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.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
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.
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.
Monday, January 27, 2014
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Learning Glitches Presentation Enlightening and Encouraging
Lisa Cox gave a GREAT presentation on learning glitches at the November 12 NDCHEA meeting. About a dozen moms were there to hear about techniques from Diane Craft, Orton-Gillingham, and Right-brain theory that can help our children to learn more easily.
Lisa discussed strategies for improving spelling and writing, teaching math facts and sight words, and helping "lazy" children (who really aren't lazy, but are actually struggling to learn) and those with attention problems. She led us through a couple of the techniques ourselves so that we understood how to do them with our children.
I really appreciated Lisa's encouragement that there are children who are smart, but don't learn in the traditional ways. Also, she talked about children who have some "glitches" that can be easily corrected with basic and inexpensive materials and just a little extra time. Her heart for helping struggling children and their homeschooling moms shone throughout the entirety of her presentation.
Even though my children don't struggle excessively with these problems, I came home and utilized the flash card strategy Lisa taught to help my 8-year-old with some words she consistently misspells. After following up with another mom at the meeting who has an older son, I realized that these strategies can also be used with older children. I am planning to try another exercise to see if it will help with my 12 year old son's writing difficulties.
If you have a child who is struggling with school and would like more information about the help that is available, you can contact Lisa through her business, "School Solutions" at www.schoolsolutions.biz.
Lisa discussed strategies for improving spelling and writing, teaching math facts and sight words, and helping "lazy" children (who really aren't lazy, but are actually struggling to learn) and those with attention problems. She led us through a couple of the techniques ourselves so that we understood how to do them with our children.
I really appreciated Lisa's encouragement that there are children who are smart, but don't learn in the traditional ways. Also, she talked about children who have some "glitches" that can be easily corrected with basic and inexpensive materials and just a little extra time. Her heart for helping struggling children and their homeschooling moms shone throughout the entirety of her presentation.
Even though my children don't struggle excessively with these problems, I came home and utilized the flash card strategy Lisa taught to help my 8-year-old with some words she consistently misspells. After following up with another mom at the meeting who has an older son, I realized that these strategies can also be used with older children. I am planning to try another exercise to see if it will help with my 12 year old son's writing difficulties.
If you have a child who is struggling with school and would like more information about the help that is available, you can contact Lisa through her business, "School Solutions" at www.schoolsolutions.biz.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
October Field Trips
We want to say a big "Thank you" to two local businesses -- Kilwins at the Greene in Beavercreek and Keener Farm in Dayton. (And also a big thank you to Bonnie Hill Photography for providing the following pictures.)
On October 4, Terry and Kelsey hosted our group at Kilwins. Terry explained about where chocolate comes from, had the children taste the difference between different chocolates, and talked about cleanliness in a kitchen (always good for moms to hear about!).
Kelsey helped each child make a chocolate covered pretzel and then made a huge kettle of popcorn to share. We all had a great time.
Thank you to Kilwins for their generosity to our group and to Jen for arranging the field trip. If you would like more information about Kilwins and their products, please visit www.kilwins.com. I personally was quite fond of their dark chocolate fudge and would definitely recommend it!
On October 9, Matthew Keener gave us a tour of the farm that has been in his family since 1830. The Keener Farm provides local, responsibly raised meats to consumers who are concerned about their health and the health of the animals they consume. Matthew talked about how to keep the nutrients from the farm in the farm so that fertilizers aren't needed, how much healthier it is for us to eat animals that are kept on the pasture, and encouraged us all to buy local.
Thank you so much to the Keener Family for taking a morning out of their many responsibilities to give us the wagon ride and explain what their farm does and how it is different from a conventional farm.
For more information about their farm or CSA program, go to www.keenerfarm.com. Our family is enjoying eating the grass-fed beef that we purchased from them this fall!
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| Kilwins |
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| Keener Farm |
On October 4, Terry and Kelsey hosted our group at Kilwins. Terry explained about where chocolate comes from, had the children taste the difference between different chocolates, and talked about cleanliness in a kitchen (always good for moms to hear about!).
Kelsey helped each child make a chocolate covered pretzel and then made a huge kettle of popcorn to share. We all had a great time.
Thank you to Kilwins for their generosity to our group and to Jen for arranging the field trip. If you would like more information about Kilwins and their products, please visit www.kilwins.com. I personally was quite fond of their dark chocolate fudge and would definitely recommend it!
On October 9, Matthew Keener gave us a tour of the farm that has been in his family since 1830. The Keener Farm provides local, responsibly raised meats to consumers who are concerned about their health and the health of the animals they consume. Matthew talked about how to keep the nutrients from the farm in the farm so that fertilizers aren't needed, how much healthier it is for us to eat animals that are kept on the pasture, and encouraged us all to buy local.
Thank you so much to the Keener Family for taking a morning out of their many responsibilities to give us the wagon ride and explain what their farm does and how it is different from a conventional farm.
For more information about their farm or CSA program, go to www.keenerfarm.com. Our family is enjoying eating the grass-fed beef that we purchased from them this fall!
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Map Your Future 2013
Yesterday, a few of us attended the Indiana Foundation for Home Schooling's "Map your Future" conference. The conference teaches homeschooling parents and teens how plan and carry out homeschooling through the high school years.
Last year's conference was incredibly helpful to me, as I had a student in 8th grade and was preparing to begin high school. I attended several workshops on planning for high school, which covered topics such as how to create a four year plan, how to make a transcript and diploma, and how to prepare for college entrance exams.
This year's conference had some different offerings. Dr. Jay Wile spoke on how our role as teacher changes over time. When our children are younger, we really must teach them everything, but as they get older, we slowly become more of a tutor, and then a fellow learner. He emphasized that independent learning is the most productive kind of learning, and gave some examples of how he encouraged independent learning with his own daughter when he homeschooled her.
Dr. Wile gave another workshop addressing critical thinking. He spoke of the need to teach critical thinking in all subject areas, and gave us some practical ideas for how to do that.
HSLDA representatives also led several workshops. I attended one called "Teaching Options to Diversify your High School Program," which addressed different types of classes that parents might choose for their high schoolers (co-ops, private tutors, dual enrollment, online, etc.) and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Another HSLDA session talked about what we need to teach besides academics to prepare our teens for life (how to do laundry and home repairs, how to handle money, ins and outs of car ownership, study and computer skills, how to interview and write a resume for a job, etc.).
The conference has a separate teen track, which this year included workshops on speech and debate, ROTC, budgeting for teens, essay writing, and choosing a career. My daughter and her friend attended these workshops together, although there were several sessions to choose from that were open to both parents and teens.
This conference has been both educational and encouraging for the past two years. I would recommend it to any families who are currently teaching high school or planning to begin teaching high school within the next year or two.
Last year's conference was incredibly helpful to me, as I had a student in 8th grade and was preparing to begin high school. I attended several workshops on planning for high school, which covered topics such as how to create a four year plan, how to make a transcript and diploma, and how to prepare for college entrance exams.
This year's conference had some different offerings. Dr. Jay Wile spoke on how our role as teacher changes over time. When our children are younger, we really must teach them everything, but as they get older, we slowly become more of a tutor, and then a fellow learner. He emphasized that independent learning is the most productive kind of learning, and gave some examples of how he encouraged independent learning with his own daughter when he homeschooled her.
Dr. Wile gave another workshop addressing critical thinking. He spoke of the need to teach critical thinking in all subject areas, and gave us some practical ideas for how to do that.
HSLDA representatives also led several workshops. I attended one called "Teaching Options to Diversify your High School Program," which addressed different types of classes that parents might choose for their high schoolers (co-ops, private tutors, dual enrollment, online, etc.) and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Another HSLDA session talked about what we need to teach besides academics to prepare our teens for life (how to do laundry and home repairs, how to handle money, ins and outs of car ownership, study and computer skills, how to interview and write a resume for a job, etc.).
The conference has a separate teen track, which this year included workshops on speech and debate, ROTC, budgeting for teens, essay writing, and choosing a career. My daughter and her friend attended these workshops together, although there were several sessions to choose from that were open to both parents and teens.
This conference has been both educational and encouraging for the past two years. I would recommend it to any families who are currently teaching high school or planning to begin teaching high school within the next year or two.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
The Sacred Calling of Work
Over Labor Day weekend, I was privileged to hear a very encouraging sermon by our pastor, Mac Williams. Ever since leaving the work force to stay home with my children, I have struggled with finding fulfillment. I love my children. I love homeschooling them. I love preparing healthy foods for my family and making sure that our home runs smoothly. But there has always been that thought that I should be doing more. At first, I missed the financial benefits of working outside the home. Over the years, though, my struggle has stemmed more from my perception of the teaching of many churches that we need to be active in ministry outside our homes. Then there is a sense that as a Christian, I should be doing more than "just" taking care of my family and schooling my children.
Pastor Mac spoke about the "Doctrine of Vocation," the idea that God changes the world by common people living out their faith in their everyday lives. We don't need to be ministers or missionaries to be included in God's plans for the increase of His kingdom. At least three times, Pastor Mac mentioned housewives and parents fulfilling their roles in the Kingdom of God by caring for their families and children. I needed to be reminded of that, to be encouraged that God's work for me is right in front of me everyday.
It was also a good reminder to me that by constantly seeking for "other things" that I should be doing, I may very well be neglecting the very work that God has chosen for me. If you need that reminder or encouragement, you can check out the sermon at www.tworiverscc.org. Click on the sermons link, then check out "The Sacred Calling of Work" from 9/1/2013.
Pastor Mac spoke about the "Doctrine of Vocation," the idea that God changes the world by common people living out their faith in their everyday lives. We don't need to be ministers or missionaries to be included in God's plans for the increase of His kingdom. At least three times, Pastor Mac mentioned housewives and parents fulfilling their roles in the Kingdom of God by caring for their families and children. I needed to be reminded of that, to be encouraged that God's work for me is right in front of me everyday.
It was also a good reminder to me that by constantly seeking for "other things" that I should be doing, I may very well be neglecting the very work that God has chosen for me. If you need that reminder or encouragement, you can check out the sermon at www.tworiverscc.org. Click on the sermons link, then check out "The Sacred Calling of Work" from 9/1/2013.
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