Tiny Tips

I'm joining Grueling Homeschooling's Tiny Tips Tuesday today. Hers is my #1 go-to blog of the day, so I wracked my brain trying to think of how to join her for the inauguration of Tiny Tips Tuesday. Without further ado, my tiny tip is this: I bought some of those "in" boxes that hang on the wall, one for each child and myself. They place any work they've finished and I need to check in my in box, and I place their schedules and returned work in their in boxes. And my desk remains clutter-free . . . well, maybe pile-free . . . or at least the piles are only of my own making and I can't gripe at anyone else . . .

Our First Term

We are in full swing of our first term of school. Just in time to break for a two week vacation! More on that later. I know homeschoolers love to see what others are doing, so I thought I'd share what we're doing this term. I'm not going to share the whole year because things change so quickly, and I don't have everything mapped out that specifically.

We joined a co-op this year called Lighthouse Gang. It's incredible. Last week was our first week, and we all had a great time. There are over 120 families, and being that homeschoolers seldom have small families, you can imagine how many kids! The elementary students all do history, science, music and art and put on a huge musical production at the end of the year. Micah's 4th grade class is focused on Missouri history. The jr. high and sr. high students get to choose from a large variety of classes. Noah is taking Computer Graphics II, Christian Worldview, Physical Science, and U.S. History. One aspect I particularly like about a co-op is that my kids are being held accountable by someone else other than Mom. It is oftentimes difficult to wear the hat of Mom and teacher at the same time.

At home, this is what Noah (9th grade) is working on:
Government studies written by Mom (which I really thought I shared here but can't seem to find)
Are You Liberal, Conservative or Confused? by Richard Mayberry
Passion and Purityby Elizabeth Eliot
VideoText Algebra
Christianity 101 followed by Dig Deepfor personal devotions
Spelling Power
Dynamic Memory and Study Skills
The Count of Monte Cristo on audiobook
Utopia
The Innocence of Father Brown
The Good Earth
English from the Roots Up
The Fallacy Detective
Paradigm Writing Assistant
Written Narration three times a week
Rosetta Stone Spanish

And here's what Micah (4th grade) is doing at home:
Math U See Delta
English from the Roots Up
Typing Tutor
Apologia's Flying Creatures of the 5th Day
Christian Liberty Nature Reader
It Couldn't Just Happen
Copywork four days a week
Spelling Power three days a week
Bambi
At the Back of the North Wind
Robinson Crusoe
The Borrowers
Chronicles of Narnia
Gentle Ben
Great Americans and their Noble Deeds
The Age of Fable
Trial and Triumph
Poor Richard
A Child's Geography of the World by Hillyer
Madam How and Lady Why by Kingsley
This Country of Ours by Marshall
Mom's government studies
Poet: Alfred Lord Tennyson

How To (and Not To) Treat Your Homeschooler

If you claim a homeschool Mom as a friend/sister/daughter, I hope to give some insight into her life and how you can best support her.

Homeschooling/homemaking is a full-time job. Just because we are home, does not mean that we are available to 1) babysit 2) volunteer 3) answer the phone every time it rings. We are called to our families first. So don't be upset when we screen our calls or let the answering machine do its job. Remember, we're doing our job.

Homeschooling means that we're home. A LOT. That means that our house is a mess. A LOT. We cannot keep a Good Housekeeping home and live by the priorities we've been called to. This is huge for me, and I have a feeling for many other homeschool Moms. Homeschooling only adds to the clutter, with all the books, science experiments, books, nature finds, books, pencils/pens/crayons, and books (I think you get the point).

God has called us to homeschooling, so realize that by serving our families, we are serving God. It is not being selfish, unsocial, or reclusive to spend our child-raising years focused first on our family. Comments like, "when are you going to take some time for yourself" are not helpful or encouraging, but rather promote a selfishness that is tempting, but not God-honoring.

Just because God has called us to homeschool does not mean that it's a smooth ride. If we share a struggle or frustration with you, please do not offer comments such as, "maybe it's time you put the kids in school." This only adds to our frustration and creates a barrier in our relationship, precluding future communication.

We love our own kids, but that does not mean we are "kid people" who enjoy spending our time with everyone else's kids. The choice to stay home and raise our own children is a sacrifice of love and does not automatically mean that we're eager to babysit, teach Sunday school, be the adult who occupies all the little ones at a party, or work in the nursery. Quite the opposite may be true: we need time at church and other social occasions to be with adults and have adult conversation. This can be vital to our sanity!

We do not receive any curriculum or assistance from the government schools. Nada. Zip. Nothing. Now, I'm not complaining (though a tax break would be nice). Personally, I'm glad. One of the main reasons we homeschool is because we feel we can give our kids a better education than the government school system can, void of political correctness, revisionist history, evolution, "character" training, sex mis-education, and boredom! Thank God for every freedom we enjoy as Americans!

Homeschooling is a huge sacrifice. Not only is the family typically living on one income, but they are buying all of their educational supplies (in addition to funding the public school). If you'd sincerely like to help, some practical ways would be to ask if you could purchase something on her wishlist, or even just take her out for an evening. Many activities two-income families take for granted are not possible for one-income families.

If you are ever tempted to utter the phrase, "what about socialization," slap your mouth shut first and bite your tongue 'til it bleeds. Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme, or maybe not, but you get my point. Since when is being trapped in a room with people all your own age socialization? Think about it.

Don't accuse us of being over-protective--as if that's a bad thing! We are protective. It is what God has called all parents to be. Romans 16:19b: "but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil." 1 Corinthians 15:13: "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" Matthew 18:6: "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 is too long to post here, but you may look it up here.

If you would like to buy our children birthday or Christmas gifts, please feel free to ask what would be most beneficial. We usually do have a wish list of resources, games, books, and videos we would appreciate. But please do ask before you bring the latest pop-culture fad into our homes.


Do not say, "I wish I could homeschool." If you want to, you can. It is legal in all 50 states. It implies that we've been given some special dispensation. The fact is, we make huge sacrifices.

Along the same lines, do not "accuse" her of having some special allocation of patience that you do not possess. I am not a patient person (just ask my kids). It is only through my reliance on Christ and my love for my kids that I can homeschool. I have a feeling the same is true for most homeschool moms. God does not give us patience before we need it, but rather gives us the opportunity to develop patience. Homeschooling is an incredibly growing and challenging occupation!! Check out this clip from Evan Almighty.

Just for your information: every state has their own homeschool laws. Some require testing, many do not. The government does not know my children exist, and I like it that way. Public schools are a very new invention, so do not fall into the misguided idea that publically-funded, government-run institutions are the only ones capable of teaching. No one can love, know, or guide my child like I can.

Homeschooled kids do not require a GED. And they do not have to meet state requirements for graduation. Universities, for the most part, are willing and eager to accept homeschooled students based on the same criteria as other students: transcripts, ACT/SAT, and portfolio. Read this article about homeschoolers at Harvard.

Don't bring up the homeschooler in the news when they've been caught in a wrongdoing, unless you're also keeping tabs on the public schoolers in the news as well. It's unfair to generalize a group of people based on one shared criteria. We're already under enough pressure without having to carry the weight of the reputation of every other homeschooler anyone else has ever known or heard of!


Finally, please do attempt to put aside any fears you have that learning cannot take place without a certified teacher. I believe this is a myth that is on its way out as the statistics keep rolling in. Here are a few from HSLDA.


I hope this has been helpful. It is not meant with any guile whatsoever, but simply with the aim in mind to providing a peek into some of the struggles of homeschoolers and what you can do (and not do) to be the best friend/sibling/parent you can be!

Fairy Tales

"Fairy Tales are more than true;
not because they tell us that dragons exist,
but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
G.K. Chesterton

I am saddened when I hear some Christian parents say they do not allow their children to read any fantasy or fairy tale literature. I am not eloquent enough to put into words why I think these children are missing out, and why I think they will be at a disadvantage not only in life, but in their spirit. Without imagination, we cannot fathom the mysteries of Christ. Without imagination, we cannot conceive of the Spirit world, of the forces of good and evil.

I've collected a few resources if this piques your interest and you'd like to read what others have to say. I have given you a quote from each resource, so if you'd like to read the article in its entirety, click on the link.

Credenda Agenda:
"A well-exercised imagination is crucial to making moral and rational judgments. Both ethics and logic assume imagination as a starting point. Those who lack a dynamic imagination will never be able to grow into mature wisdom. They will always be stuck in very narrow, self-centered mental grooves, following infantile rules.

Chesterton:
“Exactly what the fairy tale does is this: it accustoms him for a series of clear pictures to the idea that these limitless terrors had a limit, that these shapeless enemies have enemies in the knights of God, that there is something in the universe more mystical than darkness, and stronger than strong fear.”

“Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.”

Parents Review (1916 article edited by Charlotte Mason):
Yet, if [imagination is] left unhindered, this tendency grows into the habit of exaggeration and inaccuracy. We solve the problem by taking the child into a wonderful world of unfettered fancy, where he meets gnomes and goblins, mermaids and fairies, brave princes and terrible dragons, beautiful princesses and horrible witches--a world in which good is never unrewarded and wrong is never unpunished. In it he learns that the dewdrop in the leaves of the rose is a fairy's tear, and the gaunt tree waving its branches so wildly a wicked witch being punished for her sins, that every thicket may hold a beautiful princess to whose rescue a fearless prince is riding. All the wonderful people in fairy- land are there and his imagination is busy and happy living their lives, sharing their adventures.

P.N.E.U. Conference:
The hunger of the child for stories is the hunger of the race for knowledge. All great teachers have been great story-tellers, and our Lord was the greatest of all. A mere statement of divine truth would never have impressed the simple uninformed minds of His hearers as the parables did. Truth is absorbed and becomes a part of the child's self when enshrined in the form of a story.

Awakening the Moral Imagination:
"Stories capture the meaning of morality through vivid depictions of the struggle between good and evil, where characters must make difficult choices between right and wrong or heroes and villians contest the very fate of imaginary worlds." Fantasy stories can help us to retain our sense of the mysteriousness of life. College professors have discovered that ethics and moral character can't be learned from lessons that define what they are, and give practical examples. "Instead, a compelling vision of the goodness of goodness itself needs to be presented in a way that is attractive and stirs the imagination."

Whole Life Stewardship:
And so these tales teach us the lessons of character we need to pick up and keep on going. They teach us persistence and faithfulness, the ability to keep trying against all odds and in spite of repeated failure; they teach us kindness and compassion, the ability to forgive others’ failings and weaknesses; and, above all, they teach us love, the willingness to sacrifice our own happiness for someone else’s. In fairy tales, the burden of these lessons for living is lightened by the wings of story.

You may have

tangible wealth untold:

Caskets of jewels
and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be-
I had a mother who read to me.

- Strickland Gillilan

Confessions of a Book Addict

A Book

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

Emily Dickinson

It's that time of year again--time for the Book Shuffle. We've ended our school year, so it's time to pack away the old, decide what needs to go, and pull out the next year's books from storage. The boxes of books above are what I'll be selling (hopefully) at the SHEM Used Curriculum Sale on June 5.

Some of the books are hard to part with; however, I've tried to steadfastly hold to my resolve to pare down my book collection. But it hurts. Not only have we developed relationships with these books, but these things go through my mind: what if one of my kids wants to look at this book again? what about my grandchildren? what if we would happen to have a foster or adopted child later in life that we do not foresee right now?--these arguments are enough to make me want to jump up and unpack all those books!

I have to remind myself that I could purchase these books again, and the price of storing them has its own costs. I actually considered renting a storage facility for books and other such stuff that I want to hold on to, but that are crowding us out of our 1200 sq. ft. home. Then the thought occurred to me: What is worth $50 a month to store? Nothing that I couldn't buy again if need be! Right?

Precious Moments

There are so many precious moments as a mother, and none can beat a child's enthusiasm when he finds a scripture verse he can cling to.

My youngest has a hard time being the youngest. This week we came upon 1 Timothy 4:12:

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

After we read it, I said, "that sounds like a helpful verse to you." He immediately jumped up, grabbed an index card, and wrote out (all of you Moms who homeschool 9yo boys are giving a sigh of precious understanding) the complete verse as I dictated it to him.

I am so thankful for the privilege of time with my children.

Home Education Conference Notes

I'm winding down from two days spend at the SHEM Home Education Conference. It is always a rejuvenating, yet exhausting and sometimes overwhelming, weekend. However, I needed it. I have not experienced homeschool burnout as badly as I have lately. It's not that I don't love being home with my boys and homeschooling them, I've just given in to lethargy lately, which produces larger-than-normal guilt trips (you homeschool Moms know what I'm talking about). I needed a shot in the arm, and that's what I received this weekend.

As Noah is preparing to enter his high school years, I have been seriously evaluating what we've done and where we're going. I've had to give up some of my ideals in recognizing Noah's interests and abilities and limits as well as facing my shortcomings. It has been a humbling few weeks, and I'm not "there" yet where I can say with confidence that I now know exactly what we're doing the next four years, but I am excited about a program of Accelerated Distance Learning (ADL) that I learned about this weekend.

In a nutshell, a student can earn their bachelors degree by the time they're finished with "high school" by learning study skills, taking CLEP tests, and using ADL. This system can be used at any age to complete a degree in 18-24 months at a cost of approx. $5,000 as opposed to $110,000+ for a typical brick-and-mortar college experience.

Let me try to explain in more detail: First, the student goes through several weeks of study skills training, including speed reading, memorization devices, tips for writing college papers, advanced note taking and persuasive writing and speaking. All of these resources plus the book Accelerated Distance Learning can be purchased as a set called "College in the Bag" at Global Learning Strategies.

The high school student continues to do their math, science, and english on a normal weekly schedule, and the remainder of their studying is spent on one target subject at a time. Once they've finished that target subject, they take the CLEP test. Upon passing this test, they have received college credit in that subject. For instance, the student may spend 6 weeks studying U.S. History I, take the CLEP test, pass it, then move on to U.S. History II, etc. In this way, the student can complete their first two years of "college" during one year of high school. (The first two years of college is only high school review, so why not get it done the first time through.)

The next year, the student will complete their Bachelors Degree through Accelerated Distance Learning at an accredited university. Using their study skills, they will be able to complete their remaining 60 hours of college in one year, if they choose. Of course, they can choose to take as long as their schedule and desire permits.

By earning a Bachelors Degree by the age of 16-18, the young person can then choose to pursue a specialized Masters Degree or get an apprenticeship/internship in their field of interest.

CollegePlus! is a counseling service that guides the student through the entire process. By using their services, a typical bachelors degree will cost $15,000. Compared to $107,000 for a private university and $41,000+ for a public university, that is (obviously) a significant savings.

I realize these are "new and complicated" thoughts, but that's what homeschoolers are best at! Our world is rapidly changing, and our preconceived ideas must/will change with it. In fact, some predict colleges will be obsolete in the next 20 years. Furthermore, studies have shown that ADL learners out perform traditional students.

I am excited that the Lord has brought this information across my path at just the right time. I think this is truly something that may work for my son! Stay tuned . . .

Field Trip Day

We headed to Branson today for two field trips: the Presidential Museum and the Butterfly Palace. The Presidential Museum has a c-span exhibit until May 2 that I highly recommend you see if you can. Here are some pictures from our day.

Presidential Museum:
























Butterfly Palace (like you would get the two confused):




In addition to getting to walk around a large room with tropical butterflies fluttering by, the Butterfly Palace also offers a 3D movie, room of creepy crawlies, and a mirror maze. I lost track of how many times my boys went through the maze. It is quite fun, if not a little disconcerting.

American Civic Literacy Quiz

According to the Failing Our Students, Failing America site:

America’s Founders were convinced American freedom could survive only if each generation understood its founding principles and the sacrifices made to maintain it.

Failing Our Students, Failing America: Holding Colleges Accountable for Teaching America’s History and Institutions asks: Is American higher education doing its duty to prepare the next generation to maintain our legacy of liberty?

In fall 2005, researchers at the University of Connecticut’s Department of Public Policy (UConnDPP), commissioned by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s (ISI) National Civic Literacy Board, conducted a survey of some 14,000 freshmen and seniors at 50 colleges and universities. Students were asked 60 multiple-choice questions to measure their knowledge in four subject areas: America’s history, government, international relations, and market economy. The disappointing results were published by ISI in fall 2006 in The Coming Crisis in Citizenship: Higher Education’s Failure to Teach America’s History and Institutions. Seniors, on average, failed all four subjects, and their overall average score was 53.2%.

You can test your knowledge of Civics by taking this quiz.
I scored 71.67%, not as well as I had hoped, but still better than average! It is only from home schooling my children that I could answer any of the questions. How well do you know civics?

Scripture Memory Box

This is a picture of our Scripture Memory Box. I made it according to the instructions at Simply Charlotte Mason.


The dividers are: Daily, Even, Odd, Monday-Friday, 1-30. The verse in Daily is the verse we're actively learning. Once we've mastered a verse, I move it to Even or Odd, then as we add more verses mastered those get moved back to Monday-Friday and then back to 1-30. So that each day we review four verses: Daily, Odd or Even depending on the date, Monday-Friday depending on the day of the week, and 1-30 depending on the date. Since we've only got the dates filled in 1-9, I'll review "5" when we're on the 15th of the month, and so on. If you need further explanation, there are step-by-step instructions here.


Here are the verses we've memorized:
Psalms 139
Our School Motto*
Romans 10:9
2 Corinthians 9:7
Philippians 4:4-8
1 Timothy 6:6-8
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Hebrews 12:11
1 John 4:11-12
Ephesians 4:29
Micah 6:8
Matthew 22:37-40
Books of the New Testament
Proverbs 29:11
Galatians 6:10
2 Timothy 3:16-17
And we're just beginning Psalm 19:7-14


*Our School Motto is borrowed from Charlotte Masons' school:

I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will


I Am a child of God; a gift to my parents and my country; a person of great value because God made me.

I Can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God made me able to do everything required of me.

I Ought to do my duty to obey God; to submit to those in authority over me; to be of service to others.

I Will resolve to keep a watch over my thoughts and choose what's right even if it's not what I want.

Homeschool Expo

We participated in the SHEM Homeschool Expo this year, and the boys did very well! Here is Noah with "Best in Show" and a "1" for his film A Day at the Library, which he also won last summer's TeenTakes Library video contest with. (See it here on YouTube.) George Lucas: watch out! There's a new kid in town. Noah also entered a celtic knot drawing and a rock sculpture/candle holder he made and received a "1" for both. Way to go Noah!


Micah entered his ocean life diorama, pictured here, for which he received a "2". He received a "1" on his potholders, cross-stitch dolphins, humpback whale painting, and wooden CD holder. He received a "2" on his Pinewood Derby car. Good job, Micah!


We're so proud of our boys!

Depression, Part 1

I tend to be pretty transparent. I don't like pretending. I figure if we're all in this world together, and if we can be of any help to each other, than the best way is to be open and honest with each other, "bearing one another's burdens." (Galatians 6:2) So, if that makes you feel uncomfortable, you probably should skip this post.

I suffer with depression, just like other people suffer with asthma or diabetes. If that caused a reaction in you, I understand. When my meds are working well, even I can't understand the twisted way in which I once thought. Although there is research being done to try to match a person's blood type to a specific anti-depressant, currently the only real way to find one what works is to try them. I've tried a lot of them, which is not a fun roller coaster. What works for my depression makes me very sleepy. I have to live with the sleepiness and lack of productivity; it's a trade-off.

I have been struggling lately. I'm hoping it's due to the dreary winter weather, but have a suspicion that it's more than that. I did a Google search on "homeschooling depression" to see if I could find help from others in my situation. The first one I found was an article by Teri Maxwell about her past struggle with depression. And while I appreciate her willingness to share publicly, it aggravates me that people share their struggle once they're "over" it. I think that pushes the stigma of mental illness further underground: It's embarrasing and something we don't talk about until we've conquered it.

So, I looked further and came upon this quote:

"Many of us homeschooling moms deal with depression that can, at times, be debilitating. We don't have to live with it! If you're living with depression, look into what may be going causing it, and take steps to remedy it. . . Above all, ask your Heavenly Father for help. He knows what makes you tick, and He knows all the circumstances of your life. He's so ready to help; all you need to do is ask Him for it. Why suffer with it any longer?"

That infuriates me. Maybe it shouldn't. Maybe we need a different name for the times when a person experiences circumstantial depression as opposed to the person who suffers with a chemically-altered brain function. But when I read things like the above, I just want to scream and cry for all the other people in my position who feel so condemned by such statements. I don't have to live with it? I don't have to suffer any longer? If I really seek God, He will pull me out of it? That just perpetuates the idea that it's a shameful situation rather than a true medical condition. Why hasn't God healed me then? I've asked that over and over and over.

Thank God for His Holy Scriptures, the Living Word. It is truly amazing that in that one book we can find the answers to every life circumstance. Only God could put together something that perfect! What I've been encouraged by is Paul's experience with the "thorn in the flesh" that is never named. He asked God to remove it, but God choose, in His sovereignty, to allow it to remain. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9:

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect
in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so
that Christ's power may rest on me.

I have clung to those words in recent days. His grace is enough. I may never be free of this disease. His power is made perfect in my weakness. His power is perfected in my depression. How? I don't fully know, other than it draws me to Him; I cannot boast in my own strength; I am continually humbled. For whatever reason, God has chosen to give me this thorn in my flesh. So I will continue to bear it to the best of my ability.

8th Grade, 3rd Term Resources

I have figured out the Homeschool Tracker program I bought this week and am pleased with it so far. My task this week has been to develop Noah's last 12-week term of 8th grade, which starts next week. We have always followed the Ambleside Curriculum, but I've had to pause and refigure some things for a couple reasons: We're a little out of sync with the schedule, Noah is complaining of the heavy reading load, and with our planned trip to DC and Virginia this fall I want to make sure we cover American history.

So, here is what we're planning to use this term:
Bible: Christianity 101

Art: The Story of Painting from Cave Painting to Modern Times, by Janson

Health: Passion and Purity,: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christs Control, by Elisabeth Elliot

Literature: The Alhambra - Washington Irving; The Holy War, John Bunyan; Utopia, Moore; Stories of Don Quixote Written Anew for Children (Yesterday's Classics), James Baldwin; Utopia, Moore; The Once and Future King, T. H. White

Literature on audiobook: Westward Ho, Charles Kingsley; David Copperfield, Charles Dickens; The Innocence of Father Brown, G.K. Chesterton; Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen; The Lost Prince, Frances Hodgson Burnett

Shakespeare play: Loves Labours Lost (7 weeks reading Spark Notes and listening to audio from library and 5 weeks watching one act a week from Netflix video.)

Grammar: Daily Grammar free lessons delivered to your inbox each day

Writing: Paradigm Online Writing Assistant (free online or order the book from the site) and written narrations (goal of 2-3 a week)

Spelling: Spelling Power (our first try at a spelling curriculum, so we'll see how it goes)

Logic: How to Read a Book (A Touchstone Book), by Adler

English from the Roots Up

Math we'll continue with Math-U-See Pre-Algebra. I'm considering the Joy of Mathematics course on sale now at The Great Courses.

Science we'll continue Apologia General Science

History: A History of the American People
To Have and to Hold by Mary Johnston

Government: Are You Liberal? Conservative? Or Confused? (An Uncle Eric Book) by Richard Maybury

Citizenship: Ourselves by Charlotte Mason, translated into Modern English here

Geography: Exploring Planet Earth (Sense of Wonder Series) ("Sense of Wonder" Series) Plus map drills using the GeoSafari and Seterra, a free computer program that is addictive!

Biography: Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington

Current Events: Top Story from God's World News This has always been one of Noah's favorite resources. Next year I'll have him read the news from Student News Daily.

The boys love to watch movies, so I let them indulge in this by renting many historical and biographical movies from Netflix. You can see my Netflix queu here. I'm even considering allowing Noah to watch the Jane Austen movies instead of read the books. *Gasp* It has become clear that he is tired of reading, and that our taste in books is vastly different! So, I'm trying to compromise as much as possible, while maintaining at least a familiarity with many of the classics. We watched Moby Dick recently. It was a good movie, though not adequate coverage of the book. However, I remember having to read Moby Dick in high school (the only book I was required to read other than 1984), and hating it terribly. I just couldn't make Noah read it!

Hope this has been helpful.