portfolios from previous years and were able to talk one-on-one with the attendees.  Also, each attendee received a homeschooling or parenting book.

The meeting was such an encouragement to me.  I'm happy with all the group moms who stepped up and prepared such thoughtful presentations.  I know it was out of some people's comfort zones.  It was also encouraging to see a group of moms who are thinking about their children's future education and taking steps now to decide what the best option for each of them is.  I hope that everyone who attended left as encouraged as I did.

Homeschooling, Yes You Can!

NDCHEA will be hosting an informational meeting for those who are interested in learning more about homeschooling on Tuesday, March 11 from 7-8 p.m. in the meeting room in the lower level of the Englewood Government Center (333 West National Road).

NDCHEA members will give short presentations during the first half of the meeting.  They will address such issues as:  why they started homeschooling, how different homeschooling methods work, how they homeschool while working, homeschooling special needs children, and homeschooling with preschoolers/toddlers/infants.   

The second half of the meeting will be a time for questions and answers.  Attendees will have the opportunity to have the homeschooling moms answer specific questions that they may have. 

Whether you are new to homeschooling, investigating alternatives to traditional schools, or just have some questions, we invite you to come and see how moms in the Dayton area are homeschooling. 

Not of the World, but Sent into It

The topic for our roundtable discussion on January 14 was, "How do we balance being sent into the world, but not being of it."  Based on the scriptures from John 17:15-18, we looked at both aspects of our time on earth.  First, we are not of the world.  Second, we are sent into it.  How do these two sides of the Christian coin play out in our lives, our homes, our schooling, and our parenting?

We are not of the world.  All of us agreed that belonging to the Kingdom of Christ should make our lives look different.  Some of the choices that are impacted include what we listen to on the radio and what we watch on television.  However, there is more than that.  We choose to watch less television because we want to do better things with our time.   We choose to own less because we are not reliant on material things to validate our worth.  We are strong enough in Christ to walk away from areas that tempt us into sin, but which are not specifically condemned for all believers (certain tv shows, foods, music, shopping, etc.). 

Not of the world is more than just our outward choices, though.  It is a condition of the heart.  It comes from truly seeking God's will for our lives and being able to surrender everything to him.  It means asking Him in all choices, "Do you want this for me?"  It is easy to become overwhelmed with legalism, especially in a sub-culture that is inundated with obsessions about what we put into our bodies (food and drink) and our minds.  While it is important to be guarded, we need to remember what Christ said that it is what comes out of us that defiles us, not what goes in.  We guard our bodies and minds from those things that lead us into sin, but we are not ruled by constant anxiety over every thing that we absorb. 

On the other hand, we are sent out.  We ought to be preparing our children to be sent out of our homes and into the "real world"  Here, homeschooling can be a great benefit.  One of our moms said that there is a difference between being exposed to the world and engulfed by it.  Since we are homeschooling, we get to decide what exposure will occur and when it will happen.  It is important to keep our children's development in mind -- as they grow, we need to give them more information and preparation so that they will be ready to leave our homes when they are adults. 

One mom emphasized the job of parents to guide our children through the process of making choices (instead of making all the choices for them).  Thus, they are slowly prepared for the day when they will be making decisions on their own.  That day will be hard if they don't actually know the process for weighing options and making the best decision they can.  She also emphasized the need for heart connections with our children.  We will be sending them out, but we want them to know that they can call mom and dad for advice or just a listening ear when they are faced with tough decisions out on their own.  More than just wanting them to know they can call, we want deep and true relationships with them that will cause them to desire to call us.

Several books were recommended during the discussion.  They are:  Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World by Ken Ham, Loving Our Kids on Purpose by Danny Silk, and 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker.